John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hey guys,

I want to build a home studio in my basement, and need some feedback on my wall design.

I attached a drawing of my wall and ceiling design.

But i still have some questions.

1: What distance should i put the 2X6 studs apart? would the size of one rockwool panel be to much apart?

2:what thickness of rockwool should i use?

3: If i use 2X4 or 4X4 for the ceiling( because I need moreheadspace) together with isolated ceiling hangers could this cause any problems? structurally? I suppose the ceilinghangers should help a lot supporting the ceilingbeams. Not?

Total studio size is 4,3meters ( 14feet ) by 5 meters ( 16,4 feet) ceiling height empty basement = 8,2 feet.

Thanks for any feedback

1: What distance should i put the 2X6 studs apart? would the size of one rockwool panel be to much apart?

For the walls, why do you need 2x6 studs? Most places can easily be built with 2x4 studs. For walls, 2x6 studs are only used for exceptionally high loads. And for the ceiling, are you sure that 2x6 is big enough? You cannot guess here: you need to consult a structural engineer to find out how big your ceiling joists need to be to safely carry the live and dead loads that you will have up there, while spanning the distance you need to span, and producing the maximum deflection that you need.

Normal stud spacing in walls and ceilings is either 16" OC, which is 40cm OC in the metric system, or 24" OC, which is 60 cm OC Metric. But once again, your structural engineer might change that.

2:what thickness of rockwool should i use?

Thick enough that it just fills the entire cavity, or a bit less than that. But at least 100mm.

3: If i use 2X4 or 4X4 for the ceiling( because I need moreheadspace) together with isolated ceiling hangers could this cause any problems? structurally? I suppose the ceilinghangers should help a lot supporting the ceilingbeams. Not?

No, you cannot guess here, and you cannot just change the dimensions of structural members simply because you want more headroom! You must hire a structural engineer to look at the room, look at your plans, do the calculations, and tell you what size joists you need. Guessing is very dangerous here: if the ceiling fails, it could kill you or seriously injure you, and other people. It must be built correctly, and must be designed and/or approved by a qualified structural engineer.

- Stuart -

Hey Stuart,

I will be contacting a structural engineer soon. this needs to be calculated.

My choice of 2X6 studs for the walls is based on your advice in an earlier thread. You recommend these because they slightly improve the low frequentie isolation.
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewt ... 54#p136554

Thanks.