building a wooden shed/studio

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pawstevens

New member
hey!!

i`m going to be building a wooden shed in my garden as a studio. was wondering what the best method would be to soundproof it?

i want to keep the noise in, is it a case of wall the thicker the walls, the better it will keep noise in, or would it be say 2 walls with air gaps? if you get me?

i`m planning to build the main shell, then work from the inside to sound proof, as in plaster board and insulation.

any guidance appreciated, thanks, paul
 
pawstevens said:
hey!!

i`m going to be building a wooden shed in my garden as a studio. was wondering what the best method would be to soundproof it?

i want to keep the noise in, is it a case of wall the thicker the walls, the better it will keep noise in, or would it be say 2 walls with air gaps? if you get me?

i`m planning to build the main shell, then work from the inside to sound proof, as in plaster board and insulation.

any guidance appreciated, thanks, paul
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I've done this before. It really depends on your requirements and budget. What level of sound"proofing" do you require?
 
well not too worried about the cost of it as it will cost what it costs, if you see what i mean?

i want it to be sound proofed enough so i dont become a complaint. just really after methods and materials i would use.

also, it will be used to make computer music in, so just some where for my speakers, mixer, laptop, that kind of thing. somewhere i can play it loud.
 
pawstevens said:
well not too worried about the cost of it as it will cost what it costs, if you see what i mean?

i want it to be sound proofed enough so i dont become a complaint. just really after methods and materials i would use.

also, it will be used to make computer music in, so just some where for my speakers, mixer, laptop, that kind of thing. somewhere i can play it loud.
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So just speakers playing at ~90dB? How far away is it from people who would complain? The more info you can give the better we can advise.
 
to be honest, i can make music that sounds good, but my technical skills are all self taught. as in, i just play it loud and wouldn`t know how many db`s i am listening to!

i`ll be building it next to my house, the closet house is probably 12-15 metres away. :)

thought i`d better add that i`m not buying a flat pack shed then sound proofing that, i will actually be making it all from scratch
 
pawstevens said:
to be honest, i can make music that sounds good, but my technical skills are all self taught. as in, i just play it loud and wouldn`t know how many db`s i am listening to!

i`ll be building it next to my house, the closet house is probably 12-15 metres away. :)

thought i`d better add that i`m not buying a flat pack shed then sound proofing that, i will actually be making it all from scratch
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Well then, a shed with standard stud walls, ceiling and floor (plywood - 4" timber and insulation - plywood) would probably suffice, imo. You could then clad the outer leaf with tongue and groove. This would probably give you an STC of at least 35dB if done correctly. This relies of air-proofing and having a door with a similar STC. This, combined with the STC of the existing houses, would probably be sufficient.
 
If cost isn't a big factor I wouldn't design it for your 35dB. What if in a couple of years you want live drums in there, or a full band?

How you build it depends on where you are. You can get the same acoustic separation using timber, blockwork or concrete construction but costs will vary depending on the more common build method in your area.

Given your measurement in meters I'm guessing you are UK/Ireland as am I. If so, and if you want the Rolls Royce solution, I would use a concrete floor, 215mm solid blockwork walls and if possible, a concrete roof. I would then build a plywood box within that with as much separation as possible between the inner and outer boxes - The upper floor making as little contact as possible with the lower, supported on rubber pads, no contact between inner and outer walls and the ply ceiling hung with cable from the concrete roof.

If you want a window it should be a normal, double glazed window in the outer box with a second, inner window, fitted tilted at an angle so as not to create a a drum effect. Likewise the door would be outward opening in the outer box with a second, inward opening door in the inner box.

Of course you've got to think about weathering, thermal insulation, acoustic finishes, a heating system, cooling if the window doesn't open, power and telephone/internet. Oh, and if you want a toilet you've got to figure out how to connect it to the sewage and water system of the house.

Thats the shopping list, now pick what you can afford!
 
in the same boat...

Hi guys, sorry to tag on the back of this thread but I'm in the same boat ;)

I'm about to start the exact same thing. I'm going to start building my studio in my back garden in the coming weeks and I could also really do with some advice... The studio is going to be wooden framed, on a concrete base (as I don't think the neighbors would appreciate a concrete garage in my garden) The approx size is going to be 12' by around 7', I'm planning on dividing the room into two sections, one side as the live room and the other as the control. What would you recommended would be the best and most efficient way of keeping the sound 'in' I'm planning to do the double plasterboard with sheetblok in between method, plus have mineral fibre slabs at the back of all this. What would you recommend? I've done allot of research but could do with some advice from the experts!
I should also mention that I plan to build an ISO box for my guitar amp but I may at some point want to record drums....

Cheers!
 
TyEmery said:
Hi guys, sorry to tag on the back of this thread but I'm in the same boat ;)

I'm about to start the exact same thing. I'm going to start building my studio in my back garden in the coming weeks and I could also really do with some advice... The studio is going to be wooden framed, on a concrete base (as I don't think the neighbors would appreciate a concrete garage in my garden) The approx size is going to be 12' by around 7', I'm planning on dividing the room into two sections, one side as the live room and the other as the control. What would you recommended would be the best and most efficient way of keeping the sound 'in' I'm planning to do the double plasterboard with sheetblok in between method, plus have mineral fibre slabs at the back of all this. What would you recommend? I've done allot of research but could do with some advice from the experts!
I should also mention that I plan to build an ISO box for my guitar amp but I may at some point want to record drums....

Cheers!
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I wouldn't really recommend splitting it. I split my 14x8 shed and it is REALLY small.
 
Ok well that's something to think more about then :) Any info on keeping the sound 'in'? Could really do with some help before I start shopping for materials!
 
TyEmery said:
Ok well that's something to think more about then :) Any info on keeping the sound 'in'? Could really do with some help before I start shopping for materials!
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You want a MAM (mass air mass) structure. Each mass should be isolated from each other, the whole thing made airtight, with insulation in the air gap. But you're gonna have to cut holes in your air-tight structure for ventilation, without affecting the isolation (this can be tricky).

It really all depends on the level of isolation required.
 
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beatlebum said:
If cost isn't a big factor I wouldn't design it for your 35dB. What if in a couple of years you want live drums in there, or a full band?
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Thing about it is, the neighbours homes will have a good degree of isolation, so you may not require any more than 35dB of isolation.

I don't think you need to hang the ceiling from the roof with cable. Just build it in top of the stud walls to further reduce transmission.

What's the point of a double glazed window and then a second inner window? That creates a 3-leaf structure which isn't desirable.

Also, the tilted window to reduce the "drum effect" is a bit of a myth. It actually diminishes the airspace, which reduces low frequency isolation. The only benefit is that of acoustics (and only if done correctly) and light reflection.

If you don't need it, I wouldn't bother with a window anyway.
 
Thanks for the reply pandamonk, Isolation is going to be very important, my garden is situated between neighbours gardens on both sides so isolation is the key, I need to get as much isolation as possible with maximum effect. As I said, I'm planning to build an ISO box that my guitar and bass amp will sit in. The main things that worry me are if I were going to record drums and also being able to listen back to the recordings at a reasonable level without disturbing anyone. I've done allot of looking around at studio builds but this is the first time I've come across MAM, so much to think about, bit of a mine field!

photo1.jpg


This is where I'm planning to build, looks kinda small in the picture but it's not really. You can see the 'outline' of where it's going to be, it's not placed properly but you get the general idea!
 
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TyEmery said:
Thanks for the reply pandamonk, Isolation is going to be very important, my garden is situated between neighbours gardens on both sides so isolation is the key, I need to get as much isolation as possible with maximum effect. As I said, I'm planning to build an ISO box that my guitar and bass amp will sit in. The main things that worry me are if I were going to record drums and also being able to listen back to the recordings at a reasonable level without disturbing anyone. I've done allot of looking around at studio builds but this is the first time I've come across MAM, so much to think about, bit of a mine field!
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Well make sure to build a two leaf structure (MAM) and not 3 or more. If you can, build a double stud structure. This, if done correctly, could give an STC 60+, which is considered "Superior soundproofing; most sounds inaudible" (wiki).
 
pandamonk said:
I don't think you need to hang the ceiling from the roof with cable. Just build it in top of the stud walls to further reduce transmission.
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Fair Point.
pandamonk said:
What's the point of a double glazed window and then a second inner window? That creates a 3-leaf structure which isn't desirable.

Also, the tilted window to reduce the "drum effect" is a bit of a myth. It actually diminishes the airspace, which reduces low frequency isolation. The only benefit is that of acoustics (and only if done correctly) and light reflection.

If you don't need it, I wouldn't bother with a window anyway.
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I didn't know a 3 leaf structure is not desirable. Maybe you can let us know why?

I don't think the drum effect is a myth - sound will vibrate with parallel surfaces at certain frequencies - no doubt about it.

I wasn't recommending a window, just outlining how you might do it and I wasn't going to put one in in my attic "studio" but now I'm glad I did now. If you're spending long periods of time in a place natural light can be a good thing!

pandamonk said:
plus architecture, planning permission and building warrant costs... ;)
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If you embark on a project like this you should do so in the full knowledge of the difficulties you are likely to meet. Building projects are usually more complicated than people think.
 
beatlebum said:
I didn't know a 3 leaf structure is not desirable. Maybe you can let us know why?

I don't think the drum effect is a myth - sound will vibrate with parallel surfaces at certain frequencies - no doubt about it.
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1. To isolate effectively requires improving the low-frequency transmission loss. There are a few ways to achieve this including adding a cushion(insulation) and increasing the gap between mass(walls, windows, etc). If you have a 3 leaf structure, the middle leaf causes there to be 2 smaller gaps, rather than one larger, which doesn't allow such low-frequency transmission loss.

2. Sound will vibrate non-parallel surfaces too. They may not cause so much standing waves, but the increased gap will increase low-frequency transmission loss which is more beneficial.
 
TyEmery said:
As I said, I'm planning to build an ISO box that my guitar and bass amp will sit in.
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Do you mind telling me how you're planning to do this ? I've been thinking about this for a while and I'm trying to soak in as much info as I can find.
Your garden looks like somewhere in England !
 
pandamonk said:
1. To isolate effectively requires improving the low-frequency transmission loss. There are a few ways to achieve this including adding a cushion(insulation) and increasing the gap between mass(walls, windows, etc). If you have a 3 leaf structure, the middle leaf causes there to be 2 smaller gaps, rather than one larger, which doesn't allow such low-frequency transmission loss.

2. Sound will vibrate non-parallel surfaces too. They may not cause so much standing waves, but the increased gap will increase low-frequency transmission loss which is more beneficial.
Click to expand...

Cheers. I'll bear it in mind when I'm building mine! ;)
 
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