studio construction: plz help

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nomadbyfate

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we're constructing a room for mixing guitar and drum tracks in our basement.
our main constraint is the height which is just at 8'. also at a distance of about 4' from one end of the room, there are beams/ columns at the ceiling running along the width. here the height is just 7'. what i wanted to ask is, are these beams going to effect the sound propagation in the room? or should we just build a false ceiling at 7'?
 
sorry i was not very clear.
the ceiling has been built.
the width of the room can go upto about 16.4', and 22.8' long. these are my constraints.

at a distance of 4' from one end of the room, there is a column at the ceiling (thickness 35cms) along the width. dividing the length into 18.8', 4'.
the height below this column is 7', remaining ceiling is at 8'.
 
Is the ceiling already drywalled or open to joists? I don't really see the beam as an issue. I would highly recommend filling the whole ceiling with rockwool and covering with cloth. Though, much depends upon what is going on upstairs.
 
the ceiling is made from concrete: so there's the beam which i was worried might effect the sound propagation.
rockwool, is that same as glasswool? here in india we have glasswool.
 
Concrete ceiling? Wow.

Post some pix man. Now I am curious.
 
hey thanks for the replies,
i dont have any pics right now, but i will try to upload soon.
do you think i need to fill in the entire ceiling with absorption material? or would 'cloud acoustic foam' suffice? or should i just fill that 4' gap?

one side wall has also been constructed: this is of reinforced concrete.
the other side wall would be made of bricks. would this effect the room acoustics: in terms of left/ right speaker balance?
 
You don't necessarily 'need' to fill it. But it would be best in my opinion. You have reflective surfaces on all walls. For an ideal mixing environment, you want to minimize as much of that as possible.

Symmetry is quite important. I don't see a problem with two different hard surfaces on the side walls. You will want to place absorption panels on both sides at the reflection points of your monitors (centered between the walls) that are placed near the end of your longest distance.

Again, post some pix of the space. There are many more knowledgeable than I members around here that will give better info.
 
i will come back with some pix, thanks for all your help!
 
i will come back with some pix
Click to expand...
Good. In the meantime, let's begin.


:D CC1 Layout.webp


:D
 
Not an expert, but building a new control room now too.

Been talking with pro designers, so can pass along information.

According to the pros, it’s usually best to try and have your monitors, mixer desk and listening position facing the shortest width wall in rectangular shaped rooms. Then measure the depth from the “front” wall to the rear wall behind you.

Take that dimension and multiply it by .375 and that will give you the approximate best listening position location.

Your room’s depth is 22’ 8” (272”) x .375 = 8’ 5” (102”)
That is approximately the optimal listening position of your room.

From there you should start acoustic testing using a free program called “REW” Room EQ Wizard. The test captures a sonic picture of your room. You set up your speakers up close to the “front” wall, put an omni mic at the measured out listening position and move your mixer desk inbetween the front wall & mic; like you would have it positioned while mixing .

Anything else is guesswork, here’s the links to the software and a video that shows how its done. According to the pros, this will save a lot money & trouble in the long run.


REW - Room EQ Wizard Room Acoustics Software

There’s a few pro’s on the forums that can help reading the test results and help you figure out the best acoustic treatments for your environment. Sorry for the long post, hope it helps.
 
thank you, i will do this as soon as the room is completely built.:)
 
chronicle said:
Good. In the meantime, let's begin.


:DView attachment 83556


:D
Click to expand...

thank you for the 3d representation:)

i've heard that inclined ceilings are desirable, what if we built a false ceiling starting at 6' at the front going up to 8' at the back? (or something like that)
this would eliminate the reflections caused by the beam.
would this be better?

also could you plz confirm the whether the 2 side walls of different materials and thicknesses would effect the left/right speaker balance?
 
@wavewarrior
hi i hope you dont mind me asking, what room dimensions are you working with?
 
nomadbyfate said:
@wavewarrior
hi i hope you dont mind me asking, what room dimensions are you working with?
Click to expand...

My room is a little smaller, the control room measures 11' 8" x 16' 8" with a vaulted ceiling starting at 8' at the front wall, with a slope up to 12' at the rear wall.

View attachment 83562

I built a pretty big desk for the gear I'll be using, its going to be a demo studio that may see some video post editing/production video work in the future. I use an Akai MPC for drums, a Korg M3 for keys/sound effects, an Eleven rack for guitars most of the time. Some familiar outboard gear. Also have one of the Marshall 1 watt tube amps and a 4x12 cab I set up in the garage for bigger guitar sounds if needed.

Here's the room as it is now, hope to do some spectrum testing in a few days.
My desk build
View attachment 83563

Semi rigged
View attachment 83564
View attachment 83565
View attachment 83566

I just need my room to sound a smooth and accurate as possible. All of the gear I'm using is fast & user friendly for me get around, so I can focus on writing music.

Good luck with your build.
 
i don't know much about sloping ceilings but i think 12' is definitely going to help with the bass response. the height of my room at the highest point is just 8'.
we're just trying to get the room dimensions right as of now, and slowly add acoustic treatments and gear and maybe someday turn it into a professional studio.
thanks for the replies.
 
thank you for the 3d representation
Click to expand...

You're welcome. You asked for help. Here we are.:D
That was only to help you understand that it would be helpful to visually illustrate various concepts relative to your room prior to laying pencil to paper. Unfortunately, until such time as you provide enough information in regards to the existing envelope it is impossible for anyone to properly address any concerns you may have. In that light, it would help us if you could provide the following..

Pics
An existing floor plan, even if sketched on paper and photographed. Show doors, windows pipes HVAC and everything that concerns the room and dimensions between the various elements.
A drawing of the layout of your intent as you see it, showing how you perceive you want the room to be.
A description of the existing conditions....ie...existing construction, materials, HVAC and ducting if exists, types of doors, etc.
A description of your gear would be helpful
Your budget.
Your limitations. ie..skills, tools, experience etc.
Your goal.

And btw, to illustrate the potential for using Sketchup as an aid to communications, here is a few others I have done over the years here as well as other forums...
New Stingray Boundaries 2c Rear.webpis.php?i=369&img=Final_componene.webp


i've heard that inclined ceilings are desirable, what if we built a false ceiling starting at 6' at the front going up to 8' at the back? (or something like that)
Click to expand...

You are jumping the gun. Other conditions/limitations may preclude assuming typical solutions.

this would eliminate the reflections caused by the beam.
would this be better?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about the beam at the moment. We don't even know which way you plan on orienting your listening position.

also could you plz confirm the whether the 2 side walls of different materials and thicknesses would effect the left/right speaker balance?
Click to expand...
Yes they can. The final boundaries of both walls "should" be identical for sonic symmetrical balance. However, like I said, until you provide adequate information relative to the existing conditions/construction and your final intent, answering your question may be moot.

According to the pros, it’s usually best to try and have your monitors, mixer desk and listening position facing the shortest width wall in rectangular shaped rooms.
Click to expand...

That is the recommended best practice. However, every axiom has it's caveat's and limitations...ie..some people, due to conditions, may be forced to ignore it and do what they must. Especially HR enthusiasts. That doesn't mean all is lost. On the contrary. You just have to overcome the given situation with the best solutions you can afford and get on with it. :D


Then measure the depth from the “front” wall to the rear wall behind you.
Take that dimension and multiply it by .375 and that will give you the approximate best listening position location.

Your room’s depth is 22’ 8” (272”) x .375 = 8’ 5” (102”)
That is approximately the optimal listening position of your room.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is the recommended "best STARTING POINT". It by no means is carved in stone. Usually, for those who have movable consoles and freestanding monitors, using REW to test and move both listening position and monitors, and known treatment solutions can result in a different final listening position. In reality, a move of a few inches may provide more accurate monitoring. However, for those with the resources to completely pre-plan the layout of the room, due to various restrictions of mobility, like console wiring chases and soffit mounting of monitors for example, a listening position is arrived by experienced manipulation of predictable factors, designer/owner preferences, and "school of thought" axioms/laws. For instance...an owners desire to implement RFZ(Reflection Free Zone) concepts into the design of the room may preclude any post construction physical manipulation of control room elements. This is where PRO experience differentiates itself from amateur interpretations of current practice studio design. In other words, pro designers can NOT afford to leave anything to chance, as after the fact hindsight is both expensive and damaging to their reputation. :facepalm::D

From there you should start acoustic testing using a free program called “REW” Room EQ Wizard. The test captures a sonic picture of your room. You set up your speakers up close to the “front” wall, put an omni mic at the measured out listening position and move your mixer desk inbetween the front wall & mic; like you would have it positioned while mixing .
Click to expand...

While I've never claimed to be an expert, from my perspective you're jumping the gun. In my opinion, until such time the final design solution becomes physical reality, "testing" will tell you nothing. ie...what's the point of testing if you haven't even built final boundaries prior to setting up all your gear. The "tests" only give provide you with the existing room response. On the other hand, if the existing boundaries IS the interior envelope, then by all means, I agree with you. And this is why I've asked the OP to provide more information.
However, interpreting REW may not be as easy as you think....

What's going on here? "Flat response" sounds terrible! - Gearslutz.com
 
Nice design room

All that framing looks like about $10K to me, some day Bro.... some day, lol :guitar:
 
the space is actually the basement of a building which is under construction. the total length of this space is over 70': half for
parking i.e about 32'. and the other half, we plan to divide into two parts: a jam room(about 11.5'). this is going to be isolated/ soundproofed.
and a mixing room(we're left with about 22' here minus the restroom) the ceiling has already been built. and so is one of the side wall:
this is a reinforced concrete running along the length of the space which also doubles as a retaining wall.

the width of the space is 16.4'(so the width cannot be more than this, it could be less since the other side wall hasn't been built)
since the width is just 5m, if we were to use that as its length, wouldn't the room volume be too small? if this is an option plz suggest.
i think this might avoid the problem of two different side walls(in which case: we could have two side walls made of bricks) and use the concrete wall as a rear wall.

also, the biggest constraint of all is probably the height: 8' from floor to ceiling and 7' under the tie beam/column.
this makes it pretty hard to get a width and length big enough to fulfill the 2500cu.ft criteria using the ratios.

i came across this set of dimensions: (8,15.20,21.12)' it doesnt fulfill the ratio criteria, also the width is almost twice the height. but it is more than 2500cu.ft.
plz tell me what you think?
i plugged them into the mode calculator, could you plz help me make sense of these results??
hr1.webphr2.webp



could the boundary surface be of the same material even though the walls themselves are of different thicknesses and materials?? (the concrete wall is
atleast 3 to 4 times the width of a brick)

please suggest other dimensions with better frequency response within those constraints. here where i am from, we don't have the concept of drywall, i don't know if bricks are better or worse.

this is the floor plan i made, sorry i dont have a printed version.the dotted lines are tie beams/ columns at the ceiling.

30112013122.webp





most of the studios i have seen have very small control rooms and huge live rooms. how is this possible? shouldnt the main focus of volume be on control rooms?
i havent thought about where to place doors and windows. maybe somewhere in the front wall??

you mentioned about orienting listening position: what does this mean? arent the speakers supposed to fire down the length of the room?

let's see, about myself. i am a musician. i play guitars and drums. and i record demos on my laptop using cubase. i am using a line6 hd 500 as interface.
i am planning to get professional studio monitors once i move in to the new place.

and later on getting a mixer. for the acoustic treatment, i think we are going to add them a few at a time not everything at once depending on financial conditions. i hope it works
that way too.
i am just starting out actually but if things work out maybe turn it into a
professional studio. which is why it is so important that i get the room dimensions right.



sorry if i could not make things clearer, my english is not very good.
and also sorry if the questions i am asking are silly, i am very new to all of this. frankly i am confusing myself:)
i am really grateful for all your help.

i will come back with actual pics of the space:)
 
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