John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hello,

We are about to build a project studio. I am a drummer and will record overdubs for tracks sent to me and also in the tracking room with various bands. I am aiming to be able to have sufficient ceiling height for overhead mics and room mics and minimizing unwanted ceiling reflections into mics etc. Bobby Owsinski's Drum Recording book recommends ceiling heights of 12 to 15 ft for this.

The width & length dimensions of the tracking room are: 30ft x 20 ft (9 x 6 m).
The ceiling will be vaulted to maximize headroom.

I have 2 options for the starting ceiling height: 2.7m (8.8 ft) or 3m (9.8 ft)

1) If I start at 2.7m with a 25 deg pitch I achieve: 8.8 ft to 15.75 ft to 8.8 ft.
With an average room height of 12.2 ft (3.72m)

2) If I start at 3m with a 22 deg pitch I achieve: 9.84 ft to 15.75 ft to 9.84 ft
With an average room height of 12.8 ft (3.9 m).

We would like to keep the max height at around the 15.75 ft mark.

Is it worth going up to a starting ceiling / stud height of 3m (9.8 ft) to achieve a little more headroom right from the edges of the room?

Or, do you think starting at 2.7m (8.8 ft) would be sufficient?

I would most likely place my drums in the center of the room under the apex for recording to give maximum clearance (and plan to treat the room once built)

Also both options using the average heights plot ok on a "room ratio" calculator (see attachment).

I would really appreciate some feedback on how much more I could gain going up to a 3m starting height.

Many Thanks, Dean

PS. We are at the early stages of drawing up the basic dimensions and room geometries. The studio will be a new building and consist of a garage attached to the left hand side and a studio area to the right consisting of 3 rooms: a) the live / tracking room (9m (L) x 6m (W) x vaulted ceiling as per option 1 or 2 above) + b) a mixing / control room (5m (L) x 3.5m (W) x 2.7m ceiling height) + c) a lounge room with a storage area / iso booth for vocals or guitar cab etc. (2m x 1.1m).

We live in a rural area so there are no issues disturbing neighbors, but of course some isolation from outside noises (wildlife, traffic, rain etc.) will be required for recording. I am currently researching that area to try and ascertain how much isolation is required and what the appropriate designs could be for the tracking room walls and ceiling.

I also attach a basic plan view schematic of our 1st draft plan and a 3D model of the same.

To get started I first of all need to decide on the starting stud / ceiling height for the studio end & live tracking room (min 2.7m, max 3m)

Kind Regards, Dean (New Zealand)

Hi Dan, and Welcome!

Bobby Owsinski's Drum Recording book recommends ceiling heights of 12 to 15 ft for this.

Exactly! Drums do like spacious rooms and high ceilings to sound good.

The width & length dimensions of the tracking room are: 30ft x 20 ft (9 x 6 m).

Careful with that... there's a direct mathematical relationship between the length and width. That can lead to problems with modal response. For example, at 56 Hz, your 0:2:0 and 3:0:0 axial modes coincide perfectly, and again at 112.5 Hz 0:4:0 and 6:0:0. Also, at 47 Hz, your 2:1:0 1:0:1 tangential modes coincide, and ditto for 71Hz with your 0:2:1 and 3:0:1 modes. Etc.

In general, it's a good idea to avoid dimensions that are exact multiples, or within 5% or being exact multiples, unless you are aiming for a specific resonance boost at a specific frequency and in a specific location in the room.

Also both options using the average heights plot ok on a "room ratio" calculator (see attachment).

Your ratio calcualtor is VERY simplified, basic, and rudimentary. Try one that gives you all the details, such as these two:

http://amroc.andymel.eu/

http://www.bobgolds.com/Mode/RoomModes.htm

Is it worth going up to a starting ceiling / stud height of 3m (9.8 ft) to achieve a little more headroom right from the edges of the room?

If that were my room, yes, that's what I would do. I would attempt to maximize total room volume, and also the visual ceiling height, as well as the acoustic height. As long as the difference in cost is not large, then it makes sense to do that.

I would most likely place my drums in the center of the room under the apex for recording to give maximum clearance

The center of a room is usually not a good place for anything, since that's the exact location where all first order modal peaks are, and all second order modal nulls. Set up your drum kit a bit off center, such that it is not located at that dreaded spot.

b) a mixing / control room (5m (L) x 3.5m (W) x 2.7m ceiling height)

That's a little small for a control room. It's not terrible at all, but specs for critical listening rooms call for a minimum floor area of 20m2.

One other comment: You show your bathroom and storage room are directly attached to the control room: Bad idea! I would strongly recommend not doing that. Modify your arrangement so that they are attached to the green room (=lounge). Creating an acoustically isolated area is expensive and complex: bathrooms and storage rooms do not need to be isolated, so they should be OUTSIDE the isolation shell.

On the other hand, you show an iso booth that is outside the isolation shell! That needs to be INSIDE the isolation shell, since it does need isolating.



- Stuart -

Hi Stuart,

Thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate it! I will do some more homework based on your suggestions.

Kind Regards, Dean