Studio Design Advices - Italy

[anspero]

Hi everyone,

I'm a young record engineer / producer and it's time for me to build my first studio. I live in a small town near Milan and the location I've found is a ~70sq m old warehouse, used by the owner as a car garage for a while.
The purpose of the facility is to become a semi professional studio (for my productions and small recordings) and a rehearsal room.

After some thoughts, I've set up two designs (just a little difference between them) for the entire facility.





(in the second pic I couldn't erase two black wall lines between the control room and the small office on the upper left corner).

The live room is in blue and the control room is in grey.

I know this is a weird design, but I have to explain some considerations.
In the warehouse there aren't any inner walls, only a small "machine room" in the lower right corner (this will be a closet for mic stands and random stuff, light blue in the plan). And there's a door on the upper wall, which opens to another room (not built yet). There will be the bathroom and a storage room (for speakers and amplifiers I will rent out).

Another limitation is that I have to take my Kawai GS30 (three quarters of a Grand Piano in lenght) in the recording room, so I can't make narrow angles between hallways and the live room has to be quite spacious. And there's gonna be rehearsals in the same room.

Then I will need a small entrance / waiting room (with coffe and other stuff) and a small office (on the upper left, in yellow).

I almost forgot, the original ceiling is very high (~ 4m) but the girders are ~2,70m from the ground.

I want to ask: how about the acoustics of the control room? And how i can manage room ratios with trapezoidal-shaped rooms?
This is only a first idea, I don't have precise sizes and measurements, but with some clearer ideas I will ask an architect to complete the plan for me.

And let me thank you for this incredible forum

(sorry for the bad plans, I can't use CAD or design softwares...I prefer DAWs)

[anspero]

With the architect we've come up with a new idea.

Any thoughts?

[Soundman2020]

Hi. Please read the forum rules for posting (click here). You seem to be missing a couple of things!

After some thoughts, I've set up two designs (just a little difference between them) for the entire facility.

With both of those you have a large glass surface directly behind the mix position, your head is too close to the rear wall (the glass) and in fact your mix position appears to be in the geometric center of the room, which is the worst possible location, acoustically.

I want to ask: how about the acoustics of the control room?

For any control room, the acoustics should be neutral, or as close to neutral as you can get them. The geometry, layout, and acoustic response should meet ITU BS.1116-2 in all aspects.

And how i can manage room ratios with trapezoidal-shaped rooms?

simple answer: you can't! Room ratio calculators are only applicable to rectangular rooms. However, if you fully understand the theory of modal response, then you can still use them to predict some of the modes (those that are not related to the surfaces that are not parallel), and you can also use it to get an idea of the probable modal response for the other surfaces, albeit not accurately.

With the architect we've come up with a new idea.
Any thoughts?

First thoughts? Don't use an architect to design a studio! Architects get very little training in acoustics, and none at all in studio design. If you want to hire someone to do the design for you, then hire a studio designer! He won't make the silly mistakes that are very obvious in the diagram you posted.

To start with, for some unknown reason, the architect has cut off the only place where substantial bass trapping could be used in that room! Both of the rear corners are completely eliminated, and those are the very best places for bass trapping.

Not only that, but the two rear corners have been replaced with DOORS!

Also, it appears that an attempt is being made to flush-mount (soffit mount) the speakers, but the shape/size/structure and angles are totally incorrect and inadequate.

In addition, the room is close to square, is only about half the size it needs to be for use as a control room, there's no isolation at all, there's a lot o wasted space, and the RFZ is not working correctly.

I would suggest that you either hire an experienced studio designer, or that you learn how to do it yourself, if you have enough time. Realistically, it takes about six months to a year for someone to learn enough about acoustics, construction, studio design, studio layout, HVAC, etc., then about another three to six months to actually do the design. Once the design is fully completed, THEN you can pass it on to the architect, who will check that it complies with your local building code, and will draw up the actual plans for you to present to the local authorities, so you can get the permits that you will need for actually building it.

(Also, I'd suggest that you get a different architect: Any architect who would design a door that can't be opened more than 40°, is not the type of architect that you'd want to use! That's a very basic, beginner's mistake... You mentioned that you need to get a grand piano into the live room, but there is no way you'd ever be able to get a grand piano through a door that you can't even open more than a quarter way! )


- Stuart -

[anspero]

Ok, I've made some beginner's mistake. (even with posting...)

Actually, before calling an experienced studio designer (and start spending a lot of money), I'd like to understand why some ideas couldn't work, just to know a little thing and see if the designs will be good or not...

So, any suggestions for this 12m x 6 warehouse?

[Soundman2020]

There is an announcement at the top of the forum about what to do to assure getting as many responses as possible.
The announcement leads to this post (click here). Actually, several people, who are experts on this forum, will most likely not reply if you don't do what is written in that post. Many others who are very helpful, will perhaps not reply out of respect for the moderators' wishes.

I'd like to understand why some ideas couldn't work, just to know a little thing and see if the designs will be good or not...

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 help you get started on understanding acoustics, studio design, and studio construction. The first one "MHoA", gives you a good, solid understanding of basic acoustics: what sound is, how it works and propagates, how it be stopped, redirected, modified, controlled, etc. The second one will help you understand the principles of construction, studio design, materials, methods, techniques, etc. Between those two books, you will have the basis for being able to design a studio. It won't be enough to do the job fully, of course, but it's a very good start.


- Stuart -