Home Studio Build: Step by Step build by Acoustic Company
Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 12:33 am
Hi all! This is my first post - I hope I'm following all guidelines correctly and that this is the right section where to post this.
I'm planning to post here a step-by-step diary of the work in progress to build a home studio. The studio will be conceived and build by a professional company made of acousticians, designer, etc.
Anyway since a few compromises will have to be accepted during this build, I'd like to have your suggestions to better understand acoustics, and have your help to make some decisions, as ultimately the company will have to design the space also based on my requirements, and having more point of views will perhaps help me to have a better view of the whole project.
DIMENSIONS:
So far, the planned internal studio dimensions after soundproofing, will be in centimeters: Width 386 - Lenght 920 - Height (variable) an average of 290.
GOAL:
Home recording studio where I will work alone most of the time, producing, mixing, recording all by myself. I work as film and television composer full time, so a good listening experience is the most important part, together with having a nice sounding tracking space. Compromise between a good CR sound and Tracking Room sound is a difficult thing to achieve, I know, since the 2 spaces require very different things...but:
- Even if I invest more money to divide this space in two spaces (CR and tracking) to achieve better dimensions ratios, wouldn't the width be too narrow anyway, and spoil any attempt to achieve a CR with proper dimensions?
- Is it still advisable, for any number of reasons, to divide the space in two? Or is it still possible, through acoustic treatment, to achieve different areas of the room with different acoustic properties, one better suited for tracking (live space) and another good for the CR area (dead area) ?
- I generally prefer 1 single big space where to work in, partly because I'm used to that, but also because having to move to the adjacent room each time I want to modify settings on the amps or mic positioning doesn't make much sense - I'm alone in the room 90% of the time. I would split the room in 2 only if having 1 single space of these dimensions would give me untreatable, terrible acoustic problems with modes, poor RT etc...
I attached below a picture of the actual state of the garage (of which I'll use 2/3 od the lenght + drawings of the final internal space of the studio).
The door placement at the bottom is probably wrong - it will placed in the centre, unless it's more important to have diffusors there, than the door. It's a symmetry VS treatable wall compromise I guess.
Other questions:
- Is flush mounting a good way to go in this space? Why yes or not?
- I need natural light to come from the front wall, through a bay window. I really prefer natural sunlight studios. Soundproofind will be achieved by using two bay windows, one in front of another, with a 36cm spacing, and sliding doors on both to enter the studio. I'm planning to have flush mounted monitors on the two sides, unless this extra work (more money to spend) is an effort that wouldn't work or create problems in a studio with the aforementioned dimensions. What do you think?
- Does anybody know of any studio with similar dimensions, that I could look at as a case study, or get ideas from, regarding acoustic treatment?
Thank you all in advance!
I'm planning to post here a step-by-step diary of the work in progress to build a home studio. The studio will be conceived and build by a professional company made of acousticians, designer, etc.
Anyway since a few compromises will have to be accepted during this build, I'd like to have your suggestions to better understand acoustics, and have your help to make some decisions, as ultimately the company will have to design the space also based on my requirements, and having more point of views will perhaps help me to have a better view of the whole project.
DIMENSIONS:
So far, the planned internal studio dimensions after soundproofing, will be in centimeters: Width 386 - Lenght 920 - Height (variable) an average of 290.
GOAL:
Home recording studio where I will work alone most of the time, producing, mixing, recording all by myself. I work as film and television composer full time, so a good listening experience is the most important part, together with having a nice sounding tracking space. Compromise between a good CR sound and Tracking Room sound is a difficult thing to achieve, I know, since the 2 spaces require very different things...but:
- Even if I invest more money to divide this space in two spaces (CR and tracking) to achieve better dimensions ratios, wouldn't the width be too narrow anyway, and spoil any attempt to achieve a CR with proper dimensions?
- Is it still advisable, for any number of reasons, to divide the space in two? Or is it still possible, through acoustic treatment, to achieve different areas of the room with different acoustic properties, one better suited for tracking (live space) and another good for the CR area (dead area) ?
- I generally prefer 1 single big space where to work in, partly because I'm used to that, but also because having to move to the adjacent room each time I want to modify settings on the amps or mic positioning doesn't make much sense - I'm alone in the room 90% of the time. I would split the room in 2 only if having 1 single space of these dimensions would give me untreatable, terrible acoustic problems with modes, poor RT etc...
I attached below a picture of the actual state of the garage (of which I'll use 2/3 od the lenght + drawings of the final internal space of the studio).
The door placement at the bottom is probably wrong - it will placed in the centre, unless it's more important to have diffusors there, than the door. It's a symmetry VS treatable wall compromise I guess.
Other questions:
- Is flush mounting a good way to go in this space? Why yes or not?
- I need natural light to come from the front wall, through a bay window. I really prefer natural sunlight studios. Soundproofind will be achieved by using two bay windows, one in front of another, with a 36cm spacing, and sliding doors on both to enter the studio. I'm planning to have flush mounted monitors on the two sides, unless this extra work (more money to spend) is an effort that wouldn't work or create problems in a studio with the aforementioned dimensions. What do you think?
- Does anybody know of any studio with similar dimensions, that I could look at as a case study, or get ideas from, regarding acoustic treatment?
Thank you all in advance!