Studio in a Bus. Challenge?! Yes? No?

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ghostwolf

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I have access to a bus which has the following interior dimensions: 26L X 7.5W X 7H
Any suggestions for a decent floor plan? It would be or mainly acoustic music. I am assuming I need to have a moderately sized Control Room, but it doesn't leave much for tracking rooms/booths. I htought of a great room with dividers, but I don't know. Any help would be greatly appreciated! It's all I got until I gut out my residence, lol. I live in the south where trailer parks abound, maybe I oughta join three or four trailers from the nearby trailer park and get rid of some of da trailer trash, lol.

Wado,
Ghost Wolf
 
Fascinating... I was just contemplating this today...

What kinda bus? Touring, school, "short" haha, metro?
 
Peritus asketh:
<What kinda bus? Touring, school, "short" haha, metro?>
I actually have access to an old Greyhound and an old school bus and I have been known to ride the short bus on occasion, lol.

The school bus is already on the property and we were using it for storage, it is already gutted and I just have to move our junk out of it and put some new "junk" in it.
The greyhound is 5' longer but the same width inside. So it's an easier way to go with the school bus.

The web sites are cool, thanks guys. I used the Room Calc I found through this forum that Ethan Winer programmed and found that my best length will be 8.5 feet, So I am definitely going to make the control room that size. Since it will be acoustic, I am probably going to simply do three rooms of equal length (8.5') use what is left for storage space, and put plexiglass or similar windows for visual contact in each of the two walls so I can see the musicians.
I am still researching it though and this may change, and I am sure it probably will. We will see. many thanks.
Ghostwolf
 
Right on... Please consider the following:

The ceiling height/curve... That curve is gonna be a nightmare, no matter which you choose...

The greyhound's "wall" construction is most likely a step above the school bus, in terms of sturdiness... That may play a large role in the acoustics....

Also, I would consider the drivetrain of each vehicle... While it's completely possible for you to consider the bus a stationary structure, I would still factor in the possibility of "hiring out" the bus (out and about)....

It may be possible, with the greyhound, to utilize some trap doors to access any below-bus storage containers...

Good luck.. keep us updated...

P.S.

Just in my opinion, if I had a bus to work with... I'd go for the following compartments (front to back):

Driver Cabin/area
Live room
Vocal booth
Control Room
Storage

This layout would allow you:

1. Quck access to storage, from the control room

2. A buffer between the control room and live room (since the acoustic instruments have a higher potentional for being loud, than the vocals)....(i.e. drums)

3. Live room would be near the front of the bus.. You wouldn't want people trying to lug their instruments through any rooms filled with your control room / storage equipment....

4. If you use windows on both ends of the vocal booth, and since a vocal booth would be smaller than a live room, you would have an easier time seeing into the live room....

5. Having the storage room behind the control room, that allows you to put the computer case in there and distance yourself from its noise (a better option might be to use one of those lower compartments, most likely present in the greyhound)....

Just some thoughts, off the top of my head....
 
Hey Peritus, thanks for the input!
I have thought about the curve in the ceiling, I suppose I could put a cloud there perhaps to help with that?
I will tell you I am pretty new to all of this sound design and am still trying to figure out all the different elements of sound design components and where to place them.

Peritus wrote:
>I would still factor in the possibility of "hiring out" the bus (out and about)....
Hmm, didn't really think of this before, that gives "Home Studio" a whole new meaning. This and the other points you make about the lower storage compartments and the wall of the tour bus make me lean towards that greyhound more and more.
The walls are already constructed in the greyhound bus, I just have to remove the seating and bedding compartments.
The heighth of the celing on the greyhound is higher as well, I can't remember if it is already treated or not, will have to look at it more. My only concern for that bus is the moving to my property and locating here, but that is a minor issue.

You were talking about "trap-doors"..with the school bus and it's low ceiling, I was thinking of doing a trap-door and making a "Bass station"so that an acoustic upright, aka double bass could fit inside. With the high ceiling on the greyhound I wouldn't have that problem.
hmmmm...man...I am going with that greyhound, a little extra work in locating and gutting but it is more ideal and besides I get five extra feet in length a foot or so in height, lol.
Thanks peritus, I was kind of in between those two buses for a while but after your posts it made me think it thorugh more. I suppose that is why these forums are here.

I like your configuration and ideas to have the control and live room separated and I had actually thought of that as well and pretty much what I planned on.

btw, I have been checking out John sayers site ( http://www.johnlsayers.com ) and there are some great info on there about studio construction and sound design in general. Great find!

I will keep you updated.....
GW
 
Cool.. Great news :)

Ceiling Curve:
I think a cloud would be the easy way to go..

Honestly, I think it'd work better to build within the curve, depending on the actual ceiling height (greyhound), than to use just a cloud...

On the John Sayers site, where he designed the studio in container, he used an "inside/out wall" construction style....

This one:http://www.johnlsayers.com/Studio/Mainpage/MP-Mark.htm

Here's what I'm thinking....

See how this guy is going about it?
panelfit-right.jpg


His main goal, in my opinion, it to utilize the largest quanitity of space (not a sound oriented project)....

For a bus studio conversion, I believe there would be a larger benefit from constructing an "inside/out wall" structure within the bus (attached to the floor/frame, of course) (instead of how that guy did it)...

Something like this:
busx0016hx.jpg


The space wouldn't really be lost.. You could use it for acoustic treatment....

Also.....

Got any more details on the greyhound? year, etc....

By the way.. The JS site would be a great place to start a thread on your project... Just make sure you follow their site rules post...
 
does the greyhound have they big space underneath it where people put luggage, if so there is alot more extra space than 5 feet. you coudl use the trap door idea for storage like suggested but you could also use the make trap doors that open up in to iso chambers for amps and such that you built down there as well.
 
Peritus:
I did look over John Sayers designs and I intend to post there very shortly. I will have to do more measurements with the bus. I only measured width and length not height, I was in a hurry then but will give it more time. That was an initial measurement to see if I could fit it on our property anywhere.
I like your ideas keep 'em coming andI will get you more info on the greyhound.

tbone:
Thanks for your comments, it does have the large compartments where the luggage was carried. I never though of those compartments that way before, that would be an awesome idea. Though there wouldn't be that many times I would need it for amps, that is a great idea to include in the design and I appreciate it.

Well it is late here, I do the bulk of my reading and other thigns on the weekend, I will try to get back to you all on those dimensions and in the meantime I am going to post on Sayers' web site and see what he/they can help me with. I will get back with ya, I have been drawing the thing in this SketchUp program I learned about on Sayers site as well.
Later t8r's
 
Cool.. Cool..

I've been meaning to check out that program, myself.. I guess it's high time...
 
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