Mixing studio in England
Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:43 am
Hello everyone,
I’m planning to build a single room studio at the end of my garden from the ground up. As I have no prior construction experience I’m looking to see if I’m on the right track with my plan, and there’s some questions I have that I’ve summarised at the end.
Purpose
The room will only be used for mixing (mostly pop, hip hop, electronic music), with myself working alone 95% of the time.
The main goal is for the room to have enough isolation not bother the neighbours (and vice versa), and for me to be able to make mix’s that translate well. Current situations have recently forced me to work out of a small spare bedroom so ultimately anything that’s an improvement on that is welcome!
Equipment inside will be fairly minimal as I mix in the box, so will be just a Mac, audio interface, 2 (maybe 3) pairs of monitors, and monitor controller. Furniture wise again will be minimal; likely a desk, chair, maybe a small sofa for the back of the room. There will of course be acoustic treatment as well. Once the build of the room is finished I plan to use the room EQ wizard software to help determine what treatment is needed, but for now I’m mostly focusing on the build.
Isolation Requirements
I’ve been taking outside level readings at the property line using a Extech 407730 meter set on dBC slow. The lowest reading I’ve taken was 52dBC and the highest reading was around 71dBC (this was very brief when a car with loud sub drove by). On average the level seemed to be hovering around 56dBC.
When I’m mixing the level I’m monitoring at is metering around 76dBC.
The Extech meter has an accuracy of 2db so to be on the safe side lets say the lowest outside reading is 50db and I’ll say my monitoring level is 78db. I believe this means I’ll be looking for around 28dB of isolation. Is that about right? That doesn’t seem like lots but as I mix a lot of bass heavy genres I’ll need that isolation down to the low end. To note the studio will be 1m from the property line and the nearest house is 15 meters away so I’m guessing that will also give a little more isolation.
Also according to the UK government's website permitted noise levels in the UK are 34 dBA if the underlying level is no more that 24dBA, and 10dBA above the underlying level of noise if this is more than 24 dBA. I’m not sure how this would factor into my calculations though as it’s in dBA not dBC.
The Construction Plan
After reading various books, such as Rod Gervais’, various posts on this forum, and discussing back and forth with my builder (he’s just a regular builder not a studio one) this is what we’ve come up with;
Floor
Going for an insulated floor. We’ll be digging down so that we lose minimal ceiling hight;
• Earth
• Damp proof membrane
• 75mm thick Celotex insulation board
• 100mm thick Concrete - Once poured this will take us to ground level
• 50mm thick Screed Floor
• Underlay
• 20mm Laminate Flooring
Walls
Outer Leaf;
• Rendering or Hardie Plank cladding - Hardie plank will look a lot better but I’m worried it will create an extra air gap therefore creating a triple leaf. Am I correct in thinking this?
If we go with Hardie Plank it will then be;
• 18mm Timber Battens
• Breathable membrane
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
If instead we render (which is the way I’m leaning to) it’ll go straight to;
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
Total Mass - 21.6Kg/m2
Air Gap;
• 100mm x 47mm timber studs (16” OC) - this will be attached to the OSB. Just to note I’ve checked with the builder 100mm x 47mm is the dry measurement
• 100mm thick Isover Hi-Cav CWS glass mineral wool insulation (48Kg/m3) - this will fill the gap in the timber studs
• 41mm Genie Clip RST isolation clips and furring channel - Does the 41mm gap this creates need to be filled with insulation?
Total air gap - 141mm
Inner Leaf;
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2) - this will be attached the the furring channel on the isolation clips
• 9mm thick Plywood (5.8Kg/m2) - this is so I can hang panels anywhere
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2)
• Plaster and paint finish
Total mass - 34Kg/m2
Using the TL calculator spread sheet (thanks to Gregwor and audiomutt for creating this great tool) this wall construction (assuming I go with rending instead of Hardie) gives me;
TL of leaf 1 - 32.37
TL of leaf 2 - 35.23
F0 (empty cavity) - 43.97
F0 (insulated cavity) - 31.52
F1 - 390.07
Here’s the TL with insulation graph;
Ceiling
Going for a flat roof with a slight fall. We’ve tried to keep the construction similar to the walls so that the results aren't too different.
Outer leaf;
• 3 layer roof felt
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
Total Mass - 21.6Kg/m2
Air Gap;
• 75mm to 0mm tapered timber furring piece - this is to give the roof a slight fall.
• 150mm x 47mm timber ceiling joists (16” OC) - these will be going across the length and connecting into to a steel beam (that will be going across the width) to break the span. Will the steel beam cause any problems for isolation?
• 150mm thick Isover Hi-Cav CWS glass mineral wool insulation (48Kg/m3) - this will fill the gap in the timber joists
• 41mm Genie Clip RST isolation clips and furring channel - Same question as wall; does the 41mm gap this creates need to be filled with insulation?
Total air gap - 191mm (excluding the tapered furring)
Inner Leaf;
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2) - this will attach the the furring channel
• 9mm thick Plywood (5.8Kg/m2) - this is so I can hang panels anywhere
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2)
• Plaster and paint finish
Total mass - 34Kg/m2
Using the TL calculator this ceiling construction gives me;
TL of leaf 1 - 32.37
TL of leaf 2 - 35.23
F0 (empty cavity) - 37.78
F0 (insulated cavity) - 27.07
F1 - 287.96
Here’s the TL with insulation graph;
Dimensions
The max external dimensions that I’m allowed (I have planning permission granted for this) are;
H - 3m
W - 4.22m
L - 6m
This will give me interior dimensions of;
H - 2.575m
W - 3.758m
L - 5.538m
I’ve put this into both the Amroc and Bob’s Gold calculators and the results seem good;
Ratio - 1:1.45:2.15
Falls within the bolt area
Close to M. M. Louden: 1971: 4th best ratio" 1 : 1.5 : 2.2
1.1w / h < l / h < ((4.5w / h) - 4): Pass
l < 3h & w < 3h: Pass
No integer multiple within 5%: Pass
Bonello plot seems reasonably smooth
Volume - 53.59m3
Floor area - 20.8m2
Overall I think this construction is the best use of the area I have to work with as it's just about big enough to use as a good starting point to treat, and also give's me the isolation I’m looking for. The volume is above 47m3, which I believe is the bear minimum for a good room, and the floor area is just above the recommended 20m2. As the TL graphs shows the wall (using the wall as its TL is slightly weaker than the ceiling) should get 31db TL at 80Hz and 24db TL at 63Hz. This should mean I get my required 28db TL down to around 71Hz. Given the studio will be 1 meter from the property line and the nearest house is about 15 meters away I think this should give me enough isolation not to annoy the neighbours. Am I on the right track with this?
Door
I already have a spare unused door that I’m planning to use for the outer leaf. It’s a RockDoor Ultimate Arcacia 50mm (44mm rigid core) thick composite door. It’s considered one of the best doors for security and durability which is important as being in the outer leaf it’ll be exposed to elements. As it was initially intended to be used as a house front door it does have a letter box and small glazed window but I’m told these can be taken out and filled in.
Unfortunately I’m unable to find out the doors exact weight. When I spoke to the manufacture they said they don’t weigh individual doors but on average there doors weigh around 60Kg which would give me a mass of 31.81Kg/m2 so I’ll have to work off that. Given the total mass of the wall is 55.6Kg/m2 this means to match I need to find a door for the inner leaf with a mass of at least 23.79Kg/m2. I’m probably going to look for a solid core fire door for this duty.
Window
I know it’s not ideal but after spending many years working in windowless studios I’ve decided to put in a small window in. Plan is to use thick laminated glass in both leafs. If we can source we’ll use glass with an acoustic PVB interlayer. Once I get the weight of the glass we’re going to use I’ll calculate what we need to match the mass of the wall.
Electrics
Going for a surface mounted plastic trunking system for the sockets and switches. For lights I’m planning to go for LED track lighting.
HVAC
This is the area I’m struggling with the most. The more reading up I do the more it goes over my head!
Initially my plan was to go for a Daikin Ururu Sarara split unit as it also provides fresh air. But as this unit doesn’t deal with getting the stale air out I’m not sure it’s the simple all in one solution I was hoping for. I’m presuming opening the door say every hour or so (I’ll be doing this to go outside for ear breaks and go into the house to get water, eat etc) doesn’t do anything to get the stale air out. I’ve also read mixed reviews in general about the Daikin unit so I’m not sure if it’s right the way to go. Does anyone have any experience with this unit and would recommend it? Or is it easier just to go with a mini split and separate ventilator?
Think the best way forward may be for me to speak to a specialist about what would be the best solution and how it’ll be incorporate into the build to make sure the isolation is maintained. Can anyone recommend any UK based HVAC installers with experience in studio installation?
Questions summary
Will having Hardie Plank cladding create a triple leaf effect?
Am I right to be aiming for 28dB of isolation?
Do I need to fill the 41mm air gap that’s made by using the Genie isolation clips with insulation?
Will having the timber ceiling joists connected to a steel beam affect the isolation?
Have I got the right idea with the wall and ceiling construction and the results they’ll give me for isolation?
Would anyone recommend the Daikin Ururu Sarara air con unit?
Any UK based studio HVAC installer recommendations?
Are the other areas I need to consider or anything I'm missing?
I hope all of this makes sense! I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks of the plan.
Many Thanks,
Matt
I’m planning to build a single room studio at the end of my garden from the ground up. As I have no prior construction experience I’m looking to see if I’m on the right track with my plan, and there’s some questions I have that I’ve summarised at the end.
Purpose
The room will only be used for mixing (mostly pop, hip hop, electronic music), with myself working alone 95% of the time.
The main goal is for the room to have enough isolation not bother the neighbours (and vice versa), and for me to be able to make mix’s that translate well. Current situations have recently forced me to work out of a small spare bedroom so ultimately anything that’s an improvement on that is welcome!
Equipment inside will be fairly minimal as I mix in the box, so will be just a Mac, audio interface, 2 (maybe 3) pairs of monitors, and monitor controller. Furniture wise again will be minimal; likely a desk, chair, maybe a small sofa for the back of the room. There will of course be acoustic treatment as well. Once the build of the room is finished I plan to use the room EQ wizard software to help determine what treatment is needed, but for now I’m mostly focusing on the build.
Isolation Requirements
I’ve been taking outside level readings at the property line using a Extech 407730 meter set on dBC slow. The lowest reading I’ve taken was 52dBC and the highest reading was around 71dBC (this was very brief when a car with loud sub drove by). On average the level seemed to be hovering around 56dBC.
When I’m mixing the level I’m monitoring at is metering around 76dBC.
The Extech meter has an accuracy of 2db so to be on the safe side lets say the lowest outside reading is 50db and I’ll say my monitoring level is 78db. I believe this means I’ll be looking for around 28dB of isolation. Is that about right? That doesn’t seem like lots but as I mix a lot of bass heavy genres I’ll need that isolation down to the low end. To note the studio will be 1m from the property line and the nearest house is 15 meters away so I’m guessing that will also give a little more isolation.
Also according to the UK government's website permitted noise levels in the UK are 34 dBA if the underlying level is no more that 24dBA, and 10dBA above the underlying level of noise if this is more than 24 dBA. I’m not sure how this would factor into my calculations though as it’s in dBA not dBC.
The Construction Plan
After reading various books, such as Rod Gervais’, various posts on this forum, and discussing back and forth with my builder (he’s just a regular builder not a studio one) this is what we’ve come up with;
Floor
Going for an insulated floor. We’ll be digging down so that we lose minimal ceiling hight;
• Earth
• Damp proof membrane
• 75mm thick Celotex insulation board
• 100mm thick Concrete - Once poured this will take us to ground level
• 50mm thick Screed Floor
• Underlay
• 20mm Laminate Flooring
Walls
Outer Leaf;
• Rendering or Hardie Plank cladding - Hardie plank will look a lot better but I’m worried it will create an extra air gap therefore creating a triple leaf. Am I correct in thinking this?
If we go with Hardie Plank it will then be;
• 18mm Timber Battens
• Breathable membrane
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
If instead we render (which is the way I’m leaning to) it’ll go straight to;
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
Total Mass - 21.6Kg/m2
Air Gap;
• 100mm x 47mm timber studs (16” OC) - this will be attached to the OSB. Just to note I’ve checked with the builder 100mm x 47mm is the dry measurement
• 100mm thick Isover Hi-Cav CWS glass mineral wool insulation (48Kg/m3) - this will fill the gap in the timber studs
• 41mm Genie Clip RST isolation clips and furring channel - Does the 41mm gap this creates need to be filled with insulation?
Total air gap - 141mm
Inner Leaf;
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2) - this will be attached the the furring channel on the isolation clips
• 9mm thick Plywood (5.8Kg/m2) - this is so I can hang panels anywhere
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2)
• Plaster and paint finish
Total mass - 34Kg/m2
Using the TL calculator spread sheet (thanks to Gregwor and audiomutt for creating this great tool) this wall construction (assuming I go with rending instead of Hardie) gives me;
TL of leaf 1 - 32.37
TL of leaf 2 - 35.23
F0 (empty cavity) - 43.97
F0 (insulated cavity) - 31.52
F1 - 390.07
Here’s the TL with insulation graph;
Ceiling
Going for a flat roof with a slight fall. We’ve tried to keep the construction similar to the walls so that the results aren't too different.
Outer leaf;
• 3 layer roof felt
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
• 18mm thick OSB3 board (10.8Kg/m2)
Total Mass - 21.6Kg/m2
Air Gap;
• 75mm to 0mm tapered timber furring piece - this is to give the roof a slight fall.
• 150mm x 47mm timber ceiling joists (16” OC) - these will be going across the length and connecting into to a steel beam (that will be going across the width) to break the span. Will the steel beam cause any problems for isolation?
• 150mm thick Isover Hi-Cav CWS glass mineral wool insulation (48Kg/m3) - this will fill the gap in the timber joists
• 41mm Genie Clip RST isolation clips and furring channel - Same question as wall; does the 41mm gap this creates need to be filled with insulation?
Total air gap - 191mm (excluding the tapered furring)
Inner Leaf;
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2) - this will attach the the furring channel
• 9mm thick Plywood (5.8Kg/m2) - this is so I can hang panels anywhere
• 15mm thick British Gypsum Gyproc SoundBloc F (14.1Kg/m2)
• Plaster and paint finish
Total mass - 34Kg/m2
Using the TL calculator this ceiling construction gives me;
TL of leaf 1 - 32.37
TL of leaf 2 - 35.23
F0 (empty cavity) - 37.78
F0 (insulated cavity) - 27.07
F1 - 287.96
Here’s the TL with insulation graph;
Dimensions
The max external dimensions that I’m allowed (I have planning permission granted for this) are;
H - 3m
W - 4.22m
L - 6m
This will give me interior dimensions of;
H - 2.575m
W - 3.758m
L - 5.538m
I’ve put this into both the Amroc and Bob’s Gold calculators and the results seem good;
Ratio - 1:1.45:2.15
Falls within the bolt area
Close to M. M. Louden: 1971: 4th best ratio" 1 : 1.5 : 2.2
1.1w / h < l / h < ((4.5w / h) - 4): Pass
l < 3h & w < 3h: Pass
No integer multiple within 5%: Pass
Bonello plot seems reasonably smooth
Volume - 53.59m3
Floor area - 20.8m2
Overall I think this construction is the best use of the area I have to work with as it's just about big enough to use as a good starting point to treat, and also give's me the isolation I’m looking for. The volume is above 47m3, which I believe is the bear minimum for a good room, and the floor area is just above the recommended 20m2. As the TL graphs shows the wall (using the wall as its TL is slightly weaker than the ceiling) should get 31db TL at 80Hz and 24db TL at 63Hz. This should mean I get my required 28db TL down to around 71Hz. Given the studio will be 1 meter from the property line and the nearest house is about 15 meters away I think this should give me enough isolation not to annoy the neighbours. Am I on the right track with this?
Door
I already have a spare unused door that I’m planning to use for the outer leaf. It’s a RockDoor Ultimate Arcacia 50mm (44mm rigid core) thick composite door. It’s considered one of the best doors for security and durability which is important as being in the outer leaf it’ll be exposed to elements. As it was initially intended to be used as a house front door it does have a letter box and small glazed window but I’m told these can be taken out and filled in.
Unfortunately I’m unable to find out the doors exact weight. When I spoke to the manufacture they said they don’t weigh individual doors but on average there doors weigh around 60Kg which would give me a mass of 31.81Kg/m2 so I’ll have to work off that. Given the total mass of the wall is 55.6Kg/m2 this means to match I need to find a door for the inner leaf with a mass of at least 23.79Kg/m2. I’m probably going to look for a solid core fire door for this duty.
Window
I know it’s not ideal but after spending many years working in windowless studios I’ve decided to put in a small window in. Plan is to use thick laminated glass in both leafs. If we can source we’ll use glass with an acoustic PVB interlayer. Once I get the weight of the glass we’re going to use I’ll calculate what we need to match the mass of the wall.
Electrics
Going for a surface mounted plastic trunking system for the sockets and switches. For lights I’m planning to go for LED track lighting.
HVAC
This is the area I’m struggling with the most. The more reading up I do the more it goes over my head!
Initially my plan was to go for a Daikin Ururu Sarara split unit as it also provides fresh air. But as this unit doesn’t deal with getting the stale air out I’m not sure it’s the simple all in one solution I was hoping for. I’m presuming opening the door say every hour or so (I’ll be doing this to go outside for ear breaks and go into the house to get water, eat etc) doesn’t do anything to get the stale air out. I’ve also read mixed reviews in general about the Daikin unit so I’m not sure if it’s right the way to go. Does anyone have any experience with this unit and would recommend it? Or is it easier just to go with a mini split and separate ventilator?
Think the best way forward may be for me to speak to a specialist about what would be the best solution and how it’ll be incorporate into the build to make sure the isolation is maintained. Can anyone recommend any UK based HVAC installers with experience in studio installation?
Questions summary
Will having Hardie Plank cladding create a triple leaf effect?
Am I right to be aiming for 28dB of isolation?
Do I need to fill the 41mm air gap that’s made by using the Genie isolation clips with insulation?
Will having the timber ceiling joists connected to a steel beam affect the isolation?
Have I got the right idea with the wall and ceiling construction and the results they’ll give me for isolation?
Would anyone recommend the Daikin Ururu Sarara air con unit?
Any UK based studio HVAC installer recommendations?
Are the other areas I need to consider or anything I'm missing?
I hope all of this makes sense! I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks of the plan.
Many Thanks,
Matt