£6,000-£10,000 budget, 11.5m x 6m space, suggestions?

R

redeyedrichard

New member
Hey folks,

So an amazing opportunity has presented itself whereby a very wealthy friend of ours has an unused space on his very large property, an 11.5m x 6m building that he built for the sake of doing something. He hasn't used it for 4 years since he built it. We got talking about studios the other day and he said he would fund a studio. We said £6,000 to £10,000 as a starting estimate. And he was like "cool"! :eek::eek::eek:

He's a builder so making the rooms of the studio wouldn't be a problem. Also he knows folks that do good soundproofing.

This is a huge opportunity for us as he said that we would fund it and not expect any profit. This guy is the most generous man I know.

So, I am asking you folks...what would the shopping list look like? And even though money doesn't appear to be a problem, where can I get stuff cheapest?

Plus, a big question I have is regarding studio windows, between the control room and studio. Is there a special type of glass needed?

By the way...this is from absolute scratch, computer, desks, mics, cables etc needed.

Your suggestions would be great. Thank you.

Richard
 
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WOW! what an opportunity!! congrats if it works out man!


maybe you could feed us a bit more info about your preferences and your intentions.

like, do you want to be based around analog or digital?


if digital and your preference is to run pro tools on a mac,,,it's going to eat a whole lotta budget compared to running cubase on a pc.

do you want to run plugins or hardware? or both?

what instruments / amps will you need if any?
what capabilities do you want to have?
how many simultaneous mic inputs, and how many separate recording areas?


this will impact the cost of interfaces / physical building / required microphones?

live room?vocal room?drum room?

is it a big empty building that you'll divide into rooms, or is there a floor plan of the layout that you can post for the acoustics boffins to tell you the best place to put everything?

there are a lot of things to know before we start with shopping lists :)

gd luck!
 
Hey, yeah sorry about that. Got carried away with the exitement. lol.

The studio would be for recording bands, ours to start with then hopefully turn the studio into a proper business. Drums, guitars, bass, vocals etc. Not necessarily live and simultaneous, but individual. That way money can be saved to start with on mics.

As far as instruments are concerned, we are pretty much sorted in that area, however we could do with a good studio amp for the electric guitar. But that is at the bottom of the list to start with as there is plenty acoustically to go at. We do require enough inputs to be able to record the drum kit. It is a very big kit. However we recorded at a studio earlier this year and got a sweet sound out of just 4 drum mics. So that would be a good starting point to be able to build upon. However, we would want to gradually add more mics so eventually each drum or near enough each drum was mic'ed up. Also live recordings of the full band might be an option in the future. Therefore, a mixer with enough room would be required.

With regard to separate recording areas I did some thinking the other day. It would be good to build a vocal booth next to the main recording space. So there would be the control room, studio and vocal booth. It would be good to build a dedicated drum room but that is just more money, would screens suffice? Free space for small refreshment area...maybe even toilet or beer fridge.:drunk: Essentials eh? lol. Toilet ain't that important, the studio would be in the countryside so no problem finding a tree. lol.

Talking computers, we would love to run a Mac with Pro Tools but as you rightly said that is very expensive. So maybe a computer running Cubase would be better. But we will see when we total it up. Thinking too about going digital or analog...I believe I have always been in studios that worked with analog. Any mixing that I have done in my home studio has been on the computer rather than a physical desk. But with the space afforded us with this project it would be great to use a desk, but I am not sure how to go down that route. Advice needed.

Hope this helps. Your advice would be great. Thanks guys.
 
Two initial thoughts...

1) Buy this book. http://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/1598630342

2) I'm sure your friend is a qualified builder, but in studio construction the details can make all the difference between excellent performance and complete waste of time and money. 99.5% of builder do NOT build this type of stuff on a regular basis, and having working with quite a few builders myself, I know the guys in the field actually building rarely look at plans or details. They "know" how to put stuff together and they don't need a bunch of tedious details. While that flys for home building, it can make a big difference in the performance of your studio.

Also, learn the difference between "sound proofing" and "acoustic treatment". They are two VERY different things and the methods of achieving both are substantially different. If you hear words like "egg crate" and "foam" come up in conversation, hit the brakes.

Sounds like a tremendous opportunity! Don't fuck it up by not doing your homework. :)
 
oh, and rethink that vocal booth idea. Definitely not a necessity and usually they create more and worse problems than what they solve.
 
Yeah worry not Jeff, I know that putting together a studio is not a piece of cake or as simple as what some might believe. I know as we sound proofed one room at my house for the drums and instruments and it ain't simple stuff and it is different to a studio. The acoustics do have to be right. And worry not, I know all about egg crates and foam...they do nothing.

The reason I mentioned about him being a builder is the fact that putting up the partitions and walls, altering the building to make it better for recording etc shouldn't be a problem for this guy. It is a beautiful work space as it is.

Unfortunately my camera had run out of batteries while I was there so I couldn't get any shots. Might try and get him to email some through along with the floor plan design.

Thanks for the reminders there Jeff...keep em coming because as you said...we can't afford to mess such an opportunity up! :D
 
I can vouch for the above book, got it at the library. If you really are planning to build a studio this is the first place you want to start.

The book covers studio layout, room shapes/sizes/acoustics, iso booths, wall/door/window construction, heating/cooling, and electrical design.

Depending on your ultimate goal, you could run out of cash real fast.

Racherik
 
I'd actually look at Recording Studio Design by Philip Newell.

I hate to be the one with teh bad tidings, but 12K GBP won't even cover the soundproofing part of it, even if he gets everything at cost. Remember, you're going to have to go all the way with it, including soundproof doors...which would be probably 33% of that budget (assuming three). That's JUST FOR THE DOORS. When you factor in all the rest of it, it wouldn't surprise me if you doubled your budget on build costs alone, even with the understanding that he's a builder.

I mean, if you're just going to treat the room and buy some gear, then awesome. That'll work great. If I were you though, I'd ask yourself whether you really need the space soundproofed. If not, then don't bother.
 
Yeah thanks guys. I know from experience that these things ain't cheap as we built and soundproofed a rehearsal room/studio at our house. I think the 6-10k budget is only a guide for the physical equipment at this point and I have recieved a fairly comprehensive list from a local music tech store. We just need to get into talks with our guy to determine how much cash he is willing to throw at this.
 
You must save enough to buy the whisky and the drugs... Does the premises have a decent burger bar nearby?

<Belch!>

Dr. V
 
hahaha. Amen to the whiskey bro. And no burger bars for miles, the studio is out in the sticks...beautiful country surroundings...I guess we could kill a cow though and have a barbie! lol :drunk:
 
Your suggestions would be great.
Click to expand...



1. post pictures-inside and out of existing building..from all 4 directions
2. post intended plan, with dimensions and give interior height. Preferably via a simple Sketchup file.
3. describe existing roof, wall, floor construction
4. pin down CONSTRUCTION budget(equipment budget means nothing in this forum)

5. list 3 optional monitors
6. decide monitoring method..ie..soffit mount/stands nearfield/farfield/both
7. describe existing and future HVAC plan and contractor
8. define builder
9 define minimum isolation goal-both CR/Studio and interior/exterior
in terms of Transmission Loss in db.
10 define exterior environmental noise and your interpretation of what
you hear inside of building
11 define Code compliance authority ..ie..permits/no permits . If you are
applying for permits, define who is responsible for final plan submittal for
Building code compliance
12 define final recording media purpose and type(ie.. private CD sales,
personal demo, master for duplication, broadcast demo etc.
13. define music type variety studio should handle(ie..small classical, acoustic,
large jazz ensemble, vocal ensemble, full metal rock, etc
14. define exist electrical supply

15 define who will measure existing noise floor for TL analysis?

16 define who is resposible for acoustical design

Well, those would be my suggestions. Without this info, any others is simply academic.
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
1. post pictures-inside and out of existing building..from all 4 directions
2. post intended plan, with dimensions and give interior height. Preferably via a simple Sketchup file.
3. describe existing roof, wall, floor construction
4. pin down CONSTRUCTION budget(equipment budget means nothing in this forum)

5. list 3 optional monitors
6. decide monitoring method..ie..soffit mount/stands nearfield/farfield/both
7. describe existing and future HVAC plan and contractor
8. define builder
9 define minimum isolation goal-both CR/Studio and interior/exterior
in terms of Transmission Loss in db.
10 define exterior environmental noise and your interpretation of what
you hear inside of building
11 define Code compliance authority ..ie..permits/no permits . If you are
applying for permits, define who is responsible for final plan submittal for
Building code compliance
12 define final recording media purpose and type(ie.. private CD sales,
personal demo, master for duplication, broadcast demo etc.
13. define music type variety studio should handle(ie..small classical, acoustic,
large jazz ensemble, vocal ensemble, full metal rock, etc
14. define exist electrical supply

15 define who will measure existing noise floor for TL analysis?

16 define who is resposible for acoustical design

Well, those would be my suggestions. Without this info, any others is simply academic.
Click to expand...

You forgot define who is to make the coffee and who is to remember how many milk and sugars.
 
redeyedrichard said:
Yeah thanks guys. I know from experience that these things ain't cheap as we built and soundproofed a rehearsal room/studio at our house. I think the 6-10k budget is only a guide for the physical equipment at this point and I have recieved a fairly comprehensive list from a local music tech store. We just need to get into talks with our guy to determine how much cash he is willing to throw at this.
Click to expand...

You also need to define more comprehensively what the transmission-loss goal is. A 40dB wall is a very different thing than a 65dB wall...
 
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