Building a small professional studio

[McMajik]

Hi.

So, I've tried typing out the situation I'm in a few times now and failed to describe it well each time, so I'll just type out what I need help with and fill in any details as needed.

Basically, we (the organization I volunteer and occasionally work for) need to build a studio into a 7'8" high x 15'1" wide x 31'6" long concrete room. In that, there needs to be a live room big enough for bands to rehearse in, a separate control room (unattended bands + expensive recording equipment should not mix), and a vocal booth (would also be used for tracking an instrument such as guitar or bass simultaneously with drums).

It's a VERY budget constrained operation, so we'd like to DIY everything, or as much as possible.

Our current plan is to partition a smaller space off from the back of the room for the control room, and then partition a smaller space within that as the vocal booth. So we'd end up with a large live room at the front of the room, the control room on the back left taking up most of the width of the room, and the vocal booth at the back right in the remaining space.

I've done a lot of research on the subject of acoustic treatment, and have some hands on experience with absorption + bass traps, but I have never ever dealt with diffusion before.

So, erm...help? Please? I would ask for advice on specific things, but I don't really know where to begin. I think that the first thing I need to know is how to divide the room up so that the room modes play nicely in each room? But any and all advice would be appreciated, as would good resources on the subject.

Thanks,
Lewis

 

[Ethan Winer]

I have never ever dealt with diffusion before.

These videos should help:

All About Diffusion
Hearing is Believing

the first thing I need to know is how to divide the room up so that the room modes play nicely in each room?

Graphical Mode Calculator

any and all advice would be appreciated, as would good resources on the subject.

There's a ton more stuff all over the RealTraps web site:

RealTraps Articles
RealTraps Videos
Acoustics Info

I'll also mention that my book linked below puts all of my writings about acoustics, plus much more, all in one place.

--Ethan

 

[McMajik]

Thanks Ethan, those links are amazing (Especially the videos). I've been messing around with Bob Golds room mode calculator until now, it seems really comprehensive.

So I'm leaning towards either 12'4x9'7x7'8 (~1:1.25:1.6) or 12'4x11'5x7'8 (~1:1.5:1.6) for the control room. 12'4x11'5 would be ideal, but that would only leave 3'7 for the vocal booth, less with treatment in place. I actually have a small space pretty close to how wide and high it would be with 4" panels on the walls, and it seems pretty usable, but then again I'm not a massive person. I also don't imagine there would be room for any wall/ceiling corner bass traps, but because there's so much length to play with, all four wall/wall corners could be trapped floor to ceiling if the door going in was along the length (about 10'2 long seems to give a decent modal response, I think?)

Have I missed anything there?

Thanks,
Lewis

 

[homestudioguy]

Take a look at my website.
You may get some ideas.
I used a concept of Ethans and other acoustic info to help me design and build the acoustic panel mounts that hold the OC703 Panles to the left and right of my desk.

 

[McMajik]

Right, this project has been delayed and delayed and delayed and delayed some more and delayed so much that the solicitor is launching an investigation into the junior estate agent about why it's taken so long or something (I don't know any of the details) BUT, it looks like we're finally getting somewhere, we should be signing the lease for the new place within a week. SO, I'm back to pester you all some more.

Still undecided between 9'7" and 11'4" control room width, leaning towards 9'7"

I have an idea of how I'd ideally like the walls separating the rooms to be built though. I'm going to be talking to some builders soon to see how feasible it is, but I'd like to know whether it's a good idea as far as acoustics go first.

Anyway, I was thinking 4-8 inches thick, packed with fiberglass wool (rigid boards if we can afford it, fluffy cheap stuff from B&Q if not), plywood boards either side. I imagine that'd be a hell of a lot better for isolation than just plywood or something, and better for absorption than something more dense. And, where absorption is needed on those walls, for the sake of saving space that could be exposed/covered in thin cloth rather than having treatment added on top of it (Behind the monitors as this will be the front wall in the control room, and the entire side of the wall for the vocal booth).

Is there any reason this wouldn't work/is a bad idea?

Thanks,
Lewis

 

[GIK Acoustics]

You could simply do a frame wall, insulated, with drywall. Drywall is much cheaper than plywood and though it isn't as dense weight wise, you could definitely double up the drywall on both sides and should still cost less than with plywood. You don't need to use rigid boards inside the wall -> fluffy insulation would work well itself. Exposing any areas with cloth though will completely ruin the isolation.

 

[McMajik]

Bilding has ~finally~ commenced! Over the past 5 days or so we've put up the frame and ended up using plasterboard for the walls. The front wall is complete, minus the live room window and the vocal booth wall is plasterboarded on one side. Still needs prettying up, of course, but it's actual progress!