need help on building studio for drums...

[Drumofo]

i am currently building a studio for my drum recording. I was wondering if i should make it small like 8 ft by 8ft sound proof or bigger such as 12 ft by 16ft, sound proof? I am trying to achieve the drum sound from Nickelback, 3 Doors or Creed. Can anybody help? thanks...

[FunkDaddy]

Drum tuning and mic placement/selection and ultimately your (or your engineer's) talents behind the board will have worlds more impact on your drum sound than 4 square feet of space.

I know some will disagree (and rightly so as this is FAR from an educated opinion lol) but I think the size of the room that the drums are in have extremely little to do with the sound that ends up being recorded. Obviously there's a difference between recording drums in a closet and recording in an auditorium but for home studio purposes, I would just try and get good sound proofing so you don't piss off the neighbourhood

[jaykeMURD]

Ditto what FunkDaddy said. Well, the bigger room will be a little easier to work with, as far a s setting up and micing. If you ever wanted to add a "room mic" to pick up more ambience, the bigger room, I think, would be better.

[goodbyebluesky]

Originally Posted by FunkDaddy

Drum tuning and mic placement/selection and ultimately your (or your engineer's) talents behind the board will have worlds more impact on your drum sound than 4 square feet of space.

I know some will disagree (and rightly so as this is FAR from an educated opinion lol) but I think the size of the room that the drums are in have extremely little to do with the sound that ends up being recorded. Obviously there's a difference between recording drums in a closet and recording in an auditorium but for home studio purposes, I would just try and get good sound proofing so you don't piss off the neighbourhood

Its not the size of the room, but how the room is treated.
If you are willing to BUILD something to record drums in, then there are lots of things to do that will help. First, an attempt at true soundproofing takes a LOT of work. You will have to practically build a room within a room with airspace inbetween walls to achieve it. You might not have meant this. The cheapest solution is foam covering any windows, and hanging blankets. It will kill a lot of sound transfer to the outside but will not soundproof by any means, and with some work you can build a drum room to rival a pro studio.

Like I said if you are actually looking to BUILD then...... I would say take a bigger room, and build a room WITHIN it, with angular walls. By not having walls parallel to each other you diffuse sound waves much better. Think of how auditoriums are shaped. They project sound well without unpleasant standing bass waves or flutter echoes. It is because there are no walls that are parallel to each other like you normally have in square/rectangle room. Its not the size, but rather the design..... that works. So do it in a small scale by building your own subwalls within a room to change the shape, then look into some broadband diffusors to absorb some of the midrange/high frequencies, and some proper basstraps to keep your lows crisp and defined and not muddy. The better your room is..... the further you can pull your mics back to capture how they ACTUALLY sound.
check out www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

[fritzmusic]

There is a "studio building and display" section of this BBS and your questions will probably be better addressed there but first try searching for "drum rooms" as your questions have been answered many times before by folks who make that area their specialty and you can also search through the archives to help you get all the well-rounded info you want.

Research the studios you're favorite bands recorded in and maybe search the net for info or productions notes about the studios, drummers or the size of rooms they recorded in and that will likely tell you everything you need. Just dig a little for info and you'll find more than you'll ever want to know. lol

Here is that Studio Building thread: http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?f=20

[Bdrum]

Originally Posted by FunkDaddy

Drum tuning and mic placement/selection and ultimately your (or your engineer's) talents behind the board will have worlds more impact on your drum sound than 4 square feet of space.

I know some will disagree (and rightly so as this is FAR from an educated opinion lol) but I think the size of the room that the drums are in have extremely little to do with the sound that ends up being recorded. Obviously there's a difference between recording drums in a closet and recording in an auditorium but for home studio purposes, I would just try and get good sound proofing so you don't piss off the neighbourhood

The part of pissing off your neighbors I think is very important!
I fortunately live on a 5 acre parcel so I dont have the problem with ordinance.
Though I have cranked up to 120db late at night and haven't attracted the local police.
My room is 12x14 which is big enough for a monster kit but not a full 5 piece band.
Keep in mind this a drum room and not a band room!
I think for drums if you tune the room towards the BD effect not Bass guitar
you should be pretty good without a lot of Bass Dampeners.
Theres a lot of science to it but trust your ear and others
DO SOUND CHECKS!
What sounds good on the outside might not be so good for recording.