soundproofing for dummies

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danobi

New member
hey guys. my nephew, who happens to be older than me, has decided to build a recording studio in his basement. Incidently, it's cool when you're related to someone with money and similar interests. So, we were talking about materials to use, and methods and layouts... here's what we were thinking... having one control room, and one live room... (prolly around 10' by 10')... with the option for adding a small iso room. granted, we have limited space. we want to do this right, as we see an opportunity to make money as well as have a personal studio.

now, we are newbies, and need your help. seriously... First off... is that layout a good idea, or should we think about something different, or.. Secondly, what kind of materials should we build this sucker out of. and if you know, around how much do these materials cost. don't worry if you don't know the prices... i just want some imput from people who know a lot more about this than the two of us combined.

thanks

-dan
 
oh yeah...

oh yeah... i said he 'has money'... he's definately not rich... the cheap stuff is probably all we'll be able to afford. so let's talk where we can skimp, and where we definately should spend.

thanks again.
 
First off, go to the studio building board & search the threads there.

Second, if all you have for a live room is 100ft2, you're better off combining the control & live rooms into a single larger room. Big rooms sound better than small rooms. You can probably live without an iso booth; portable sound-absorbing panels work quite well for that.

In a basement, you won't need too much soundproofing unless you have mechanical noise to deal with. In that case it's often best to isolate the source of the noise rather than soundproof your whole room.

You will need to read up on acoustic treatment however; you will need some absorptive surfaces on the walls of the studio to improve frequency response. Again, read the studio building board.
 
Dan,

> one control room, and one live room... (prolly around 10' by 10') <

A 10x10 foot room is a terrible size and shape. If all you have is a 10x20 foot space, I suggest you consider an all-in-one room.

If you can wait two weeks, the next issue (September) of EQ magazine will have a complete design for a home studio with the proper dimensions, and lots of explanations about room treatments.

--Ethan
 
ok. thanks guys. like i said, i'm a noob. hehe. i'll post in the studio section, after i do some reading.

thanks for your time
-dan
 
Home Studios

A recording studio setup is a big subject. I think I would agree with other posters to consider using the entire 10'X20' area as a single space.

If there are computers or other equipment making noise, these can be somewhat isolated, possibly by screening the equipment area with a partition and using sound deadening material all around the walls of that area. I suppose this makes monitoring a bit difficult and restricted to headphones. Is there usually someone monitoring and running a mixer? If not, I would think that makes the case for a single pace stronger.

One principle though of acoustic spaces is that even multiples of dimensions may set up standing waves and/or reinforcing reflections. The 10 X 10 or 10 X 20 are definitely proportions to try and change. The closer a room is to a cube or double cube, the more little quirks may result.

In addition to uneven proportions, if one or two walls and/or the ceiling can made non parallel or perpendicular that is a help. If you do build a control /monitoring room, there is a way of building double walls and a double window in which the two panes are not parallel. You might consider building plywood triangular corners at the wall to ceiling junction and these can later be lined with foam.

Partitions should use insulation between studs and the drywall can be mounted on "STC" -sound transmission control clips and this is a n inexpensive way to cut down sound transferrance. It will be best to furr (line) the block walls with insulated stud walls using the STC clips. Leave a 2" gap between the studs and the block wall.

I'm not an expert on wall treatments, but I think that there are enough kinds of reasonably priced foam to put in panels on walls without going with highly expensive acoustic rated materials.

Basements have a definite advantage over garages and other above ground framed sructures as the block walls are massive and damp vibration/reasonances.

Don't forget A/C and moving air sounds. The best way to get the A/C to be very quiet is to oversize the ducts to reduce the air velocity and leave off registers which may offer a suprising whistle!

Have fun- a nice thing to look forward too!

Cheers,

Bambi B
 
Here is a big tip.

Slow down!

Spend several years learning A LOT about studios, the equipment, and the methods before assuming you could ever be successful at it.

However, you are at the right place to begin learning so, keep asking questions.
 
RawDepth said:
Here is a big tip.

Slow down!
Click to expand...

haha, that's a good tip.
well, we're doin ok. between the two of us and HR/bbs we'll be fine. that's why i'm here though... i'm checking it out with people who prolly know a lot more about it then me. We haven't started building yet... we don't plan to for a while, it's a big project. we are checking out what it entails, that's all.



bambi:

thanx for the info. appreciate it. i will keep all that in mind. have to research standing waves and all.. also, like you said, it's in a basement, and 3 of it's walls will be cement, what do you think about that? obviously they're at right angles, and probably pretty square in shape. the other wall we dunno yet. talk to me.

-dan
 
Studying the studio

Dan,

Very pleased to put my two pence on the pile. I should mention that I've only ever officially designed one studio- a conversion of a three car garage into a voice over studio and the rest of my experience has been as an anouncer in the radio station. As Raw Depth mentioned, it's a big subject and does take a lot of considerations in different areas- the equipment seems to come both first and last in the scheme.

Along those lines, my thought is to make a list of the equioment you're using and also list all the different combinations you might record- solo, instrumental etc. Then there is an idea of the spaces you need. My thinking is still that if you are not having an engineer working the board and monitoring while recording you might create a little partitioned area for the gear and leave the remaining area as open as possible. The partitioned area too might be done so as to break up the undesirable 2:1 proportion. then there are all the finishes and room treatments. BTW, you might look into something like the old Pirelli flooring- or the kind of slightly padded flooring used in exercise rooms. There are a myriad of other little details to consider, e.g., what is the power availibility- can you add a dedicated high amperage circuit for this room, remember that a conventional residential door and wondows are somewhat nasty things acoustically.

You mentioned an isolation room in your original post and of course, that's a big committment of space, but is certainly possible. I see that these rooms seem to be used often for drumsets. What would you use this one for?

The basement setting is a big help in not producing a very booming or reasonant room.

So much is possible without great cost, but to do such a detailed project without piles of brass, more planning, focus on realistic use and looking at unconventional uses of standard materials is necessary.

Is there a way you can post a plan of the room showing dimensions and the entry, windows, etc? That would make further discussion much more productive.

Cheers,

Bambi B
 
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