My Quasi-Recording/Mix Room Build

  • Thread starter Thread starter Myriad_Rocker
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I just discovered this thread. I wish all this info was available when I built my rooms 15 years ago but I didn't even know what the interweb was back in the dark ages. You're doing a killer job my friend. I'll be reading along as you build with great interest.
 
:eek: DOH!! What a dummy.:D

OK, well, that's easy. For DIY, make a 3/4"x3/4" cleat and fasten them to the two ends, inside and flush with the top edge.:) Either that, or go buy a new hand held slot boring tool, and machine 3 slotbores at the top end of the sides.:D OR...simply buy some small metal angles...OR...make a cleat out of aluminum/steel angle. OR...just glue it via Liquid nails.:D OR ..... Just screw that puppy down, and then contact cement some Black laminate over the Screws. Hey..then you can use that new router to flush route it!! Then you can use that new tablesaw to miter some hardwood edges and THEN...you can fasten the hardwood edges by using that new SLOT BORING tool I told you about. On the underside of the top...just machine 3 or 4 slots, screw the edges on to the edges of the top and THEN...use your new router to machine an 1/8" bullnose on the edges!! :D Then you can set equipment on the top without worrying about scratching it. Looks great too. Black formica with stained hardwood is nice! AND, you can find it at Lowes, Homedepot or similar stores usually. In half sheets I believe. Anyway, hope that helps ya.:)
:D That's a lot of OR and THEN's. I like the formica idea...however, it seems such a shame to cover up a nice piece of oak with formica. :( I just HAVE to stain it fitZ! I'll put plenty of poly on it for mass protection. I think I'll secure the top with a couple of cleats and maybe some metal angles for good measure. The whole boring slots thing didn't work out well for me for those backs. I had to do a work-around.

Btw Myriad. I'm really curious. Throughout your whole thread...for some reason...I didn't connect the dots. What I'm wondering is....why did you use Slats OVER a superchunk????????????????????
Huh? My bass traps are superchunks. No slats on them at all. The only slats on anything will be my side wall angled slat absorbers.

I just discovered this thread. I wish all this info was available when I built my rooms 15 years ago but I didn't even know what the interweb was back in the dark ages. You're doing a killer job my friend. I'll be reading along as you build with great interest.
Thank you, sir! I'm pretty happy with the progress. Can't wait to actually start placing them and setting everything up!

Hoping to start on my racks this weekend! The studio room is a MESS right now. Gear EVERYWHERE...just kind of haphazardly laying around. Some in boxes, some not. Ugh. If I can get racks done, I can start racking some stuff up so I can start to get organized!
 
Did some work on the desk design tonight. Would like some opinions.

The leg design is courtesy of fitZ. I changed it up a bit in SketchUp to accomodate the height that I wanted. I wanted the top of the desk to be just over the top of the racks. The picture below shows the desk and racks pushed together...they are NOT attached. The racks are free standing and, in reality, I'll angle them a bit. I just couldn't settle on an angle in SketchUp and it was becoming a time waster.

Anyway, I designed it so the edge of the desk is about 1/4" above the racks. The curve in the desk top gave it some artistic touch that I thought would break up all the straight angles and such. Any other ideas are certainly welcome and appreciated.

One thing I'm considering changing is the height of the desk itself so that I can trim it a bit with some 2" oak that's been rounded over or roman ogee'd. I'm still thinking on design elements. I want to make it a bit more "interesting" (but not complicated to make for a novice).

Also, I'll have a keyboard tray under the desk. I just didn't draw it on there.

Rack-and-Desk.webp
 
I've changed the desk up already. I shortened it because it was simply too long. It wouldn't even fit on the rug I have for the room. Besides, there was more desktop real estate than I was planning on using, anyway. I also added some bracing under the desk. I'm not going to do too much on the details of the bracing in SketchUp. I'll just kind of make that kind of stuff on the fly. It looks better shorter. I also exaggerated the curve more. Not much...but I think it makes it more interesting.

I'm still thinking about how I'm going to incorporate my 42" LCD and my 20" LCD into the equation here. I want my 20" to sit low and then the 42" to be above it...but I don't want the 42" to get in the way of my speakers. I'll have to think it over a bit more where that is concerned.
 
Looks very cool. When I built my racks one thing that almost screwed me was the rack rails. I initially designed the racks inside width to 19 1/8" and lucky for me something told me to look at the rails. The ones I used required me to increase that inside demension to accomodate the rails. If I had built the racks to my initial demensions standard 19" gear wouldn't have fit (the distance between the rails would've been too narrow). Just throwin' that out there.
 
Looks very cool. When I built my racks one thing that almost screwed me was the rack rails. I initially designed the racks inside width to 19 1/8" and lucky for me something told me to look at the rails. The ones I used required me to increase that inside demension to accomodate the rails. If I had built the racks to my initial demensions standard 19" gear wouldn't have fit (the distance between the rails would've been too narrow). Just throwin' that out there.
Good call. I had planned on doing some test fits before fastening anything. But this serves as a reminder to do that, so thanks. I might have skipped it in haste.
 
The whole boring slots thing didn't work out well for me for those backs. I had to do a work-around.
:eek: Holy moly!! I've had a bad cold for a few days, and when I mentioned "slot boring", I'd just woke up and was still under the influence of Nyquil! What I really meant was..POCKET BORES!:rolleyes::p I don't know if you understand what a Pocket bore is, but they work really well...if you have the tool. What they originally were made to do is fasten Face Frames for cabinetry together. But just like the bisquit's, you can use it to fasten panels together too.

Most shops have a table mounted machine to do this. And it works great, although it's hard to justify the expense unless you are doing tons of face frames. But Kreg manufactures a hand held jig with tapered bits for doing them. I've used it and it works good too. A bit of a hassle, but if it's your only option..then ya gotta do what ya gotta do!:D Anyway, here's the tool.

Pocket Hole Joinery with the Kreg Jig - Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

Ok, as to your desk/racks design, I see a couple of things. First off, IF..you are planning on keeping the racks in that position, I see no reason for legs under the desk. Just use the racks as the legs. Even if the racks were at an angle to the desk.

Second, as to the original question about fastening the tops of the rack cases...like I said, I was under the influence..:p I completely forgot something.

In reality..this is what most pro woodworkers do. At least me.:D

This system is called SDR..or STOP DADO's and Rabitts. Of course, you don't have to do this, but I thought I'd turn you on to this just for drill.

Ok, here is your completed unit.
is.php

is.php



I looked at your Sketchup, and decided to draw the whole thing in order to illustrate various concepts. I noticed three things.
1. You have an exposed top edge of something right under the top.
2. Your toe kick is angled
3. You have a crosspiece below the equipment.

So, in this case, regardless of what I told you earlier, I would simply use two pieces of MDF as a web, and use them to fasten the top.

Furthermore, these told me you could use the SDR system for this. Basically, this is how it works.

To REALLY make things come out clean and simple, I would use STOP Rabitts on the top web panels and use Stop Dado's on the ends, and PRE edgeband the front edge of the front top web panel.



The issue here is machining things, so you can PRE-EDGEBAND prior to assembly. This means, if you dado the bottom and SUB top INTO the Ends, you do NOT want the dado's to "run through"..that is, they have to STOP, before they reach the edge. So, the Ends are machined with "Stop Dado's" and complementary, the "SUB-top", in this case a couple of stretchers or web, and the bottom are STOP rabitted. Like this.
Here are the ends...
is.php


Here is the bottom

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Here is one of the sub top web pieces

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This is the standard way to do store fixture casework. The cabinet actually has either a "sub top" or a web/web frame. A webframe is the old way of doing things before sheetgoods were available. Most modern big shops use a full panel for a "sub-top", because MDF is cheaper than labor. But small shops usually try to save material. Hence using two pieces of scrap MDF or such. Now, I see in your design you have the edge of something exposed just below the top panel. This could be an edgebanded Web piece.

Here is the machining info. Notice the "rabitts" STOP, which allows a portion of the material to interface the dado on the ends. This also allows to PRE edgband the material prior to assembly. Makes things come out real nice if you align things correctly during assembly.



... like this...


is.php


is.php


Then you attach the rest of the stringers..at the base, and the panel below the equipment, and at the top rear. These could be cleat mounted, or pocket bored, or nailed via nail gun, or just glue, or even screws. However ...

Myraid, as usual, everything depends on the details, and the devil is in the details. And you are the only one who determines what details you want to use. Some people don't mind nailing right through finished surfaces and then filling prior to staining. It just depends on what you like. And there's lot's more to this system. If you are interested, just holla.:)

Well, I'm outta time. Hope this helps a bit with your planning.
 
PS...the Stop Dado's are done with the panel clamp and a router....the Stop Rabitts are done on a Router Table
 
Kreg manufactures a hand held jig with tapered bits for doing them. I've used it and it works good too. A bit of a hassle, but if it's your only option..then ya gotta do what ya gotta do!:D Anyway, here's the tool.

Pocket Hole Joinery with the Kreg Jig - Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
I actually have one of those already. :D I haven't used it yet because I didn't have a reason to.

This system is called SDR..or STOP DADO's and Rabitts. Of course, you don't have to do this, but I thought I'd turn you on to this just for drill.
Good stuff, but probably too advanced for me at the moment. I'd feel alright trying to do that stuff to wood other than expensive oak. ;)

Thanks for the info, though! Something to consider down the road for sure.



On another note, here's just a quick shot of what I expect the room to look like after I get the desk in and the treatment that I currently have in place. Not pictured is the front/back wall absorber and the cloud. Thoughts on this? Are my angled slat resonators extending far enough? I wanted to avoid having to make two more. I REALLY don't want to...

Room.webp
 
Why don't you just go with that and see what it sounds like? Throw up a quick mix of anything and see how it translates to yer car stereo. You can always tweak/add later.


lou
 
Why don't you just go with that and see what it sounds like? Throw up a quick mix of anything and see how it translates to yer car stereo. You can always tweak/add later.
You make a good point, Lou. Sometimes it's hard to see the simple solutions. :D
 
You make a good point, Lou. Sometimes it's hard to see the simple solutions. :D

It's 'cause you're so invested in the project. Takes an outside eye to see it maybe. I think you are going to have an outstanding space. It's certainly going to be way pro looking. You are so far ahead of the game now it's time to take a step back and appreciate. Besides which it's still a bitch ahead of you placing, cleaning and organizing. Get that part out of the way and start to enjoy the fruits, dude.


lou
 
I actually have one of those already. I haven't used it yet because I didn't have a reason to.


Sounds like my wife. She's always buying stuff she don't have a use for.:laughings:
 
Sounds like my wife. She's always buying stuff she don't have a use for.:laughings:
Well, the difference between me and your wife is that I knew I would use it down the road. :)

Went and bought some oak for the racks today. I had them cut it down into more manageable pieces since I'm a one man show and cutting a 4x8 sheet of oak would have been a bitch and next to impossible. They had a Powermatic...the blade must have been shitty though because the cuts weren't very smooth. He said the blade was new.
 
Well, the difference between me and your wife is that I knew I would use it down the road.
Well then, your chance has arrived with the rack cabinets.:p

They had a Powermatic...the blade must have been shitty though because the cuts weren't very smooth. He said the blade was new.
It's not the saw that counts but the blade. I learned something at the last shop I worked at. He was a dealer for Freud, and always had a supply of Freuds discount $39 blades(60 tooth). We used them for everything and they worked great. But heres a trick when crosscutting Oak Ply.
The veneer on most hardwood plywood today is so thin, when you crosscut it, it wants to chip. So, run a line of masking tape on the cut line before you cut it. That helps. Especially if you cut it with a skill type saw, as the blade wants to lift the edges. I use a PorterCable "Boss" saw with a 40tooth 6" Freud blade. Cuts as smooth as I've ever seen.
 
run a line of masking tape on the cut line before you cut it. That helps.
Wish I would have known that! I would have been putting that on the sheet before they cut it! They would have looked at me really odd but I wouldn't have cared. Of course, I didn't expect them to have a shitty blade on that saw, either.
 
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Alright...have a question. How do I remove the trim piece on the window in the room? It sticks out too far. Ideally, I'd like to not destroy it in case I have to reattach it at some point. But if I do destroy it, I can just make another one.

So...will hitting it from the underside with a rubber mallet work? Should I remove any caulk before so it doesn't f*ck up the drywall or the window?

window.webp

EDIT: I confirmed with my builder today. Just whack on it from the underside with a rubber mallet after scoring the paint lines with a utility knife.
 
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Well, I'm happy to report that I'm exactly one set of slats away from having the slat absorbers done! The slats have already been cut and I stained them tonight (with the help of my wife, who has been helping me the last 2 weeks or so!). And she knows how to use a nail gun now, too! :D Takes about 45 minutes to do a set of slats with all the measuring and such. And that's mostly because I'm quite meticulous.

Next up: Racks!!!!
On deck: Covering and trimming bass traps (and possibly building wooden bases if I feel the urge)



EDIT: On an unrelated note, what's up with the scroll bar on posts now? It's uber ghey.
 
Slat absorbers are DONE! It was a short night tonight in the shop. Just filling nail holes, touching those up, and nailing some feet onto the final slat absorber. I took tomorrow off work (unless it's raining and cold, then I'm going to work) and I plan on making some big time headway on the racks. I'm waking up early and working all day. My first task of the morning is going to be making a panel cutting jig. Should be fun. I hope to get one of the racks done tomorrow with both racks being done by Saturday sometime. Sunday is a day for finishing up bass traps.

THEN...the front/back wall. It's never ending...

EDIT: Here's some pics...

slats_done_3.webp

The absorber in the center here...this one was the first to go through the touchup process. Should have used a rag like with the others so it ended up being a bit splotchy on the ends. Not really visible inside but the harsh lights of the garage and camera made it show more.
slats_done_1.webp
 
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