Studio Materials / Questions

[KaosDG]

Hey people...
I am planning on soundproofing and "Studio-izing" a section of my basement.

I was just looking over that SAE Site (John Sayers site, I believe), and he has some good stuff on wall construction and so on...

a few questions:

I'm guessing that the Higher the STC (sound transmission class) value, the better... is that correct?

For the flexible channel type of construction, would it be good to mix it with the staggered stud design?

What is this flexible channel? Just a strip of metal with anchor points for sheet-rock? Can I go to home depot and ask the clerks for it?

The room itself will be roughly 12' x 12', not that big but it's only me doing the recording so I don't think it matters too much...

That's all for now, I may be back later to harass you all again.

 

[gnarled]

Yeah, the higher the STC the better. They should know what you are talking about at Home Depot. The only problem is that there are more than one type of flexible channel. I believe for this application, the 'Z' shape one is the best. As far as I know, it should work well with the staggered stud design. However, the main purpose of the flexible channel is to isolate the sheet rock from the studs to prevent transmission of vibrations, etc. Since the staggered stud method is used for the same purpose, I'm not sure you'll get much added benefit. Anyone else?

 

[frederic]

I'm guessing that the Higher the STC (sound transmission class) value, the better... is that correct?

Yes, that is correct.

For the flexible channel type of construction, would it be good to mix it with the staggered stud design? What is flexible channel?

I prefer wood-constructed walls rather than channel, but channel is often less expensive than 2x4's. Channel comes in several styles, one being a "U" channel, the other being a "Z" Channel. The difference is looking at the end of the channel, the end looks like a "U" or a "Z".

THe staggered stud design, whether you utilize wood 2x4's or flex channel, is good because then the air chamber between the wall is much larger in volume, and decreases the sound transmitting across the two surfaces of the wall. This construction method is only good for adjacent rooms. Building a staggered stud wall against a concrete wall for example, will buy you very little in sound isolation for the hassle of construction.

The staggered stud design is a narrower method of constructing adjacent rooms. In a "pro" studio, two seperate walls would be constructed, at a slight angle from each other, leaving tremendous amounts of air between the two rooms. Usually they are connected with two doors, one for each room, and a 6-8" "hallway" between the two doors. In this method of construction, you have three air chambers. The first is in the control room wall, the second is between the two rooms, and the third chamber is in the recording room. The staggered stud design, if you can picture it, only has one air chamber between the two rooms. However, because the studs are staggered, the air between each 2x4 is joined together thus making the mass of air larger, which results in less sound transmission.

Can I go to home depot and ask the clerks for it?

Yes, some of the stores have it in stock, some not.

The room itself will be roughly 12' x 12', not that big but it's only me doing the recording so I don't think it matters too much...

12x12' is not that small really, unless you have a large SSL console Try to situate your room so that your body is inline with the longer dimension of the room, even if its slight. This will reduce the perceived echos in the room, and may save you a few bucks on soundproofing or treatments.

Frederic

 

[KaosDG]

Thanks for the replies guys, they were really helpful.

So 12'x12' is a good size you think?

So now 3 out of the 4 walls are against concrete/brick, so I'll have to look at the other methods of wall design.

But at least one wall will be built in between rooms so I guess i'll use the staggered stud if it is not that much more than a channel.
(I have no income from music, yet...)

for flooring/ceiling I was thinking about getting perhaps some sort of industrial carpet-like tiles for the floor. (can't really get thick carpeting because of dust/dirt issues, i'd spend more time vacuuming than recording)... I will most definitely treat the ceilings too, at least with insulation (there is none now, and it gets COLD in the winter)

now for the sound aborption, do i really need to pay outrageous prices for the auralex foam stuffs?

At my workplace we get massive amounts of packing foam in large sheets (egg carton style, i know i know...) so I'm sure they won't mind me taking some off their hands. They'll think i'm nuts, but they won't mind.


Thanks again guys

 

[darrin_h2000]

along that line of questions would the foam material that is used to further pad matresses (egg shell type and wedge style) usable to kill room reflections . it seem to have the same density and thickness as the stuff they overcharge for at the music stores.

please help because all the packing materials that we are sent at lucent seem to be colored pink and that is not an option for me.