John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hello John and co. Today I was able to measure the space that I will be using to build my first studio. I posted some of my introductory studio info on this thread: http://johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=373

I am trying to figure out the best way to fit one large control room, a live tracking room and one overdub room (big enough for a drumset) into this space. To the right of me is a jeweler and a restaurant seperated by drywall, and on my left is an auto-mechanic seperated by concrete cinder blocks. The areas in dark blue are for building utilities including the bathroom which I will share with the jeweler. The plumbing is loud!

There are narrow windows along the top wall with AC units in two of them (can be moved if necassary). The floor is concrete and I forgot to measure the roof (!) but my guess is about 9 feet. I would like to keep the small offce (between the bathroom and electrical room) as well the entry room for a couch and small desk. The last thing I need to consider is that we will be doing some film surround work so the front wall will be used for a display rather than glass. Other than that I am open to any ideas.

cheers,
Mark

As you can see I am trying to keep space against the top wall for horizontal air conditioning ducts since I would like to avoid having the vents come in through the ceilings. Is this ok? I will also be incorporating storage space against the hallway/bathroom wall of the main studio.


edit: uploaded recent version to save webspace.

That looks good Mark - the resolution for a studio works fine for me. I'm not sure of your speakers setup but maybe a 5:1 surround control room if you are looking at doing film sound??

You are going to have to resolve your Aircon systems, preferably a separate unit for each studio?? Youcan then shift the left studio and the control room up to the top wall??

cheers
john

Jon, what I was planning on doing was designating the upper lefthand corner as the airconditioning center where all intake and outtake ducts connect to the outside world. I am still not sure if I can fit (or even afford) three AC units in that space so I was trying to come up with a system that would allow me to share AC units without resulting in uneven air-flow between the rooms.

I am looking at creating outtake fans for each room that would allow me to control the intake duct pressure for each room. I believe there are some large, quiet wall fans that would work well. My electrician can wire a speed control (not on the same studio circuit) for each fan to help me dial in the proper pressure in each room according to the usage. Any thoughts? Remember, since vertical space is limited, I cannot use the ceiling for any ductwork.

Concerning my surround setup. No, we will not have a surround speaker system in place originally, but must keep in it mind during the design process. The main thing right now concerning the control room, is the speaker/desk configuration for use in a stereo mixing environment.

thanks!

PS: Should I resize my pictures to 700pxls? I realize I am not very user conscious posting at 850...

Jon - that corridor you have running across the building behind the control room and studios would be a good place to run air con ducts above a false ceiling in the hallway. It could then access all the studios yet wouldn't be seen and could be easily accessed.

If you intend 5:1 in the future then now is the time to design it in.

cheers
john

John, The reason I have to run the AC ducts on the top (of picture) wall is because I have no other choice but to install the AC through that wall. And since my ceiling height is limited I am forced to traverse along the wall, distributing air through the side of the rooms.

You see how I left a large gap between the control room and the left overdub booth? I was hoping I could access the 'AC/computer room' by installing an insulated swinging door that would grant acess from between the 2 sliding glass doors.

Thanks,
Mark