Trying to figure out a studio floorplan roughout

[Deranged Amber]

I'm relieved to find a place to get some info on studio building. Thank you for providing this resource.

Here's the situation.

I'm building a new home, and I'm putting a recording studio in the basement. I am still trying to wrap my head around how I should build the space. The problem is that the onion is proving to have quite a few more layers then I thought originally. Or, in other words, every time I research a question, I come up with ten more questions to answer, or ponder on.
So let me explain what I am looking for.
I want a versatile home studio that is still cost effective.
I want good isolation from the rest of the house so that I disturb anyone, and so they don't get on the end product.
I want a recording booth.
I like the idea of a mastering room. (but can I achieve this in the control room by altering treatments?)
I like the idea of being able to record drums, but not sure if I have the space build a specific room for it. (again is recording drums possible in the control room with proper treatments)
I don't want the feel of the studio to be sterile, I want it to be a lounge-ish, comfortable, warm space that fosters creativity. (I will spend a great deal of time here NOT doing music as well, think man cave)
That being said the FIRST thing I've been tasked with is to figure out is the floor plan. I have to get the dimensions I want to the architect asap as there is a time crunch going on. The real issue is I don't know how to BEST use the space, and I best find out quick.
So what I'm specifically asking for is help with the floor plan stage, how I should use the space I have and why. I really appreciate the help because right now I'm afraid I'm going to miss out on a chance to build it right. I'll end up picking some dimensions, not knowing what I'm doing and somehow limit myself or mess the sound up. Thank you for any help you can offer. I am attaching a drawing from my architect, and keep in mind, the booth could move around so that's not set in stone..
Thank you soo soo much in advance for any input you think could be useful.

Here's the link to the existing roughed out plan
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v2guaks2gw72t ... e.pdf?dl=0

[macmanmatty]

I'm relieved to find a place to get some info on studio building. Thank you for providing this resource.

Here's the situation.

I'm building a new home, and I'm putting a recording studio in the basement. I am still trying to wrap my head around how I should build the space. The problem is that the onion is proving to have quite a few more layers then I thought originally. Or, in other words, every time I research a question, I come up with ten more questions to answer, or ponder on.
So let me explain what I am looking for.

You are asking the questions though which is a good thing!!

I want a versatile home studio that is still cost effective.
I want good isolation from the rest of the house so that I disturb anyone, and so they don't get on the end product.

you will most likely need double framed walls and a Mass Spring Mass system IE Drywall / durrock / stucco then 2x4 framing with insulation air gap then 2x4 framing with insulation and then finally more drywall NOTHING goes on the inner sides of the two walls. How many db's are you trying a cancel out? You will NEED a sound meter to figure that out and a cheap one from radioshack will work for this. Until you know how many DB's you need to cancel out you won't know exactly how to build your walls to get the level of isolation you need. Your ears will be no good at this!!

I want a recording booth.
I like the idea of a mastering room. (but can I achieve this in the control room by altering treatments?)

I see no control room in your plans is that the recording studio room? The dimensions of that aren't the best even without knowing how high the ceilings are. How high are the ceilings? The two dimensions you listed 13' 7" and 14' 6" are within less than a foot of each other which will not give very good modal response. Is the area of the two rooms you show all the square footage you have to work with? I would make the 14' 6" width longer if I could by at least a foot. Yes you can master in a control room. I plan on doing that in mine.

I like the idea of being able to record drums, but not sure if I have the space build a specific room for it. (again is recording drums possible in the control room with proper treatments)

you can record drums in a control room as drums like a dead room, but I wouldn't be trying to listen to anything with drummer in there drums can get over 115 DB easily.

I don't want the feel of the studio to be sterile, I want it to be a lounge-ish, comfortable, warm space that fosters creativity. (I will spend a great deal of time here NOT doing music as well, think man cave)
That being said the FIRST thing I've been tasked with is to figure out is the floor plan. I have to get the dimensions I want to the architect asap as there is a time crunch going on. The real issue is I don't know how to BEST use the space, and I best find out quick.
So what I'm specifically asking for is help with the floor plan stage, how I should use the space I have and why. I really appreciate the help because right now I'm afraid I'm going to miss out on a chance to build it right. I'll end up picking some dimensions, not knowing what I'm doing and somehow limit myself or mess the sound up. Thank you for any help you can offer. I am attaching a drawing from my architect, and keep in mind, the booth could move around so that's not set in stone..
Thank you soo soo much in advance for any input you think could be useful.

I would change the dimensions of the recording room (control room?) the vocal booth looks fine, but if that is all of the room you have work with I would consider a one room studio with what I know now. But I need to know what the recording studio room is control room, control / live room? How high are the ceilings in both rooms? What else will you be doing in the man cave? What kind of music will you be recording? What are your goals with this is this a professional money making studio or a hobby studio? What is your budget for this? Does the architect have any studio building / designing experience?

[Soundman2020]

Hi there "Deranged Amber", and Welcome!

I tried to download your PDF, but it seems the link doesn't work: I just get a 404 error.

Anyway, to get the basics of how to design and build studio, I'd suggest two books: "Master Handbook of Acoustics" by F. Alton Everest (that's sort of the Bible for acoustics), and "Home Recording Studio: Build it Like the Pros", by Rod Gervais. Those will get you started on understanding the basic principles for laying out your studio. There are also a large number of studio builds right here on the forum, and reading through those can give you an excellent idea of the process of designing a studio.

So I'd suggest starting there, and if you could re-post your PDF then I'll take a look at it, and see if I have any suggestions for you.

The other option, if you are in a hurry to get the design done, is to contact John and ask him to quote you for designing it. That way, you are certain it will be as good as it possibly can, and it will be a lot quicker than trying to learn all the basics yourself first!


- Stuart -