Insulation behind dry wall?

  • Thread starter Thread starter fuzzsniffvoyage
  • Start date Start date
The finished part is going to be gutted, every thing goes, water damaged. The pic you see with the 2 windows and the closet, the closet is definitely going, that will be one wall. The window are made of block glass. I have no problems covering them.

You can also see there are 2 finished rooms, there will be 1 larger room. There is also a bathroom that will stay, and the unfinished part will be another bed room and utility room.

The unfinished ceiling, I'd imagine that's whats under the finished ceiling.

Today the contractor and I touched on the basement, but our main focus was getting mechanical in order, getting the boiler replaced, (they need heat to work) ordered appliances.

After the heat gets working and the water & gas on, they'll start demoing the basement. So I have a bit of time.
 
This is a basic lay out of basement. In the unfinished part, I can barely touch the the ceiling above the rafters with my finger tips. I'm 6'2", so I'm guessing the total height is around 8' or so. In the finished part I'd guess around 7'. I'm going back out to the house on Sun to with a tape measure.



basement.webp

Based on the shape of the recording area, where would you put your recording console?
 
Based on the shape of the recording area, where would you put your recording console?

I wouldn't use a console, but that's just me. What are your intentions again? Recording just yourself? You and a couple of buddies? Or a full-on band? If it's just you and a couple of buddies, I'd say leave it all as one big room; put your desk/console most anywhere convenient. If you're going to track a full band at once, then go with Chronicle's two-room idea.

Kind of off-topic, but I would not bring a band to my house to record unless I REALLY knew them well and trusted them. They're musicians, ya know.... :D
 
I would put good sound insulation where the boiler, water heater, etc. are (and between the bathroom and console room).

If they are gas, there are all kinds of fans that kick on to exhaust out the fumes and those damn things are loud. I would also use rubber gaskets for reducing the vibration of the motors to include the PVC pipe that will vent out (we are talking couple of bucks here). Vibration travels worse than one thinks. You may even want to make sure the motors are quiet running, but I don't think one gets much of a choice, so reducing the sound that comes from them to your room is the best you can probably do.
 
My main goal is to record myself, and have friends over to record and jam out from time to time.

I will be recording:

Acoustic guitars

Acoustic drums

electric guitars

electric bass, which right now I'm recording DI using amp sims.

Vocals, voice

I'm going to buy a acoustic piano, which I will attempt to record as well. I do have a midi keyboard controller, so I can use midi for pianos and synths.

Recording an album is the 1st thing on my bucket list. I want to do this for myself and to give to family and friends. And if I can make a little money that would be extra whip cream on my ice cream!
 
How do you give rep points?

Chronicl, I love your graphics! What program did you use for that? I like the lay out. Though I will be recording my self, I could use a separate control room, I can control my DAW with my iPad. But I don't know how feasible that would be, money wise. The glass must be expensive.

And Chili, great questions I've never really asked myself. And I've not decided weather or not to start recording out side the box. But for now, It'll be in the box. Much easier to use the DAW and plug-ins for effects. But I will be getting some high quality mic pre's with in the next year. So no console, thinking of getting the Mackie controller. Though I do like the Tascam DM 32..very expensive.....

DM60, I will call my contractor about the rubber gaskets for the new boiler. I am going to use some fluffy insulation, 2 layers of sheet rock and Auralex Sheet BlokAuralex SheetBlok 430 - 4' x 30' | Sweetwater.com on partition walls.

Also no recessed lighting, I'm going to use track lighting.
 
To give rep, click on the little sheriff badge at the bottom of every post.

Yeah, I'd say keep it all in the box. The analog guys would disagree, but that's why they're here. :) In the box, no need for a console, mixing desk, mixer, etc. Just your interface and computer.

Chronicle uses google sketchup and he's really good at it. I've tried so many times and failed. But I think Chronicle does this kind of stuff for a living, so he better be good at it. lol.
 
Hey guys, I'm ONLY here to help you sort out decisions. God, if anyone knows how frustrating and infuriating home recording can be...it's ME. :facepalm::D If you've ever suffered the aftermath of a night full of patching cables to the point you have a cordball of biblical proportions, then you understand my intent here.:facepalm::D

Look, the axiom "one pic is worth a thousand words" is absolutely true. Hence my observations of your posts. It's the only way I know to communicate "possibilities". Take it or leave it. That's all I can do.

One more thing. Chili, you are wrong. I don't use Sketchup for a living. I use it for the benefit of members here..PERIOD. If you don't believe me...ask JHBrant. Furthermore, when's the last time you considered my request to post a sticky with every Sketchup I've posted here in the last 5 years? In reality...it would answer MOST questions newbees have. Of course, I understand... then... HR's Studio building forum wouldn't be a source of income for the HR's PTB then would it? After all, how many times has this forum supported the same questions over and over and over? But that's ok. I'm here and there's nothing you can do about it but delete me. :D

In that regard, I intend to upload a server full of my insights for absolutely free. Whether or not HR wants to support it remains to be seen.
 
Hey guys, I'm ONLY here to help you sort out decisions. God, if anyone knows how frustrating and infuriating home recording can be...it's ME. :facepalm::D If you've ever suffered the aftermath of a night full of patching cables to the point you have a cordball of biblical proportions, then you understand my intent here.:facepalm::D

Look, the axiom "one pic is worth a thousand words" is absolutely true. Hence my observations of your posts. It's the only way I know to communicate "possibilities". Take it or leave it. That's all I can do.

One more thing. Chili, you are wrong. I don't use Sketchup for a living. I use it for the benefit of members here..PERIOD. If you don't believe me...ask JHBrant. Furthermore, when's the last time you considered my request to post a sticky with every Sketchup I've posted here in the last 5 years? In reality...it would answer MOST questions newbees have. Of course, I understand... then... HR's Studio building forum wouldn't be a source of income for the HR's PTB then would it? After all, how many times has this forum supported the same questions over and over and over? But that's ok. I'm here and there's nothing you can do about it but delete me. :D

In that regard, I intend to upload a server full of my insights for absolutely free. Whether or not HR wants to support it remains to be seen.

Wow. Now I am really surprised you never responded to my PM...

We would love to have an organized sticky that gives the basics and more of Studio Building & Acoustic Treatment. Hence we changed the name of the forum already. It was Studio Building & Display.
 
Chronicl, I love your graphics! What program did you use for that? I like the lay out. Though I will be recording my self, I could use a separate control room, I can control my DAW with my iPad. But I don't know how feasible that would be, money wise. The glass must be expensive.

Everything is expensive. And that is the point of me pointing out to you EXACTLY what it takes to achieve what your destiny may not need in the first place. Let me put it this way. I've spent a good 30 years of my life trying to figure out what it takes to build a recording studio when in fact, all I wanted to do is have some fun with a few friends and capture those moments as prosperity of our lives. Chose wisely the time you have.
 
Wow. Now I am really surprised you never responded to my PM...

PM???? What PM? I never saw it. . OMG, don't tell me Alzheimers is taking control....:facepalm::confused:
 
PM???? What PM? I never saw it. . OMG, don't tell me Alzheimers is taking control....:facepalm::confused:

LOL! I will resend. I sent basically the same PM to Mr. Brandt wishing for someone to write a basic 'sticky' that covers the basics of studio construction and treatment. It is truly needed so that we can point people in the right direction.
 
One more thing. Chili, you are wrong. I don't use Sketchup for a living.

Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to infer you use sketchup professionally. :o But I remember you saying you do CAD work for a living. If so, I'm sure you are probably versatile on most CAD platforms and Sketchup is a toy for you. And in comparison, I can never ever get those programs to do what I want.

Honestly forgot about you proposal to stickie your drawings. Shoot me a PM and let's figure out how to do it. :)
 
Hey Chronicle, I showed the wife your drawings, and she was impressed. So....I need to start figuring out how much this will cost. Also a little more research into wall partition sound isolation. I will also have to do some of the more basic work myself.

Thank you for your help.
 
Thank you for your help.

You're welcome. For me...your thanks is all I need. Now help me help you and help others coming here looking for the same information I came here looking for 15 years ago. Allow me to use your thread as an illustrative tool. That is why I am here.
 
Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to infer you use sketchup professionally. But I remember you saying you do CAD work for a living. If so, I'm sure you are probably versatile on most CAD platforms and Sketchup is a toy for you. And in comparison, I can never ever get those programs to do what I want.

Hey Chile, we all have our own skills. Btw, part of what I said about making this forum interactive, is teaching the use of Sketchup to propagate information. In that light, I propose a Sticky to allow those who are interested, a dedicated source where people can learn how to quickly envision their dreams and share them with like minded enthusiasts of home recording.

Honestly forgot about you proposal to stickie your drawings. Shoot me a PM and let's figure out how to do it.

No problem Chili. But let's get REAL. If anything, the purpose of this forum is to transmit the best information available to anyone who is looking for it. Right? So lets do it. Let HR Studio Building forum become the BEST, least bullshit, most visible, most interactive, informative, and up to date database in real, get your tools out and build your HOME STUDIO terms available on the net. Comprende? In that light, let's talk. I hope HR has a BIG server though...hahahahahaha!
 
Hey Chronicle, I showed the wife your drawings, and she was impressed.


OMG. fuzzsniffvoyage, congratulations. If ever there was a power that be, it's your wife. And so should be. Far be it from me though to ever try to sway a HR members responsibility to their significant other. After all..you have to live with them. :p

Honestly, I only tried to answer your question using what information you provided. Nothing more..nothing less. If you want to engage a continuing dialog regarding your studio, I'm here.
 
Hey Chile, we all have our own skills. Btw, part of what I said about making this forum interactive, is teaching the use of Sketchup to propagate information. In that light, I propose a Sticky to allow those who are interested, a dedicated source where people can learn how to quickly envision their dreams and share them with like minded enthusiasts of home recording.



No problem Chili. But let's get REAL. If anything, the purpose of this forum is to transmit the best information available to anyone who is looking for it. Right? So lets do it. Let HR Studio Building forum become the BEST, least bullshit, most visible, most interactive, informative, and up to date database in real, get your tools out and build your HOME STUDIO terms available on the net. Comprende? In that light, let's talk. I hope HR has a BIG server though...hahahahahaha!


Dood! Are you going to ever check your PM's? It seems you may be the one that is missing something here. Are you getting them?
 
I just refinished my basement. I would redo things differently had I known how much impact noise (walking, etc...) transmits through the floor. I tried a couple different ways to stop sound vibrations from traveling up and down.

First, I noticed that with an open ceiling with exposed floor joists, the piano upstairs did not go through the floors as bad as I would expect. When I installed one layer of sheetrock with R13 rolls, the piano sound was amplified. It was easer to hear! I expect it was the sheetrock acting like the soundboard of an acoustic guitar or the stage of a concert hall. Unfortunately, I had no desire to refinish that section of the basement again.

Second, I went overboard with trying to reduce sound transmission in the next room. I installed two layers of sheetrock on the ceiling and walls and built double walls (almost a room within a room, except for the ceiling). I then installed resilient channels on the ceiling with another layer of sheetrock to stop the impact noise from above. It helped, but I could still hear some sound coming from below, so I glued a layer of acoustic tiles to the ceiling which helped a little.

Third, in the next room I did everything the same as the second room, but I did not double up on the sheetrock. That was a big mistake. It's amazing how much less noise is transmitted with two layers of sheetrock.

My suggestion, which I haven't read yet on this post (or maybe I missed it), is to make sure to use resilient channels and build a "room within a room" design.

Also, I think that Auralex is way overpriced. I found a place called Next Acoustic (which is founded by the CFO or something like that from Auralex - I think I read that somewhere). I spent 1k on foam there. Unfortunately, it wasn't solving my acoustic treatment of the room, just the flutters. What helped the best was building bass traps with 703. What a difference that made. Do that first before purchasing any acoustic foam, you'll save some money.

The other thing that made a huge difference for the sound of the room is building some quadratic diffusers/QDR's and skyline diffusers. They take time to build, but you won't be disappointed. There are many different web sites that have designs and calculators. I don't have 10 posts yet, so figure out this web address for the one of many sites you can go to: www . mh - audio . nl

I hope that helps. Good luck and I hope my experience helps you.
 
Back
Top