Building a studio

B

billabob

New member
Today me and my wife's step dad set about building a purpose build studio in the garden. We are at the very beginning of the project. The available space we have to work in is 13'(w)x13'(L)x8'(h). We are currently clearing the space at the end of the garden and are about to start drawing up some plans. My build skills are limited but he has built many outdoor structures before.

Im well aware that a cubic shape is the worst possible for acoustics so i thought id get some advice before we draw up the plans. What id like to do is build the shell to the 13'x13'x8' dimensions then build a shell inside that, i can insulate it to help soundproof, and also get the right shape/dimensions to make it a sound good acoustically. The studio will be about 50' from the nearest house so i don't need to soundproof it perfectly, but would like to get the noise down considerably so i don't ruin peoples summers in their gardens by having to listen to drums and loud guitars.

What would be the best design for the interior room and also any advice on the material of insulation would be very useful.

I am on a budget but i know a manager at a trade store here in the u.k so i can get materials at their cost+vat+5% so id rather source materials for there. So is there an insulation on this website thats preferable?

Builders Merchants | Building Supplies | Selco Builders Warehouse
 
To 'soundproof' that room, you'd end up with a room barely large enough to hold a set of drums and a couple of amps. You're going to need bass traps in all corners (wall to wall, wall to ceiling). Insulate the exterior walls with standard 'fluffy pink' fiberglass, double thick sheetrock the interior walls (special glue to hold the sheets together). Do some reading here and buy some books before going any further with your plans. A room that small is going to be very limited in what you can do to make it sound good.
 
Last edited:
Ok if thats the case ill just pack it out with insulation and seal it like a tank, should reduce the noise considerably. In terms of treatment would it help it i changed the shape of the structure or perhaps built a separate room inside it as a booth to record the amps and vocals? OR would it be best just to have one bigger room for everything and get acoustic panels/bass traps everywhere?
 
There are two things to consider - wooden structures need mass to stop sound leaking in and out. So outside, the usual lapped slotted finish isn't really enough - so probably clad with ply, and then finished like typical sheds, and then the same again inside will not be that bad. The biggest problem with sheds is the roof. Most shed roof designs are not strong enough to support sound proofing unless you substantially beef up the supporting timber. This means the walls have more weight to carry, so your framing probably goes from 37x50 (as on my cheap old garden shed) up to 75x50. You also need to beef up the floor, as this will also be heavy when you've layered it. Most shed designs also have an air gap between walls and roof - so this needs fixing too. Usually a plasterboard inner skin is used, but outside it will get damp - as plasterboard attracts water, so unless you run a dehumidifier 24/7 it will rot in the winter. Ply and MDF on internal walls, with maybe an insulation board centre can work well. I'd not worry too much about the squareness if you intend fitting acoustic treatment. The constructional problems with non-square construction are a real pain. I would look at the internal space, and consider the sizes of sheet material. building in multiples of sheet size makes construction so much easier. I've done quite a few studio spaces in and out, and have standardised on MDF sheets laid landscape - so if you are doing it yourself, I'd build the inner space first, then do outside - far easier to have odd sizes outside! Essentially you build the room, then build a lighter weight structure around the outside! MDF takes paint nicely and is so much tougher than plasterboard. Hide the horizontal join between sheets with a timber strip - maybe 13x100, then leave a 13A socket space, then another for decoration. Looks nice and hide the gap! Doing it this way enable you to have a flat ceiling - with the walls taking the weight. Your outer shell can then be more shed like in strength.

I'd consider a proper concrete base, and feed your electrical services (and phone, network etc) up through it to retain sound integrity. Door wise, use two! A fire door on the inside opening inwards, and another on the outer shell, opening outwards. Ventilation in a sealed space is vital. Forget 4" duct fans - to be effective they will be noisy. 8" duct fans that sucks out are quieter, and in the gap between inner flat roof and outer shell you can hide an MDF constructed labyrinth, lined with fibre glass insulation, which will make sure the sucked out air doesn't contain too much noise. another on the inwards path keeps outside noise out, but lets fresh air in - essential in the summer. Doing it this way gives you a space between inner and out, and very oddly, the key feature for soundproofing is the air gap - not the fibreglass. One I did had no insulation - I was away and my friend fitted the outside cladding before I got back. The end result didn't seem to suffer, as the inner insulation was enough. Fibreglass is great for HF reduction, but not much good for bottom end - so the inner cladding works enough at HF to make the fibreglass a bit pointless. They can be nice projects - the worst bit is simply the hassle of cutting odd sizes, and getting big sheets in through small openings, and doing everything from inside. Sticking up four walls, then the roof joists is so much simpler, construction wise.

It's worth remembering that timber is VERY expensive. Cheap sheds are cheap because the wood is poor, thin, and defect ridden - plus they're often stapled together, so not very strong. A decent shed will be two to three time the cost of a preformed garden shed made for occasional use. A decent timber merchant local to you and transport is essential. There are some tricks I learned for doing the inner roof - to avoid sound leaks, but they're a bit long winded to explain and need diagrams.
 
Thank you for all the advice. I think iv'e got a better idea of what to go for. The last question i have will be around the window in terms of acoustic treatment.

I gather the best place to have the window would be in front of the desk (behind monitors)? with an acoustic panel either side then bass traps in each corners? and acoustic treatment on the back wall. Or would it be better to have the window directly behind the desk?
 
Well it is an obvious weak point in the security and there will be a fair bit of moneys worth in there... It will be secure in my garden however with a big field behind and it would be nice to have some natural light. If its going to be a nightmare i'll remove it from the plans!
 
billabob said:
The available space we have to work in is 13'(w)x13'(L)x8'(h).
Click to expand...

This will make a square room, which for acoustics is the worst shape. It is too small to divide it into 2 smaller rooms (control / tracking) so is there any way to make it a rectangle shape? You need to read up on room design.

Cheers
Alan.
 
Hey Alan,

The only way to make it into a rectangular room would be to build the whole structure smaller which id rather not do as 13'x13'x8' isnt massive as it is! I was considering 13'x'11'8' which granted would be better for the treatment of the room but i would also be loosing a lot of space at the same time.

Iv'e never had a designated space to record before and while i'm sure that 13x11x8 would be big enough for guitars, keys,vocals and so, im not so sure if the space is actually large enough to hold a drum kits aswell. Bare in mind ill be putting acoustic treatment in that will be taking up a good 4" on both walls aswell!
 
More than 4", actually. Your treatment needs to straddle the corners, and if you can hang the bass traps off the wall a few inches, that enhances their bass absorbing ability.
A typical drum set (unless it is e-drums) will take up about half the room in one dimension, leaving enough room beside it to put amps facing towards the drums and a small amount of space between to move around them. Start putting mic boom stands around, and your 'extra' room disappears quickly.
Try drawing out some plans - NOW - and cut out small pieces of paper or cardboard scaled to the size of your desk, traps, drums, etc and move them around on the plan to see if this will even be practical.
 
The window is going to be a source of sound problems - I'd suggest two double glazed panels, and if you end up with a room in a room structure, one double glazed panel on the inner and the other on the outer.

Depending on how you are going to build - remember that with a timber frame, its' really quite simple to pull in or out walls so as to not have parallel surfaces - although my experience is that these can easily be fixed with treatment, and the hassle of non- 90 degree construction makes me wonder?
 
I've read Ethan Winer say many times that a window is not a problem at all. Put it behind your desk and don't worry about it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top