Re-location/build of Diesel Dungeon Studio!

I bought a new desk that i will be modifying slightly. It will have two mini "sidecar" racks on either side and some desktop racks i made myself (no not the lazy modification of those cheap ikea nightstands). The one mod I am doing to the standard computer desk itself, is to recess my monitor screen into the desk so I don't have a huge refelctive flat glass screen right infront of my face anymore. That way i can place my pseudo mono auratone above it (probably will have it on a floor stand behind the screen, but obviously not have the speaker facing behind the screen, lol).

Here is what i am going to do with my desk...

recessed screen.JPG
 
UPDATE!: Finished the first coat of paint (primer) on ceiling, walls and baseboards last night. It's the home stretch now baby! By the end of this weekend, my goal is to have all the painting done and the floor installed. Wish me good luck!

IMG_0868.JPG.jpeg

IMG_0869.JPG.jpeg



And because every studio needs security!...


secure.JPG
 
Painting is done! It's still wet in this picture, but whatevs. The colour may seem a little dark at first, but my flooring will be a honey-amber wood look, with white baseboards and ivory burlap panels. So it will be a good contrast. That's why i decided to go with a white ceiling as well. I was going to do black for the cool/vibey factor, but apparently black makes your ceilings feel lower. Since my ceilings are only 7', I didn't want to add to any possibility of someone being reminded they are in a basement. Mood is key in the studio! :)


wet paint 1.JPG

wet paint 2.JPG
 
UPDATE:
- 2 of 3 new ceiling lights are installed! Waiting on a mounting bracket for the other one before I post pics. I put in some LED bulbs that are supposed to be equivalent to your standard 40W incandescent lights, but I'd say they are more like as bright as 60W. Glad I have a dimmer! It isn't installed yet, so I'm not sure if it will make my gear buzz, but I read that the reasonably priced "Lutron"dimmers are quiet as can be. So that's what I got. I had to make sure that, first of all, my LED lights were dimmable, and secondly, that the dimmer is compatible with LED lights! But man these lights are nice and they NEVER heat up! No more sweating under hot lights!

- Starting laying down the resilient vinyl plank (faux hardwood) flooring last night. Will post pics once complete. Holy crap is it easy to install and it looks/feels pretty legit! It also reduces the cold on your feet compared to standing on raw concrete floors. Extra bonus!
 
I haven't experienced vinyl fake-wood flooring - how loud is it? Laminate floor (Pergo, anyways) is like a tap-dancing floor - amplifies any sound on it like dog claws, hard shoes, even with the foam underlayment - I used it in my kitchen because my wife didn't want tile (she has chronic dropitus). Very easy to install, for sure. Did the 12'x14' kitchen in an afternoon (baseboards already removed, makes it easy to do the finishing).
 
Floor and lights are done! (pic was taken when i had one last strip to do on the left perimeter).

The stuff I used was called Allure by Traffic Master which I believe is exclusive to home depot. It is 100% vinyl and waterproof and is resilient so it conformed to any unevenness in the concrete floor with great ease. It was a breeze to install and super easy to cut (score with exacto and snap). I like the matte finish it has (and you can feel the "wood grain" too), because it looks closer to real wood. A lot of laminate flooring has this slight sheen over it that makes it look "plasticky" and in oblique lighting you can see footprints and stuff. This does not have the cheap laminate look so I am really happy with it.

MJB, you asked about how loud it is. First off, I thought I should mention that somehow the reverb length/density in the room (to my ears) has been slightly attenuated since the floor went in. I could tell because my ears developed a good memory of what that room sounded like when it was bare concrete because I was always either whistling, singing, drumming on my thighs, tapping my feet, clapping, etc. So after hearing what those things sounded like after working in here for a few months, I noticed a change with the new floor which is weird because it is still reflective. Hmm. Anyways, just thought I'd note that.

As far as walking on it and the sound it makes, with socks or bare feet, it's slightly quieter than walking on a bare concrete floor. Probably because it is a slick surface where as concrete is rough, so the sound of your feet rubbing on the rough surface might come off as sounding "louder". I haven't tried shoes on it but I assume it will be the same outcome.

floor.JPG
 
Yes, looking good! That Allure stuff sparked my interest - until I read the installation manual. Other than the basement, its not practical for me: avoid direct sunlight exposure, and temperatures between 55F and 85F only.
 
mjbphotos said:
Yes, looking good! That Allure stuff sparked my interest - until I read the installation manual. Other than the basement, its not practical for me: avoid direct sunlight exposure, and temperatures between 55F and 85F only.
Click to expand...

Meh, I'm pretty sure most flooring comes with those types of warnings - you should be good (well actually I guess it depends, where is your stu-stu-studio located?). The sunlight and temperature thing should be fine in most applications unless, say, your studio is outdoors or something! :p
 
RecordingMaster said:
Meh, I'm pretty sure most flooring comes with those types of warnings - you should be good (well actually I guess it depends, where is your stu-stu-studio located?). The sunlight and temperature thing should be fine in most applications unless, say, your studio is outdoors or something! :p
Click to expand...

No, I've never seen that warning on flooring before - it warns about buckling and delamination (I think). I was thinking of my 3-season sunroom, temperatures go as cold as outside (-10F is the lowest I've ever seen here) and up into the high 90s on occasion, and tons of sun.
 
Hmm. I didn't see that warning on my stuff...but then again I don't think i read the warnings! Haha. I guess I should ":RTFM:" haha

As far as things going defective, I had some peace of mind since it has a "25 year Guarantee" for whatever that's worth! But yeah probably not good for sunrooms as you have gathered. I think it could be possible in extreme heats with sun shining right on it, that the adhesive could come unglued. After all...the way it is uninstalled is with a heat gun! That is the older/lower cost version though. The newer/slightly pricier Allure now has an easy clicking system.
 
The rear "diffusive superchunk" bass traps have commenced! I see a lot of guys do shelves midway (which i assume is to keep it from compressing over time), but I did away with that idea as I have seen even a lot of pictures, some of "professional" installations where they showed pictures of it just stacked straight up, floor to ceiling. I felt the Roxul on the very bottom of the pile when it was all stacked and it didn't really even feel compressed - felt the same as the top ones. Not only that, but this stuff is pretty resilient. i mean, they compress it like mad to get vacuum packed into their packaging, and they decompress as soon as you open it, so I think their nature is to want to be expanded, and won't compress at fist command like the cotton candy stuff. I think the string I used to hold it in place (and keep from toppling over) helps it from compressing downwards too.

I will be building a thin frame out of 1x2's and covering with fabric, and then just brad nailing them straight to the wall on either side (y'know, the tiny finishing nails applied with a bradnailer that you would use for baseboards).

superchunk 1.JPG
 
Last edited:
Superchunk cores are done. Need to cover the front ones with fabric-covered thin frames and cover the rear ones with diffusion. Don't ask about the difference in colour. It's the exact same product, but just from separate bags - I guess it's a natural product made from lava rock and recycled steel, so yeah. But anyways... "ALL YOUR BASS ARE BELONG TO US!" lol


superchunks front.JPG

superchunks rear.JPG
 
Started building the facing frames for the superchunks last night. Made them out of 1x2's and glued n' screwed 'em! Used little flat metal brackets to connect the pieces. Short screws for the brackets, no need for pre-drilling (didn't split). They are thin, but pretty solid thanks to the strong carpenters' glue. The next 3 won't take long at all. Easy-peasy. Going to staple the fabric to the face of these (staples around back of course - you know the drill (same as any other fabric wrapped panel).

After these are done, comes base boards (aka footers, aka trim) and then I move my desk/speakers in and begin tests (including the mirror test) to fine tune the best appropriate places for everything. I have (x17) 2'x4'x2" OC703 broadband wall traps / ceiling clouds made, (x4) 2'x4'x4" OC703 bass traps, (x4) 2'x2.5'x4" OC703 Mini Bass traps, (x5) 2' foam corner "bass" traps, (plus a shit ton of old 2" "studio foam" I will probably just sell).

After that comes the 4'x4'x6' closet vocal booth!!!! I be hangin' bath towels in there fo dat top notch quality, yo! :p ;) :facepalm: :rolleyes:


frame1.JPG

frame2.JPG
 
I realized I'm going to have to do similar corner wedges in my back corners rather than freestanding traps, due to fit. If I use triangles cut to 12"x16" (20" across the front) will they be effective?
 
mjbphotos said:
I realized I'm going to have to do similar corner wedges in my back corners rather than freestanding traps, due to fit. If I use triangles cut to 12"x16" (20" across the front) will they be effective?
Click to expand...

You make it sound like its a last resort. That's actually awesome! Small incremental differences between framed traps straddling corners vs superchunks, but audio is a game of inches, not miles. Every bit helps!

As far as I've read about superchunks, they need to have a 24" wide face minimum in order to be effective (in the lowest frequencies). But it is what it is if that's all you have room for! Better than nothing!
 
c7sus said:
Dumb question......

Did you pull an electrical permit?
Click to expand...

Absolutely not! haha

I'm not sure what the laws are like in "Eagle Winged Palace of the Queen Chinee", but I live in Canada and igloos don't have any kind of building/electric permits necessary.

I'm hoping you know I am kidding, but no i didn't get any permits. Firstly, because it was in an existing room in my basement. Electrical was already all ran from when it was built. But I ripped it all out and redid it from scratch down there and "to code". Reconnected to the breaker box to the same breaker # that the old plugs were on for that room. So i can't see why i'd need any permits for that. And if I somehow DO need a permit...screw whoever the authority is that would ever care about that! lol
 
Started covering superchunk face-frames with fabric. This is a pic of one done, but I haven't actually tacked it into the wall yet, so it's leaning a bit right now (ignore the visible insulation at the top, which will not be visible later). The fabric for the front traps is sort of a dark blue with a sheen to it and it's a Victorian-esque pattern (it's breathable).

superchunk fabric free stand.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top