room should float??

[guttadaj]

I've read that you should strive for a room that should be able to float - in other words, get rid of all air leaks. I am going to give it my best shot in my room, but I know that when it's done it would sink like a brick if really given the "Does it float?" test. My question for you all though is... What about the AC and heat? That's quite a big air leak, but you gotta have it (unless you guys are all sweating/freezing your nuts off when working in your studio ). How do you handle the air returns and AC/heat vents??

Thanks,
-Jeff

 

[TexRoadkill]

Floating is more about decoupling the room for the sake of vibrations than air but air tightness is also required.

In the vents you use some insulation to absorb the sound and put in a few right angle turns so the sound gets absorbed at the corners. There are probably some good designs around that somebody can link to.

 

[Michael Jones]

On the A/C:
You also DON'T want to run a trunk line, and then branch off of it to each room.
You need to take each room's ducting all the way back to the air handler.
Over size ducts will reduce the velocity of the air with out reducing the volume of the air, and make for a quiet-er operating system as well.
Return air vents can be treated the same way, and multiple return air vents will also help in noise reduction.
90 deg. bends, like Tex said will also help.
And the air handler itself could be in a closet in a small room, mounted off the floor with rubber (baby buggy bumpers) shock absorbers under it.

Typical in studio construction, its not really any ONE thing that will help drastically in noise reduction, but a combination of many.

 

[Michael Jones]

Hey MJ, just for curiousity's sake, how much extra do you think that approach to the A/C solution added percentage-wise to what "conventional" installation would cost?

I had a bid from a company that has actually done studio air conditioning before and is familiar with the problems and nuances of that type of construction, and for my 1200 sq.ft studio, the quote was $6500. It included all of the criteria mentioned before, plust they would construct baffles in the ducting for each room except the kitchen and bath.

Another company, with no experience in studio A/C gave me a bid of $5000.

I sought out a 3rd bid. I actually gave them the first company's bid documents, I just "Blacked Out" the numbers, ( so that I'd actually be comparing "apples to apples") and they returned a bid of $5500.

So using those numbers, it would add 10 - 15 percent to the cost.

Pretty marginal considering the loss of isolation without it.