Recording Studio Flooring Question

smassey3

New member
I am getting a new floor put into my home studio. I have a question for this group on what type of flooring material you would recommend.
My studio is 14 feet by 15 feet in size. It does have a vaulted ceiling having 10 feet in height at the highest point.
Currently I have old carpet in that room.

Here are my two options for flooring

As a quick side note I won't be able to treat the walls or ceilings for sound at all but I do plan to paint the room soon. I do later hope to purchase the Auralex ProMAX v2 movable walls (2)

OPTION 1
This option would be a Natural Cork floor (engineered locking cork floor). This floor has a 10.5 mm thickness
This option was presented to me by a flooring expert because of its ability to tame sounds in the room and not be as lively as a wood floor. The core is plywood.

OPTION 2
This option would be 12.7 mm thickness and also is an engineered floor but this time it a Hickory wood top with a hardness rating of 1813
The finish is aluminum Oxide. The core is plywood.

I am leaning a bit towards the Natural Cork floor OPTION 1 because of its ability to tame sounds and has an R-value of 1.125 as compared with R-value of oak which is .638.

Thank-you for any input you might have on these flooring options. I am new to this group and am getting a lot out of reading all the posts.

Steve
 
What do you intend to do in this room? Mixing? Hard floor is good for recording instruments like acoustic guitars, but I'm not sure that is necessary here. I would look into building bass traps for the corners, acoustic panels on the walls, and maybe some clouds on the ceiling before worrying about the carpet.

I would first off say for you to do more research before spending the money on those foam panels.

NRC values is what you should be looking at. R value is for ability to insulate for temperature. Absolutely nothing to do with sound. Warm feet yes. It will not in any way 'tame' the room. Maybe the sounds heard below a bit, but nothing to do with the sound of the room you are recording in. I would personally first spend your money on room treatment before a pretty floor.


And a educated warning: If you worry about 'pretty' first, you will struggle. Acoustically treat your room first or find yourself chasing your tail. Especially one that small.

One more time: Acoustic panels first. Trust me.
 
Thanks for quick reply to my post. I am primarily recording one acoustic fingerstyle guitar - solo (Collings OM1A Deep Body) using a Neumann KM184 and one of two Rode Mics I have. Currently I do in fact have moving blankets hung up in several areas of the walls (from U-Haul) and I do have some recording Acoustic foam a bit on the ceiling and another 4 feet by 4 foot area of foam on another wall, but have the new floor and painted walls I was hoping to not have that foam up.
The recording celling cloud also is a great idea you mentioned. I am researching some cloud options now.
Thanks also for note on R-value. Good to know that is temperature only!

Steve
 
Natural Cork floor OPTION 1 because of its ability to tame sounds and has an R-value of 1.125 as compared with R-value of oak which is .638.

(To repeated what Jimmy said) Well, for starters, R-value is about heat flow, not acoustical reflectivity....so Cork vs Oak would IMO be more about aesthetics, personal preference and cost....and maybe more importantly for a studio floor, the durability.

If you are going to be moving amps around, or have gear racks and stuff like that, you want something that is very durable, or you end up having to refinish at some point sooner if it gets scratched/nicked up...and in a studio, it will. One good shot from a heavy mic-stand will leave a nice dent in a softer floor.
Also, there's the chair thing...if you are on a floor that gives, sitting/rolling in a chair can have some drag, plus, sitting in one spot can leave some impressions on a softer floor...so you should consider all that.
I have no idea what you have in your studio or plan to do....how much wear-n-tear and traffic will be in there.

AFA the acoustics...you can address those once the floor is in...and normally in a studio setting, it's hard floor & soft ceiling/walls...AFA acoustic treatment.
 
Acoustic foam will only take care of upper frequencies. Especially the 2" thick panels will only possibly help with the high end reflections in the room. Clap your hands. Hear the 'boing'? The issues you will have is the low end buildup in the corners and the subsequent room modes in your room where some frequencies will either cancel each other out, or double them depending on where you are in the room. Those are tougher to hear but will be the main thing that makes your room sound off.

I would suggest a bit more reading. If you are falling into the foam methods, then get out and read more about broadband absorbers. There are companies that make them, but they are easy to build if you have a bit of hands on skills.

Much more effective and way cheaper. A room your size needs these.
 
Well, for starters, R-value is about heat flow, not acoustical reflectivity....so Cork vs Oak would IMO be more about aesthetics, personal preference and cost....and maybe more importantly for a studio floor, the durability.

If you are going to be moving amps around, or have gear racks and stuff like that, you want something that is very durable, or you end up having to refinish at some point sooner if it gets scratched/nicked up...and in a studio, it will. One good shot from a heavy mic-stand will leave a nice dent in a softer floor.
Also, there's the chair thing...if you are on a floor that gives, sitting/rolling in a chair can have some drag, plus, sitting in one spot can leave some impressions on a softer floor...so you should consider all that.
I have no idea what you have in your studio or plan to do....how much wear-n-tear and traffic will be in there.

AFA the acoustics...you can address those once the floor is in...and normally in a studio setting, it's hard floor & soft ceiling/walls...AFA acoustic treatment.

Thanks for quick reply. I basically have Protools running on PC and then other software runnning on a Mac. The tricky thing is that I do have a fair amount of rack mounted gear like compressors and EQs and all that stuff. About 18 or so units and those for sure are pretty heave once all together. Then a Mackie 1604 and a bunch mic stands and such. From what you are saying I am thinking the wood floor perhaps would be stronger and wont get a damaged. I will be recording other guitarists in the near future which would add another chair and more stuff, so that has me thinking about the wood for sure.
Steve
 
Yeah...like Jimmy and I both said...the greater R-value of the cork is pretty much meaningless AFA the sound/acoustics.
Considering you have a good amount of gear, and you will have players coming and going...go for the hardwood floor.
For that size room, it's not going to be that much more expensive, than doing the cork....but it will last...and you can probably sand/refinish it at least 2-3 times if needed over the years.
 
Thanks for quick reply. I basically have Protools running on PC and then other software runnning on a Mac. The tricky thing is that I do have a fair amount of rack mounted gear like compressors and EQs and all that stuff. About 18 or so units and those for sure are pretty heave once all together. Then a Mackie 1604 and a bunch mic stands and such. From what you are saying I am thinking the wood floor perhaps would be stronger and wont get a damaged. I will be recording other guitarists in the near future which would add another chair and more stuff, so that has me thinking about the wood for sure.
Steve

Very helpful thanks. I will post the final decision in a few days, but I am sure leaning twords the wood.

Steve
 
I would KILL for an oak floor in my studio! :D
I've got a cement floor, with half covered in parquet wood, and the other half has carpet. I have way too much gear to pull it all out at this point to do to a formal hardwood floor...but if I was starting from scratch, I would do that.
Actually...bare cement is not much different than wood for a studio floor...but wood just has that vibe.

I've been thinking about doing an old-school 12"x12" linoleum tile, in like a black-n-white checker (I think the old Sun Studios had that look)...because I can do the tile without emptying the entire studio...just work it in sections, and move the gear around, but it's only an idea at this point. :)
 
I would KILL for an oak floor in my studio! :D
I've got a cement floor, with half covered in parquet wood, and the other half has carpet. I have way too much gear to pull it all out at this point to do to a formal hardwood floor...but if I was starting from scratch, I would do that.
Actually...bare cement is not much different than wood for a studio floor...but wood just has that vibe.

I've been thinking about doing an old-school 12"x12" linoleum tile, in like a black-n-white checker (I think the old Sun Studios had that look)...because I can do the tile without emptying the entire studio...just work it in sections, and move the gear around, but it's only an idea at this point. :)

Actually that black and white tile sounds like good idea for your studio. I was there in Sun Studios some years back. I cant remember being in a room anywhere that had that music vibe like that place does.
Steve
 
Hardwood floors look great, are hard wearing and can be covered in a rug if you need something nicer to the feet.

Cork flooring will be destroyed by wheelie chairs, or worse, dragging heavy kit across on your own. I have concrete and then carpet tiles. The walls and ceilings contribute far more to the sound, because they are all exposed. The floor usually ends up with 'things' on them.

The scary thing is when you said you can't treat the walls or ceilings? The floor is just one of six surfaces you have, and the one I'd worry about the least.

What does the room sound like now? Paint won't change it. Does it sound nice, or a reflective mess? why not record a short example in it at the moment and listen very critically - especially to impulse sounds - hand claps are great. If it sounds really good, your wood floor will be brighter and more reflective than the existing carpet. Will that be good? My guess is you won't like the sound (*if you do - then you have no problems to solve), but I bet it will sound boxy and just not 'nice' - perhaps hollow sounding, or maybe boomy? You can get rid of the boominess with one trip of product, and if it's harsh and bright, something else will do that. Just be prepared for the floor to have no impact hardly at all. It will, however, emphasis any of the room's other problems.
 
That oak option is laminate, though, right? (you said 'plywood core') Laminate floor tends to be loud/noisy - it reflects more sound (due to glossed surface) than actual solid hardwood. I'd still go for that option, but be prepared to put an area rug down where you will be rolling chairs around on it.
And to echo what's already said - forget the foam, and look at broadband absorption (bass traps).
 
For acoustic to mic recording I prefer a soft room to iso the guitar as much as possible. A wood floor ok but real wood. You can put a mat under the chair and the room is big enough for a nice rug. And really you can treat those walls without spending a lot of money on pro acoustic panels. Just break up the flatness, but not with anything that might rattle.
 
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