John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

This applies to both audio cabling and electrical wires.

For instance how do people generally go about sealing up electrical outlets? Clearly, there is a huge hole in the wall where the gang boxes mount.

Same thing with audio cables. Mine are running through conduit and into junction boxes on either side of the wall. A lot of sound comes through those boxes. How does one go about sealing these up?

For instance how do people generally go about sealing up electrical outlets? Clearly, there is a huge hole in the wall where the gang boxes mount.

One good way to avoid that is to do everything with surface mounting, so there are no holes. You should also avoid "back-to-back" boxes on opposing sides of the wall, and use lots of acoustic caulk around the boxes.

Mine are running through conduit and into junction boxes on either side of the wall. A lot of sound comes through those boxes. How does one go about sealing these up?

It sounds like your installation is already complete, so you don't have many options, but basically what you have should not have been done the way it is. You could try stuffing the conduit full of fiberglass from both ends, and sealing it up with acoustic caulk. Or you could take it all out again and install it properly...

Soundman2020 wrote:

For instance how do people generally go about sealing up electrical outlets? Clearly, there is a huge hole in the wall where the gang boxes mount.

One good way to avoid that is to do everything with surface mounting, so there are no holes. You should also avoid "back-to-back" boxes on opposing sides of the wall, and use lots of acoustic caulk around the boxes.

Mine are running through conduit and into junction boxes on either side of the wall. A lot of sound comes through those boxes. How does one go about sealing these up?

It sounds like your installation is already complete, so you don't have many options, but basically what you have should not have been done the way it is. You could try stuffing the conduit full of fiberglass from both ends, and sealing it up with acoustic caulk. Or you could take it all out again and install it properly...

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I am taking over an existing studio and trying to fix some major sound leaks. Install was done years ago. We're redoing one of the walls, and beefing up the other. No back-to-back boxes anywhere, but as I said, the audio cable passes through non-rigid conduit with small junction boxes at every end. This is a multi-room studio; two control rooms, two iso booths, and a decent size live room. All the rooms are tied together, and the install guys used the conduit to pull cable from room to room. I've considered cutting the cables off in the wall and filling the box with mud and calling it a day, but having all the rooms tied together would be hard to recreate without major renovations, so I need to figure out a way to salvage the situation.

The main problem is with leakage from the live room. I plan to add two more layers of 5/8" drywall to each side of the wall. These are actually double walls; metal stud construction. This place was built by some kind of multi-media audio developers back in the 90's. As I tear into things, I see that it actually was designed properly; just very poorly executed. But the main places where sound is getting through is the main CR window, and the audio pass-through. The windows are being re-done, properly with heavy (3/4") glass, and proper construction. As I said we are also planning on adding layers to both walls. But just trying to figure a way to reduce sound coming through the outlets and audio cable pass-through.

I'm wondering if it might be possible to build a box and attach it to the wall covering the outlets, etc. Then the only ones exposed would be the ones that are used. It might even be possible to build the boxes with a grommeted (?) hole or slot for wires to pass through. At least it would limit the leak to a smaller area.

Just thinking out loud.

Which building is this in Seattle?

Magickman utillize the new dry wall to cover the cable holes as close to the cable you can get. THen caulk what ever hole is left.
If the cable ducts are physicaly touching the wall, while your reno-ing, carefully cut the duct (NOT the cable) so there is no physical connection between rooms, then seal it all up again.

If the original owners have done this dodgy, I wonder what else is "not right" in the original build?
You might just be applying a bandaid.

Aaronw wrote:Which building is this in Seattle?

The building is located in Pioneer Square: "Orbit Audio" is the existing studio name.

lilith_envy wrote:Magickman utillize the new dry wall to cover the cable holes as close to the cable you can get. THen caulk what ever hole is left.
If the cable ducts are physicaly touching the wall, while your reno-ing, carefully cut the duct (NOT the cable) so there is no physical connection between rooms, then seal it all up again.

Actually, this is how we dealt with the situation:
The cables were feeding into a two-gang electrical box. After adding two layers of sheet rock to this wall, we packed the whole thing (duplex and all) with mud.
As for the electrical boxes, we did the same kind of thing, only converting the outlets to surface mount. The transmission through these parts of the wall is now non-existent!

I'm not familiar with that one. Must have been after my time there? I worked @ Stepping Stone Recording over on Dexter in the mid '90's. Over where Glenn Sound is/was. I remember when he moved in to the front studio.

Oh, Orbit is no longer around? I heard a few months ago that the other studio, that shared the same live room was up for sale/lease.. Do you have the whole place?

Magickman wrote:This is a multi-room studio; two control rooms, two iso booths, and a decent size live room. All the rooms are tied together,

ahh you are. rad. Can't wait to check it out when you're done. I'm down in Georgetown, finishing up a small overdub/mix place. But keeping the option open for full band recording since i deal with a lot of small budget bands that can't afford to track in a commercial space.

trodden wrote:Oh, Orbit is no longer around? I heard a few months ago that the other studio, that shared the same live room was up for sale/lease.. Do you have the whole place?

Orbit is still around. I took over the the other larger/main control room. But we are revamping the whole place.

trodden wrote:

Magickman wrote:This is a multi-room studio; two control rooms, two iso booths, and a decent size live room. All the rooms are tied together,

ahh you are. rad. Can't wait to check it out when you're done. I'm down in Georgetown, finishing up a small overdub/mix place. But keeping the option open for full band recording since i deal with a lot of small budget bands that can't afford to track in a commercial space.

I think I saw your build thread somewhere. IIRC, you are on the second floor of an old wooden building. Is that you?

Magickman wrote:

trodden wrote:

Magickman wrote:This is a multi-room studio; two control rooms, two iso booths, and a decent size live room. All the rooms are tied together,

ahh you are. rad. Can't wait to check it out when you're done. I'm down in Georgetown, finishing up a small overdub/mix place. But keeping the option open for full band recording since i deal with a lot of small budget bands that can't afford to track in a commercial space.

I think I saw your build thread somewhere. IIRC, you are on the second floor of an old wooden building. Is that you?

Close. First and only floor (besides the basement) of an old wooden building.

Mudding and taping today... can't wait to not be living in a construction zone.