A few questions. New House and new studio. Sound treatments?

  • Thread starter Thread starter reco
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reco

reco

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OK, My wife and I are building a new house this spring and I am getting the basement for my studio.
Now first of all I am sure you have heard all these questions before so please be patient bare with me.......

Since we are building new I am in a good position to do this right.
I am drawing up some plans for the lay out and want to bounce them of of you all, but in the mean time any suggestions are appreciated.

One: I was looking at John Sayers site and saw the "Slat" style corner and side wall and back wall treatments and have a question, Can you after building them cover them with a very light(Thin) or acousticly transparent fabric? or will it defeat the whole pourpose?

Two: I plan to have a sliding glass door between my "control room and my "Live room" how will this efect my control and live room sound? will it be worse if its at my side(right or left)?

Three: Also I am looking for advice on electrical setup. as far as dedicated circuts and dedicated grounds? And I have heard of hospital style wiring as a good thing as well? I just want to make sure I have a good clean AC..........

Four: Has anyone here done the double wall stagerd wall contruction? what is the best way to go(dont want to build a room in a room though)? Are the odd angled walls a nesesity? Also I will have at least two cement walls to deal with, they are the outside walls(duh!) what is the best way to construct on them for sound proofing? I just want it setup so I can record late at night and not piss off others(outside or in).......

Thats it I guess for now!
Thanks in advance!
-Reco
 
Add a foot of depth to the basement. Ceiling height is always a problem in basements, cause it is the closest thing to your head when you monitor, and the closest thing to mics, when you record.
Then plan on sheetrocking in the ceiling joists voids. At least 2 layers. Then fill the voids with batt insulation. Then RC on the ceiling. The whole reason of a room in a room, is decoupling the room from the external structure to prevent the structural transmission of sound. But since your in a basement, furring the concrete walls, lining the wall with 1" 703 or batt type insulation, and the applying RC, and then Gyp board will work. Same on studwalls. If you really wanted to do it right, you could float a floor in between walls too, but if you don't add the foot of height to the basement, you will end up with even less height.
Another thing, HVAC ducting. Plan your ducts for a baffled plenum between joists if you can. Especially if you have more than one room. After the fact duct runs are always a pain in the ......you know. Investigate HVAC issues now. Noise can transfer via the ducts from other rooms upstairs, if not isolated in the beginning. Also oversize the ducting, ask around about registers, and grills too, as they can be a noise producer. In fact, I would talk to the HVAC people AT LENGTH regarding this area of the house.
About the height too. You don't have to dig deeper, just extend the foundation walls a foot higher, but check codes, and with your designer/contractor/BID for more info on this issue.
Soundproofing measures done in the planning stage make for less headachs later. Sound treatment is after the fact, unless you are fully planning your studio on paper instead of flying by the seat of your pants later. Then any deep slat absorbers can be planned in advance too. But you won't know unless you do some room mode analysis. Better now than later, as you can move a wall on pape easier than after it is built. Since you don't want angled walls, rectangular rooms can be designed with modes in mind at the gitgo. Most people only WISH they could have done this. Usually they have to cope with what ever room they have. Well, thats my $.02
fitZ:)
 
Hey!

Well one thing I have going for me is that my father is a HVAC contractor, has done home building for way to many years before that and has done electrical, plumbing and trim finishing.......
SO Im pretty well covered.

Now when I said I didnt want to build a room in a room I didnt mean I would be open to angled non paralel walls. I just dont know anything about layout yet.

How about the slats that I mentioned before, can they be covered with light or accoustical trans parent fabric, for looks ofcourse?

Thanks again.
-Reco
 
Fabric doesn't have to be "acoustically transparent" in slot resonator apps.
 
Ummmm.....

What I was asking was, can I cover the outside of them with fabric? So I dont have to look at the slots...........
Can they be painted or will that have an effect too?
Were going for a certin look.....
Thanks again.
-Reco
 
I don't think the fabric on one side or the other of the slat makes a difference.

Why don't you wanna look at a nice wood finish?

Check out BlueBear's studio pics at sayer's site. His rooms are beautiful.

Wait.......... tell us you're not gonna tie-dye the fabric!:D
 
NAW! No tie die!

Just really really GAY looking paisly!

Just kidding! Naw soory I didnt like the look of the wood slats.
Im going for a certin look.
Thanks
-Reco
 
Reco, the cloth INSIDE the slats in an absorber is VERY important. What you do OUTSIDE is not critical at all. Enjoy your paisley... :=) Steve
 
Uh yeah still....... No paisly either!

Hey does anyone have a link about building walls in a studio?
IE double stud, angled and insulation R value etc .............
Does anyone have info on building double glass studio windows and tips on sliding glass doors between rooms?
Sound insulation is huge to me!

I will post a pic of my studio's layout soon.
Later
 
Insulation question and more.....

If I was building an absorber, Can I or am I suposed to use the insulation with paper or plastic on it?
What is the rating of it?
-Reco
 
The very best insulation is Owens-Corning 703... The papery insulation will do something, I'm sure, but you're space won't be used to it's advantages...


The most important thing to remember is NO PARALLEL WALLS and NO RIGHT ANGLES....

Don't worry if your construction guy looks at you funny....
 
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