Building Studio In Small Out House

T

thomaswomas

New member
Hi,

this is my first post so be gentle! I've just moved into a new house which has a small out house in the garden. I've decided to set up my studio in there but want to do it properly from scratch. At the moment it is just an empty room with brick walls and a roof with the joists visible. i've filled the space between the joists with fibre glass and will cover the ceiling with plasterboard (fig 1).for 3 of the 4 walls, I've started the process of adding a layer of plasterboard onto 1" studding with fibreglass filling the spaces between the studing (fig 2) . i was told that this would add a little soundproofing for the neighbours. i know 1" studding isn't much but i'm working with limited space. after all the walls and ceiling are finished i will add the right amount of acoustic treatment and this is where i need the most help. I've added sketches (fig 3 & 4) to show how i intend to treat the room. i'm mainly going on what most websites advise. if anyone can tell me if i'm going in the right direction or tell me anything i'm doing wrong then i'd be most gratefull,

thanks

simon
 

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I'm sorry, I can't resist....
Well, make sure you use double glass panes with airspace between on that crescent moon window, first off. Sound can really go to shit on the glazing.

Do searches on this forum. Lots of good stuff, especially the links, if you search it out.
 
:D In the US, an outhouse is what you might call a privy ;)

I think your basic plan is OK. The soundproofing will help, it isn't the quietest possible construction, but it will reduce transmission. I gather this is mainly a computer production/synthesis studio (that is no drum/extremely loud amp recording), so the transmission loss will probably be adequate. You could get it quieter if the furring strips are not attached to the brick wall, at least along their entire length. My old studio had similar construction on its exterior walls. An extra layer of plasterboard will help, along with attention to detail regarding sealing all joints, seams, gaps, etc. Finally consider the doors and windows, the door should be solid core with gasketing/weatherstripping, and the windows double glazed and storm windows don't hurt either.

I would pay additional attention to treatment for the ceiling, since its vault is assymetrical over your mix position. Lots of absorption in the upper space as you have drawn will be good for bass trapping, I would also consider hanging absorbers lower down, symmetrical to your mix position.
 
I'll tell you what, in all seriousness it looks like a cool little room to have some musical fun in. BTW, I'm using simple pre-formed expansion joint (bituminous) pieces between my interior wall 2x4 strips (laid flat, vertically, at the end walls) and exterior wall block in three locations per stud...bottom/middle/top, and used a spacer to elevate them off the floor slab where they are ramset against the block on the two ends. The side walls will be standard frame construction (2x3, not 2x4...conserving every little inch I can) with top and bottom plates, but same expansion joint material beneath the bottom plate and a to-be-determined way of attaching while isolating the top plant to the structural rafters. Since they are not load bearing, I may just use metal brackets and rubber washers to attach the wall unit at the top to the rafters. I'm sure there are much better solutions, but I am relatively sure bituminous fiber doesn't transmit a lot of vibration. Cheap and easy, food for thought. No guarantees on how it will do, but I'll let you know in 3-4 weeks. :)
 
thanks for all your replies (even the comical ones!). i've attatched new images showing a couple of alterations using your advice.i'm ready to start building my bass traps and would like to know how best to go about it. i was planning on building a wooden frame, filling it with 4" rock wool and covering each side with thin material. however, i've read that it's sometimes best to include a layer of reflective material on one side to reflect high frequencies so as not to make the room too dead. i don't want to use more absorbtion than is needed. can anyone tell me how dead a room this size should be

thanks

simon
 

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You might wana cover the back wall in absorbant material too. And in such a small room, a defuser aint gonna do much, especially behind the monitors. I'd suggest a 4'x2' bass trap, laid horizontally, or just spacing the speakers further apart, so that all the noise from the back of each monitor is absorbed by the bass traps. Your absorbant material behind the bass traps in the first reflection points could be used on the back wall, instead of its current position(ain't gonna do much there).
 

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thanks pandamonk.

considering i'm going to be weatherstripping the door and making the room pretty much air tight, whats the easiest and cheapest (but effective) way to add some kind of ventilation system without compromising the sound too much

simon
 
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