Geo Dome Studio- Acoustics?

[artman52]

I'm planning to build a backyard standalone studio. My early exploration of building design/materials has me leaning toward a 27' geo dome. Entire structure is made of pre-fab triangular panels of EPS insulation sandwiched by Georgia Pacific ¼” Dens-Deck Roof Board on the inside and concrete on the outside. I'm hearing that round strucures in general are not good for acoustics because everything gets bounced to the center of the room. Would the same apply to a geo dome as I would think the varying angles of the panels would serve to deflect the sound in multiple directions. I'd be interested to hear anyone's thoughts on this.

 

[apl]

It's mainly round and will act that way acoustically. I think it would be a disaster.

 

[mshilarious]

It's mainly round and will act that way acoustically. I think it would be a disaster.

It think it would depend on how you divided the interior space. Many concert halls are conical or cylindrical sections.

What if you built your control room in a loft above the "stage" portion of your live room, which was designed to be shaped like a concert hall?

 

[artman52]

Thats what I was thinking. I'm assuming I would have some partioning of the interior space which would break up the symmetry of the dome. The key would be doing this in a reasonable way so as not to waste space.

 

[apl]

Many concert halls are conical or cylindrical sections.

That's to put the sources (orchestra/singers) at the focus so their sound is nicely dispersed to the audience.

 

[mshilarious]

That's to put the sources (orchestra/singers) at the focus so their sound is nicely dispersed to the audience.

Right, so if you put performers in the "stage" section, you might get a cool verb in the "audience". Also, most stages I've been on (in real auditoriums) have pretty good sound, I suppose that's because the reflections (if not diffused or absorbed by the back wall) are focused at the center of the circle, which is in the audience. Also the upstage walls are usually absorptive.

Ohh, alternating triangular diffusors and absorbers on the exterior wall . . . it would look cool, anyway.

 

[mshilarious]

Thats what I was thinking. I'm assuming I would have some partioning of the interior space which would break up the symmetry of the dome. The key would be doing this in a reasonable way so as not to waste space.

With a 27' dome, what does that make to height at the zenith--18'? 20'? That's why I would suggest a loft control room, if you have enough height. With the live room as a wedge shape, the remaining first floor space is egress and service, and there should be room for an iso booth on the second level, above the high part of the live room.

Actually I can't figure out how to get a window from the control room to the live room in a 27' sphere

Here is my incredibly poor drawing:

 

[artman52]

I do see your point about the control room window. It would almost need to be angled downward to see the action below. Your drawing though has given me an idea that perhaps I could "slice" off the front of the dome which would provide at least one flat wall to better handle acoustics and room layout. I would need to see what that means in terms of cost as this might mean customizing the dome kit which might defeat the purpose of going with the dome which was cost efficiency. Thanks for the input!

Art

 

[apl]

I do see your point about the control room window. It would almost need to be angled downward to see the action below. Your drawing though has given me an idea that perhaps I could "slice" off the front of the dome which would provide at least one flat wall to better handle acoustics and room layout. I would need to see what that means in terms of cost as this might mean customizing the dome kit which might defeat the purpose of going with the dome which was cost efficiency. Thanks for the input!

Art

You could decorate to make it look like the inside of the Death Star.

 

[Ethan Winer]

> I'm hearing that round strucures in general are not good for acoustics because everything gets bounced to the center of the room. <

Yes.

> Would the same apply to a geo dome <

Yes, it would be a disaster unless you covered every surface with absorption. So then what's the point?

--Ethan

 

[SonicClang]

You'd be WAAAAAY better off putting up a steel 20' X 40' building. Then you can build all your walls inside that and get the benefits of the "room within a room" thing. You'd also have the freedom of pouring seperate concrete pads for each room if you plan your floorplan out ahead of time. The height of the building would also be benificial to letting sound breath. Where I work we put up a 40' X 80' steel building and it only cost us $10,000. I'd have to imagine if it were half that size it would cost even less than that. I've always felt if I built another studio I'd go that route.

 

[bpape]

Agreed. Any time you have any surface with a concave radius like that, you're just asking for lots of nasties and 1 really really really bad place in the room.

 

[technoplayer]

Why a window? use a ccd camera (or several) and a flat panel monitor. In this way you could really isolate the control room

 

[SonicClang]

The difference between using cameras and TV's or using a window is huge. The communication is so much better through glass. Your sessions will be better if you can see each other in the eye. My brother and I have been playing together for a few months now, him in the control room and me in the live room on drums, and the ease of communication is awesome. I couldn't imagine having that kind of ease with cameras... this coming from a guy who installs security systems and has cameras on the outside of his house!

 

[mshilarious]

Agreed. Any time you have any surface with a concave radius like that, you're just asking for lots of nasties and 1 really really really bad place in the room.

I think I have a different conception of how the dome would work. I don't envision the exterior walls being finished interior surfaces in very many places. Indeed, while I don't know the construction of the modular pieces, by building interior walls inside the shell, you would have a constantly variable air gap. Might enhance soundproofing.