Help!!

M

Mitchmusicman

New member
Guys, we have a 12 X 18 study in the basement that is carpeted wall to wall and has two big built in bookcases from floor to ceiling and a built in fireplace (the fashion style). THere is a nice suspended ceiling wuith 2 X 4 accoutisic tiles and lights. I want to use this room as my new studio. I am having to compromise with my wife on this one, so gutting out and starting over is not an option. What are the concerns about this room that you can foresee. I am sure all this carpet is a red flag, static electricity as well as accoustic concerns. Are there concerns, and can I make this room work?

Thanks for your help in advance!

Peace - Mitch
 
Hello Mitch, say, I think its "your" concerns that matter. I could tell you my concern would be the acoustical tile if your worried about soundproofing. Acoustical tile does almost nothing toward that goal. So if your planning on having loud music in the studio and don't want it to tranmit throughout the house, thats an animal that must be addressed with additional materials and mounting techniques among others. Acoustical treatment on the other hand is a different animal altogeather. Those concerns are usually addressed by analytical methods(room modes), and applying the appropriate absorption, diffusion etc.) So its really up to you to tell us what it is your trying to do. People here can help you tackle each problem with solutions, but without knowing your limitations and intentions, no one can offer real solutions.

For instance, in the soundproofing realm, there are many things you can do without having to gut the room. Adding RC channel and sheetrock, floating a floor, building a booth etc are a few. Even temporarily removing the acoustical tile and adding sheetrock to the underside of the floor above. But we don't even know if soundproofing is one of your concerns. See what I mean?

So the more info you provide, the more info people can provide you. Remember this though, as far as soundproofing goes, its only as good as the weakest link. You could waste a lot of time and money trying to reduce sound transmission through the house only to be circumvented by a common HVAC duct, or a door with a low stc rating, or forgetting to caulk every single joint, or any number of things that must be addressed to attain a certain STC rating. I'll tell you this though. Because of structural transmission, existing basement studios isolation are very difficult at best, if you cannot do the things required to achieve it. Acoustical room treatment is far easier, if you do not care about sound transmission.
fitz:)
 
"I think its "your" concerns that matter."

Good feeback, thanks! I have several concerns. My intent is to effectively record vocals, and accousitc instruments in this room. This room also serves as my control room. Three of the four walls are cement, and covered with a nice golden oak paneling. The fourth is a stick contruction with pinsulation and paneling, and a doorway into the hall. The furnace is very obvious when it is on, and the I am also concerned about the static electricity resulting from this carpet. Wife won't let me tear it all out (it is only three years old and helps keep the room warm). My kids do their home work, paly video games, surf the web on the computer down here, and it really needs to be a multi-purpose room for the next four years (then we are finally empty nesters). Hope this additional info helps. Again, thanks for all of your help!
Peace - Mitch
 
Ok Mitch, for this type of application, my first suggestion is to isolate the acoustical instruments and vocals with mobil "gobos". Do you know what these are? They can be built fairly cheaply, and amount to a quasi booth. This way you only have to treat the gobos, not the whole room. They can also be used at mixdown time. Sort of like a rear wall behind your mixing position. I must point out though, that there are lots of unanswered questions regarding the space. And as many solutions.

Do you have a way of posting a plan or layout. Like they say, one picture is worth......you know. Treatment for the rest of the room can be accomplished in various ways, depending on your layout, ceiling height, adjacent walls etc. I like multiuse studios in a home. Those that have the opportunity to dedicate a space to studio use only are lucky indeed. Most of us only can dream of that. Mine is in a little 9'x11' bedroom, and serves as my CAD workstation, media entertainment and music composition/recording space. So compromise is the name of the game. You do the best you can with what you have:D

Anyway, I'm sure once you post a layout and ceiling height etc, room mode determination can be made and possible treatments can be discussed. In the meantime, check out the SAE site(do a search here for the URL as I just got my new computer up and running and havn't transferred all my bookmarks yet. Plus theres TONS of info here on every reletive subject imaginable. Just gotta search and read.
Ok, gotta go respond to "honey can you do this"!! Got my own compromises here too!
fitz:)
ps, where in west Michigan are you. My son lives in Trufant! My best friend lives in Travis City(I think thats it)
 
Re: "I think its "your" concerns that matter."

Mitch,

Rick you gave you some great advice. I'll add only this:

> Three of the four walls are cement, and covered with a nice golden oak paneling. <

Cement walls are an acoustical nightmare at low frequencies. Because they are so rigid, low frequencies bounce off them and go back into the room, creating huge peaks and dips throughout the entire low end. If you want to hear this problem for yourself, just play some low frequency sine waves (40 Hz., then 75 Hz., etc. up to 250 Hz.) through your loudspeakers and walk around the room. You'll immediately hear how the bass level drops out severely at different locations in the room, and the location of the dropouts varies depending on which frequency.

--Ethan
 
Good call, Ethan - although the room modes will be at the same frequencies, the concrete sure won't let any of them "just slip away" like the built-in diaphramatic absorbers in a stud wall, I'll bet they're horrendous.

I'm sort of amazed you didn't pitch two extra truckloads of "realtraps" in your post, if anybody could use them (and everybody can) here is a ripe candidate for sure...

Mitch, seriously, you might wanna check out Ethan's site for a couple of reasons - one, you really WILL need serious bass trapping, and two, Ethan's traps will also cut flutter echo drastically without major loss of floor area, and three (OK, I'm sneaking in an extra one here, sue me) Ethan's traps are PORTABLE - (sound slightly useful in your shared room?)

Also, when you post ALL the dimensions of your room, I'd be glad to run the modal response so you'll know which freq's are going to be the most obnoxious (besides the freaks that visit just to raid your frig and spill your beer on your new gear, that is)

Go Ethan, or as I tell my Dobermans when un-wanted company comes, "sic 'em, git 'em, bite 'em, KILL...." Steve
 
Wow

Hello Steve and Ethan. Thats why I never give real solutions, just prod for info. I know you guys have the REAL solutions down pat. See what I mean Mitch!! Wait till you see Ethans site. Holy shit. Theres some great advice and info there and here too.

And thanks Ethan. I don't know enough about the acoustics end of things to offer real solutions. But I know how to build. And detail it. So I try and interpret into graphic form when required.

Have a great weekend. I am. Just finished recording 2 acoustic tracks and a vocal trk to the MSR. Tried out my new RODE nt-2 for the first time. COOOOOOOL......theres almost nothing as much fun!! ...... I said almost:D
fitz

PS, I'll be posting some floating room sections for group yeas and neas soon. Hope you guys will critique them for me. I'm trying to get all my details finalized so I know exactly how to build my next studio when I'm ready to.
 
thanks guys

Hey guys, thanks for all the help! I will try to get a layout drawn as I think there is a simple CAD or some other drawing program on my anitque computer here. It is pretty straight forward though. A rectangular room, 12 x 19 with 7' ceilings (2 x 4 accoutical tiles and flourescent lights) the room is in the basement. The exterior walls are 8" poured cement, with some thin insulation and 1/2 inch oak paneling (the real stuff) over it. The floor is wall to wall carpeting. At the far end, there is a brick hearthed fireplace which takes up 2/3 of that wall, and the other end is a closet, with big desk, and the doorway. There are floor to ceiling bookcases (full of books) down by the fireplace. My control desk (with the gear) is on one of the long walls, and tv, and bookcases on the opposite long wall.

I am going to use this room for accoustic instruments and vocals (usually not more then two or three at once 0- 90% of the time will be solo vocal).

Rick, good luck with your guitar and vocal tracks. Make 'em available when you get them done as I'd like to hear them!

Again, thanks all of you for your ideas and help!

Mitch
 
knightfly,

> I'm sort of amazed you didn't pitch two extra truckloads of "realtraps" in your post, if anybody could use them (and everybody can) here is a ripe candidate for sure... <

I agree that everyone needs bass traps, but I want to avoid sounding like an infomercial. :)

I visit a lot of audio forums and newsgroups every day, and it amazes me when people list all their gear, ask what else they need, and a bunch of people suggest yet more tube mike pres, outboard A/D converters, tube compressors, etc.

--Ethan
 
OK Ethan, lets rename 703 "the nibnob" and make it really do something.:D Just think

Nibnob Model 703A (1")
Nibnob Model 703B (1 1/2")
Nibnob Model 703C (2")
Nibnob Model 703D (3")
Nibnob Model 703E (4")
Nibnob Model 703F (4") Inside slot absober

Options are 2' x 4' (Add 1 to Model #)
or 2' x 8' (Add 2 to Model #)
Plain (Add a to Model #)
Fabric covered(Add x to Model #)
Custom Frames(Add $ to Model #)

Now just suggest a Nibnob Model 703Dbx$ and voila! They'll know this IS the newest audio gadget to have in the studio! Ha!
fitz



:)
 
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