Studio Air - Keeping Things Fresh

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otobianki74

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this might seem like an odd post, but I have a studio in nyc. I've got two rooms - live and control. it is in a commercial buidling, so I had to do an extensive build-out with regard to to soundproofing. since the rooms are tightly sealed off, it's been a constant struggle for me to keep the rooms' air fresh. I have a solid a/c, but it seems that odors in general cling to a lot of the abosrbable materials used for soundproofing (rug, foam pads, etc.).

I've tried various air freshener plug ins, ionic breeze, etc., but I just can't seem to find a solution that works.

wondering if any of you have had this problem, and if so what you might have done to resolve it.

thanks!

oto
 
otobianki74 said:
this might seem like an odd post, but I have a studio in nyc. I've got two rooms - live and control. it is in a commercial buidling, so I had to do an extensive build-out with regard to to soundproofing. since the rooms are tightly sealed off, it's been a constant struggle for me to keep the rooms' air fresh. I have a solid a/c, but it seems that odors in general cling to a lot of the abosrbable materials used for soundproofing (rug, foam pads, etc.).

I've tried various air freshener plug ins, ionic breeze, etc., but I just can't seem to find a solution that works.

wondering if any of you have had this problem, and if so what you might have done to resolve it.

thanks!

oto
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you used absorbive materials for soundproofing such as a rug, foam pads, etc? Emm, those things only affect the acoustics of the room, but do nothing to sound"proof". You probably need some ventilation to expell used air and bring in fresh, rather than trying to cover up the stale air smells. do you have any pictures of the space, and the building process? What about any drawings?
 
sorry, my bad. soundproofing was done in the actual building of the room (double walls/sheetrock/rockwool/homesote/db block/etc.). quite extensive and I had a studio guy help me plan the actual construction. foam and carpet is for acoustical treatments indeed.

I could take a few pics and post them. that's exactly it though... there's really no means of expelling the used air and bringing in fresh. when the ac is on, it does help. but does an ac actually bring in fresh air, or does it just condition the air in the room and make it cooler?

the rooms could probably benefit from a complete cleaning of the rug... I dunno how to clean the foam on the wall though. any ideas?

oto
 
No idea. febreeze? But yeah you could have had a system that brought in fresh air, and expelled used, but it may have lessened the sound "proofing". I'm unsure how you could add vents, and will leave it up to someone else to explain.
 
Is the AC part of a whole building unit or do you have a window type unit? If it is built in you should have vents to bring in fresh cool air and at least one return vent to take stale air out. Most window units have a switch to allow you to recirculate air or to vent fresh in/stale out. No matter what kind of AC you have, you need an exhaust system of some sort to remove stale air, smoke, body odor or whatever is keeping your room(s) from smelling fresh. If your system has an exhaust system and still has an odor problem there may be something more serious going on behind the foam or under the carpet, namely mold and mildew. Mold not only can make a room smell bad it can also present a serious health risk. Foam is almost the prefect environment for mold to thrive in or behind. Corners behind bass traps are another favorite area for mold to thrive in.
 
actually the ac is not part of the building. it is a split unit sanyo (with the compressor by the window, and two separate wall units in the live and control room). that's exactly it tough, there is way for me to currently get the stale air out. I can only condition the air in the room (cough, cough). I am at least fortunate enough to be able to open my live room door to the outside world to occassionally let in fresh air when needed, but when it's sealed up it's tough.

you don't happen to know of any reasonably priced a/c units (which don't require duct work) which have a return/send exhaust built in?

thanks for the post btw, really appreciate it.

oto
 
So you have an airtight room with no air-exchange? How did you pass code?
 
yep, airtight and no exchange other than a door which I can open/close to let in air occassionally. and my control room is sealed off w/o the ability to open up.

guess that's a nono in terms of code, eh. safe to say my landlord was pretty lenient when it came down to the inspections.

do I have any other solutions other than purchasing a very expensive unit?

oto
 
otobianki74 said:
do I have any other solutions other than purchasing a very expensive unit?
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Suffocation?

I would seriously consider some sort of fresh air exchange. I am sure it is code (it is here).
 
I hear you... I have to work in that room almost every day.

I should add that I'm 50% working with my door open, which is adjacent to hallways with sufficient air flow.

and obviously my control/live room isn't completely air tight.

oto
 
otobianki74 said:
I had to do an extensive build-out with regard to to soundproofing.
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otobianki74 said:
and obviously my control/live room isn't completely air tight.
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You do realize that these two statements are in complete contradiction of one another, right?

I would go to John Sayers forum and ask your questions there.
 
Open my room's window and smell that fresh Canadian air..ahh
 
NL5 said:
You do realize that these two statements are in complete contradiction of one another, right?
Click to expand...

not necessarily. extensive is defined as large in amount or scale.

I didn't say it was without flaw. it was a budget project, and for the money I had it came out great (air situation excluded).

I've recorded and mixed some amazing projects over the past two years.

thanks.

oto
 
otobianki74 said:
not necessarily.
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You really need to go spend some time at John Sayers.

If you have air leaks, you have sound leaks. Period. It defeats the whole point of soundproofing. I suspect that your construction is pretty airtight from the sound of things. They can also help you with ventalation choices that will suit your specific needs. It's a great forum. :D


On a side note - my house is nowhere near soundproof, but it is airtight enough that code requires a fresh air exchange so the occupants do not become deceased in their sleep.........
 
yup, thanks for the tip. just posted someting on his site... I do appreciate the advice.

oto
 
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