Building Rehearsal/Recording Space

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gwayms

New member
Just want to run this by and see what you guys think.

I have an extra room in my house I want to convert to a Rehearsal/Recording Space. The room has hardwood floors and is 10x10 with an 8' ceiling.

My plan is:
Build a Frame around the room (about 1"-2" off the wall) out of 1-1/4" PVC and hang moving blankets from the frame like shower curtains. Put some cheap but thick carpet on the floor. My main concern isnt for the recording as much as trying to keep from blowing the neighbors out of their house.

Any info. would be appreciated.
 
That won't hurt at all, but you're really just affecting the high end with the blankets and carpet. I would suggest a drum riser and lifting the amps on either chairs or those Grammas from Auralex. That would help with some of the low-end transfer that really gets the neighbors to call the 5-0.

Besides really going hog-wild with construction, I think that's the best way to go about it.
 
Yes, I live in a detached house about 10-15 feet from the neighbor.
I thought about a drum riser and lifting the amps but wasnt sure how much that would help.
I said in the initial post that I wouldnt be recording but I meant I wont be recording a band, I do alot of recording by myself. As a band we just jam for now.
I appreciate the info.
 
gwayms said:
Just want to run this by and see what you guys think.

I have an extra room in my house I want to convert to a Rehearsal/Recording Space. The room has hardwood floors and is 10x10 with an 8' ceiling.

My plan is:
Build a Frame around the room (about 1"-2" off the wall) out of 1-1/4" PVC and hang moving blankets from the frame like shower curtains. Put some cheap but thick carpet on the floor. My main concern isnt for the recording as much as trying to keep from blowing the neighbors out of their house.

Any info. would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

That may make the room sound a little better to play in, but it's not going to stop the neighbors from getting pissed.


I've always said screw the neighbors. I have as much right to make noise as they do. Their lawnmowers are louder than what leaks out of my studio.
 
gwayms said:
I have an extra room in my house I want to convert to a Rehearsal/Recording Space. The room has hardwood floors and is 10x10 with an 8' ceiling.
Click to expand...
Cover a hardwood floor with cheap carpet? Ouch! Why not treat the ceiling instead? You'll get a more pleasant listening environment, and you won't be covering up beautiful hardwood with cheap carpeting.

Read this, with particular attention to the sidebar titled "Hard floor, soft ceiling:" http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html. If that doesn't change your mind, mail me your hardwood flooring and I'll mail you a very nice carpet in exchange for it.

My plan is:
Build a Frame around the room (about 1"-2" off the wall) out of 1-1/4" PVC and hang moving blankets from the frame like shower curtains. Put some cheap but thick carpet on the floor. My main concern isnt for the recording as much as trying to keep from blowing the neighbors out of their house.
Click to expand...
Like wimat said, blankets won't affect much except for the high frequencies, but it's the bass and kick that are likely to reach out and touch your neighbors. As long as you're willing to sacrifice space around the room's perimeter to sound treatment, you should do it with rigid fiberglass. That will slow down (not stop) a much broader range of frequencies. Do a search on terms like "rigid fiberglass," "room treatment," and "acoustic panels." You'll get a ton of useful information.

Since it's not possible (on most household budgets, that is) to soundproof one's space, I find the best way to keep peace with the neighbors is to be as selective as possible about when I'm making loud music.
 
gwayms said:
Just want to run this by and see what you guys think.

I have an extra room in my house I want to convert to a Rehearsal/Recording Space. The room has hardwood floors and is 10x10 with an 8' ceiling.

My plan is:
Build a Frame around the room (about 1"-2" off the wall) out of 1-1/4" PVC and hang moving blankets from the frame like shower curtains. Put some cheap but thick carpet on the floor. My main concern isnt for the recording as much as trying to keep from blowing the neighbors out of their house.

Any info. would be appreciated.
Click to expand...


Whoa, stop right there! You have several problems from the off.

Firstly, completely forget the blankets/frame idea. That will nothing/nada/zilch to protect your neighbours.

Secondly, your room size is a perfect square, from an acoustic viewpoint this is very bad. You'll need to treat the corners of the room and ceiling with broadband absorbtion (ie: bass traps) to be able to hear each other properly

You are have to going to improve the soundproofing by building a frame around the room from either timber or steel stud, and hang drywall from it. Rigid fibreglass will help with the bass trapping but will not soundproof to the level that you require.
Also you will need to fit a false ceiling, also from drywall, your 8ft ceiling comes in very handy here.

A few question's though:

Is this an upstairs or downstairs room?

Are you intending to play drums in there?

Are there any windows?
 
I think I am going to try and find some rigid fiberglass panels. Anyone no where to get them and a price range?
I'm in Houson, TX.
Thanks
 
gwayms said:
I think I am going to try and find some rigid fiberglass panels. Anyone no where to get them and a price range?
I'm in Houson, TX.
Thanks
Click to expand...

There's a thread running in this forum called "*Sticky* Where to buy rigid fiberglass*" (or something close to that). That should be a good start.
 
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