Layout suggestions?

[GoneinUS]

Ok, I am going to be putting together a studio in my basement this summer. It is currently a 1-bedroom apartment (hence, why I can't put it together until this summer, as there is currently a tenant in there) and is not ideally setup for a studio. So, I have a couple options and I have drawn up some diagrams of possible layouts.

First I have attached what the apartment currently looks like. The only measurements that are not included are ceiling height, which is 6.5’ for the most part, except for a couple small sections (one in the bedroom) that are 6’. Also, the doors to the closet are going to have to be replaced, as they have the vented slots in them. I realize that this setup is going to be less then perfect, but I think I can get a pretty good sound out of it with the right setup. I will be recording drums in the live room, so this has to be considered into the layout.

For reference, I plan on doing mostly live recording. I plan to have a computer-based setup. I will be using:
· N-tracks
· RME Multiface
· Sytek MPX-4aii Pre
· Yorkville YSM1p's
Mics:
· AT 4050
· Seinheiser MD421 II
· Oktava MC012 (2)
· SM57’s
· AKG D-112

 

[GoneinUS]

Ok, this is the first layout design. In this design I use the family room as my control room. It is rather long and not totally enclosed. I would put a glass door by the computer into the vocal room and put a window from the vocal room into the live room (shown in orange). One thing that is important to note is that I would like to leave the living (family) room somewhat alone, as my wife let me have the studio if we could make the living room into a family room. So this means that not a lot can be done to this room.

 

[GoneinUS]

This is the second layout design. Here I would make the kitchen into my control room. I would have to put a window from the utility closet to the vocal room and a glass door to the live room (shown in orange). However, the countertops and cabinets cannot be moved, so they will all be behind me when mixing. I would make or buy some sort of movable temporary wall to the family room (shown in orange dotted-line).

 

[GoneinUS]

This is the third layout design. Here I would build a new interior wall in the live room and make a control room. I want the wall to be fairly easy to take apart and take down (for when we sell the house). I would put a window in this wall to the live room and put a glass door to the vocal room (shown in orange). The drawbacks are the control room would be fairly small and oddly shaped.

 

[GoneinUS]

This is the fourth layout (and last one I could come up with) design. Here I build the same wall as in layout 3 and put in the same new window and glass door. However, in this one, the closet becomes the control room and the small new room becomes the vocal room.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I am new to this.

 

[craigmatic]

hmmm... i'm no John Sayers or anything, but i'd say you were pretty much screwed.

are you planning on using the bedroom for a bedroom as well, or just a live room? where are you going to sleep? and how can you make changes like putting windows in walls in a rented place?

now, as i stated, i am no Mr Sayers, but i have become completely obsessed with studio design and am currently toying around with your design, trying to come up with something....

 

[craigmatic]

ok. i'll be the first to admit that at times i am a bit slow. upon actually reading your posts again, i gather that you own the apartment... so... this is a living space in your basement that is in addition to your usual home above? so why again does the ole ball and chain say the living room must be kept as a living room? do you think you can persuade her to let you have the whole space?

 

[GoneinUS]

Well, we are not getting rent from the space now, so I have to give in somewhere. The basement is cooler in the summer, so it would be a good spot to hang out. Also, if I am going to be spending a lot of time recording, my wife wants to be able to be down by me and do other things, which is cool.


I was told else where that 3 & 4 are no good because the control room is too small. I think #1 would be my best bet. The real question is how much do I have to do to the room so make it acoustically viable? One suggestion was to have the computer in the corner by the closet, but have it face at a 45 degree angle. What would have to be done to the walls and such to make it sound good?

 

[GoneinUS]

Ok, I have decided (I think) that I want to put the control room into the bedroom. The reason is that I will be spending more time in the control room, so I figure i can do more to alter the sound in there, rather then temporary stuff in the family room. I plan on using the moveable walls (PVC frames with cargo blankets hanging from them was one suggestion) for the live recording room when recording in there if needed.

Now, with the control room being in the bedroom, which is the best way to set it up. I have the desk in the picture, but I am not sure where it should be located and which way it should point. It does need to have a direct line of site to the vocal room (and thus the family room) in order for me to see through the window. Any thoughts?

 

[Treeline]

How do you plan to handle noise interference from the furnace / utility room? That could be a real kicker if you're not careful. How about stuff like laundry / plumbing and all that?

And the other thing is you will probably have all kinds of demands on the electric circuit other than the studio - dryers, water pumps and so on. Might might want to run everything through a decent computer line conditioner of some kind. You might be able to pick a commercial unit up from an electronics salvage place or through a contractor that does dismantling. That would help with the line noise when the heating system kicks in.

 

[GoneinUS]

Well, the laundry room is on the other side of the house, but we just plan on not running it while I am recording or mixing. The furnace is a little more tricky. I will probably just turn the fan off while recording or mixing during the summer, as it stays much cooler downstairs. Haven't quite figured out about winter. Any suggestions?

Hadn't thought about the line noise. May have to invest in a line conditioner. That's why I love this forum. I had no idea I might need one, but now I do. Thanks. Any ideas about the placement or direction of the computer setup?

 

[Erik713]

you've got one cool wife if she's letting you do that!

 

[GoneinUS]

Yes, she is very cool. We did have to negotiate though. Family room (where I am going to be doing live recording) is going to be setup like a family room. Also, I can't really do major construction downstairs (other than adding a window) because we want to sell the place with the apartment downstairs intact. She is very cool though

 

[DDev]

The main problem I see with this is that you really need to consider how to make the area you will be mixing in symmetrical. You have plenty of good space, but the way it is broken up will be problematic when you mix. Your stereo imaging will not be very accurate.

If you have to stick with it this way for line of sight, the closest thing I can see would be to turn your desk around such that your back is to the water heater closet in the upper right corner, with your speakers firing in that direction, and with the speaker placement in line with the upper edge of the wall of the furnace room.

The better option would be to have an angled wall between the water heater closet and the furnace room, and mirror that angle on the outside wall on the right to make it symmetrical (the angles will also help cut down on reflections from parallel walls). That would give you the advantage of the depth of the room.

Anyway, just a couple of random thoughts. I'd love to be in your predicament with real space available to use.

Have fun!!,

Darryl.....

 

[GoneinUS]

Ok, if I pointed the computer towards the bathroom, but got some sort of temporary walls for in front of the bathroom and got some plexiglass for the situation you diescribed about creating non-parallel walls in front of me, would that work? Does that make sense?

 

[DDev]

That would be better than the current layout. There might be a couple of other things to consider, also, but they are more in line with acoustic treatment than layout and someone else will have to chime in to give you better advice on that. Just remember that to get a good stereo image you need symmetry around the mixing position. everything else can be handled in smaller steps once the room is built and you fine tune the acoustics to get that true test of a control room: a translatable mix.

cheers,
Darryl.....

 

[DDev]

Another possible solution for that angled wall would be to use a sliding glass door. Provides the visibility you need and the surface, also.

Darryl.....

 

[GoneinUS]

True, but the problem is we don't really want to put a sliding glass door in there, only to have to take it out when we sell the place a few years down the road. Good suggestion though.