Hi John,
Thanks for the response. First off, let me say that this is an admittedly compromised DIY design -- working within the limiting constraints of my low ceiling basement. I am 90% complete, and I hope to be recording by November. If things progress nicely over the years I may retrofit an existing 35'x25' barn on my property in the future. At that point I would look forward to your services for a ground up studio design -- I would probably do an additional control room/lobby/bath space added on to the large live room barn space. That said, I'd love to bounce off what I have been doing and have learned from the late Malcolm Chisholm concerning my existing basement facility with this forum. My console is a Trident 80C, and my recorder is a radar 24 nyquist.
Malcolm Chisholm was nice enough to help me with the design while he was alive (he died several months ago). He was an awesome man, as well as an excellent engineer and teacher that retrofitted dozens of studios in the Chicago area. His many credits included Howlin Wolf/Ricky Nelson/Ella Fitzgerald and other Chess Record recording artists too numerous to mention.
About my basement:
The wall between the control room and studio room already existed, where the former owner poured a concrete slab. All walls are Georgia brick. What is now the studio space was originally dirt, under my 1910 farmhouse. I took another foot of dirt out of the studio side (which gave me about 7' to the bottom of the upstairs floor/6.5 feet to the joists). I had the dirt floor concreted in after doing a perimeter drain to sump system. This was necessary for the house in general and made for a nice dry basement for my studio and household storage( with de-humidifier to the sump as well).
John Sayers wrote:
"wow - I need a few answers first off. "
First off Malcolm did the Sabins calculations for me. With his design/recording philosophy, the goal was to get 26db fall off at 10' for the ability to track vocals in the same room as the rhythm section! -- Using 4 Polycylindrical diffusers, a full foot of R19 in the joists covered with panels made from Burlap & hardware cloth, about 14 6"703 panels mounted on the walls, a floated floor, & two sets of gobos made from 2x4's stuffed with R19 (Drum gobo back is 5' tall x 8' wide, sides: 4'tall x 5'wide/ Vocal gobo 6'tallx 5'wide back, sides: 5'6" tall x 4'wide).
With the goal to track vocals in the same room as the band, I know that bands didn't play as loud in Malcolms' day. But who knows maybe I can convince a few to use smaller amps anyway..yuck yuck!
The vocalist can the theoretically track behind the drummer, instrument amps on chairs on each side of the drum gobo; all players facing the "live" control room wall, studio monitors as necessary for foldback with no headphones. Malcolm claimed that countless records were made this way. The design therefore purposely included no small iso booths. Malcolm inspired me not only by his credits, but by telling me that "Live rooms are for Records, Overdubs are for Demos." Now I know this stuff is not written in stone, and many great recordings have been over-dubbed, but I thought it would make for an interesting and inexpensive experiment nonetheless, because Live, "let it bleed" recordings fascinate me.
John Sayers wrote:
"1 - could you please explain the studio floor in more detail - as it is it sounds like you'd be tripping over 1/2" panels constantly."
The floor is "floated" using a cheap and interesting solution of Malcolm's. Over the concrete is one layer of poly house sheathing (you see this stuff on new house construction under the exterior siding). This not only provided a moisture barrier, but gave the subsequent two layers of 1/2" plywood some "give." The next layer was 1/2" plywood was simply caulked to the house sheathing, staggered seams. My innovation for the top layer was aesthetic -- I cut 4x8' sheets of 1/2" plywood into 4x4' squares and stained about half of them. This was to achieve a pleasant diagonal checkerboard look, rather than a dull, uninteresting plain plywood top-floor. These squares were screwed and glued with construction adhesive to the first 1/2" layer. The floor has no attachment to the concrete at all, and is 1/2" from all walls. Floors don’t get up and walk away, right? All alternating squares of plain & stained are therefore flush and things can be rolled around with ease. No polyurethane sealer was used to achieve maximum sabins on the floor.
"2 - what is the jute treatment. "
The Jute is Burlap. It provides nice fiber control and helps the fiberglass with the top-end sabins. 300yrds cost me a wopping $160. I used it on the entire studio ceiling covering 1' of R19 batts. I used it to cover my wall mounted (and removable) 6" 703 studio wall boxes. I used it to cover the front half of my control room & and corners (behind the console 6-8" of 703) and on the front half of the control room ceiling -- again over R19 in the joists.
"3 - I can't read what the front treatment is in the control room"
Behind the console a full 6"-8" of 703 almost ceiling to floor completely & 703 angled in the corners as well with R19 behind them covered in Burlap. Monitors on stands. I am thinking of building two more 2x4' 703 panels next to the front corners mounted on the sidewalls, though perhaps some slotted panels instead? Obviously this is making the front half "dead".
Having read a little about Non-environment rooms, as well as the use of large limp mass batts, and from Malcolm’s advice, we concluded that a pseudo LEDE design might be best, with perhaps even more treatment on the rear wall as well. I think I have a decent RFZ, and the control room sounds pretty nice so far IMHO.
I have not done anything to the rear wall yet. Perhaps I am getting some benefit in the low frequencies because the control room ceiling (6' low!) transmits low freqs to the room above, and the area above the mixers head (front half) is covered in burlap over R19. Malcolm recommended keeping the rear of the control room more "live" using a GRD (RPG tm) over the couch, and haas kickers in the corners angled to the mix position. The rear half of the control room ceiling just over the mixers head is covered with wood (Luan), covering existing insulation done by the previous owner.
Having read a little about small rooms providing no true “haas effect" to the rear of the mix position as well as the need for low-freq mode control, I am concerned by too much possible "livelyness" and the need for more low freq absorption on the back wall. The window and studio doors are not in yet, but it sounds good to my ears so far. The couch is there already, as well as the 2 open framed hass kickers that could be made as perhaps Slotted panels. I was thinking of putting an Ethan style bass trap behind the couch on the entire back wall width and height, perhaps built around a QRD over the couch. Though I am aware that the use of QRD's is not always recommended in small control rooms?
4 - have you built this??
I’m about 90% there. I'm finishing the "safe style" doors, and the windows themselves are next. Everything is framed and particle boarded/dry walled. The wall between control room and studio (that house the window and doors) are dissimilar mass. That was the only wall I built, and it is massive, with 16" between walls. Basically I didn’t have the room or desire for non-parallel walls in what was basically a small ceiling basement, and I reasoned that I can build a “real studio” down the road in my barn. Malcolm claimed that as long as you break up the standing waves and get uniform absorption, you can still do good work. We’ll see I guess -- ha ha. I was first and foremost trying to push the envelope of making a true Live Room in my basement where all players track together in the same room.
John Sayers wrote:
"I think Malcolm is the guy with the studio designs on the web - has been around for ages? they look like standard curved bass traps like Ethan but with a curved front??"
His son was nice enough to post his site again here:
http://pages.ripco.net/~chisholm/malcol ... /INDEX.HTM
The polycylindrical diffusers in the corners are simply bowed masonite into vertical 1" wood channels on each wall, attached with screws. Top and bottom left free to vibrate. That's it! His design also included a plan that mounting them into movable frames if necessary. To date I have heard of no one else that has tried this simple design (not that no one has). Malcolm claimed that they not only collect lows in corners (where they accumulate), but they reflect some nice highs (ambience) back into the room as well. Good for musicians. He claimed they work, but said nobody believes they do. All I know is that after I put them in my bass player said "wow I can hear my low string on my 5-string bass." That said I think I will build some Ethan style traps for the rear studio wall. The studio then is basically set up for a live control room wall that the musicians play to. He mentioned I could build some additional live flats as well if needed in front of the players.
That's about it for now.
Best,
David Mack Blauvelt
Marietta, Georgia
