Materials for a new studio

SteeleASolid

New member
Howdy folks, my name is Steele and I'd like to share my thoughts on a new studio I am remodeling. First off the dimensions of the room are 15' by 30'. The room has been insulated, dry walled, and another layer of fire rated drywall has been added. The floor is concrete that I believe is unsealed. I plan on staining this concrete for a desired finish. Possibly adding an area rug or two if needed. The walls are near 9 feet tall. There is one wall that is cement blocks which I plan on painting and adding acoustic treatment with a diffuser. This wall will be directly behind my monitors by roughly 10 feet. How I came up with this number is taking the length of the room multiplying by .38. The side walls will have treatment at the angle of first reflection. And the rear wall will have treatment with a diffuser. Sadly the ceiling is out of budget and will likely only get a cloud right above my workstation. In the future I hope to install wavy acoustic ceiling tile in a grid or glued. With these installments of paint and treatment I hope to have a semi professional sound. I do believe I will need to add more treatment panels other than stated above. I am looking for any other suggestions that will not break the bank. Bass traps will be added as needed after I run the first sound test. Thank you all for your time and I hope to learn your thoughts or advice!

Things I have not considered are the one ceiling vent for heat and a/c. Not sure how to seal it properly and still receive the needed hvac. The doors will be doubled up to create a better seal but I see this being pointless if I cannot figure a way to deal with the HVAC. Also the building is surrounded by two empty buildings for added isolation except the face and rear of the building, with an attic above. I plan on sealing the attic stairs with a semi permanent sealant.
 
You're going to need bass traps (floor to ceiling) in those corners, so start thinking of soon you can get them done. For the HVAC, you can't really seal it, if the noise from it is unacceptable during tracking, just turn off the ac or heat while recording, remember to turn it back on when done.
 
You're going to need bass traps (floor to ceiling) in those corners, so start thinking of soon you can get them done. For the HVAC, you can't really seal it, if the noise from it is unacceptable during tracking, just turn off the ac or heat while recording, remember to turn it back on when done.

Thank very much for the quick response! I suppose what I meant about the Hvac vent is more of a suppressor more than a sealer. Sorta of like a silencer on a gun or a muffler on a vehicle. I've heard stories of them but no real data or how to's. Thank you again for all the help! Also is it silly to double up the doors if the room leaks from the Hvac vent?!?! I'm unaware if having an air tight room is necessary for tracking and mixing.. I have no worry about sound pollution from neighbors but also curious if having the air tight seal will benefit recordings or mixes.. Thanks
 
In my last studio I had ducted air con / heating, and I build silencer boxes to stop the incoming and out going sound, similar to the one shown here. Worked pretty well. Made them out of wood and lined them with foam, and put some foam baffles inside.

The current studio has split systems as a ducted system was too hard to install, we just open the doors every now and then to get fresh air and the split units are quiet enough in low speed to leave on 99% of the time.

Alan.
 
Airtight is one of the components of soundproofing, but won't do much on its own. Flanking paths (places for vibrations to go, other than into the rest of the house's structure), mass (double drywall is a good start), and air movement in/out of the room all work together. Remove any one of those components and you don't have much attenuation, especially of Low frequencies.

I used a flexible/soft duct leading to the vent in my studio. It doesn't resonate or carry sound nearly as much as a rigid metal duct. I can't tell if the a/c or heat is running, which definitely satisfies me. I just wish that my room layout would have accommodated a return. Or that I'd forced a return into the design somehow. It definitely gets hot and stuffy when the doors are sealed shut. Gotta take breaks every once in a while to cool the room.
 
Back
Top