Turning my barn into a studio: plans to make you cringe.

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ScienceOne

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Ok, so I'm gearing up to turn a 120 year-old barn into a recording studio (on a college kid's budget!). I set up a cheesy geocities page so you could look at it. There are some preliminary drawings and some explanation of the whole thing. I would REALLY love everyone's input. My experience with studio building is practically nil, but I'm out to learn. Here we go: www.geocities.com/thebarnstudio
 
I don't know why you think it's real easy to move the load-bearing posts. It's not impossible, but don't underestimate that.

Anyway, I would swap the live and control rooms, make the new control room less of a trapezoid and more of a polyhedron, and lose the booths, which are too small and strange to be useful. If you aren't married to a symmetrical design for both rooms across the central axis, you could carve three rooms out of it.
 
Once the floorboards on the second level are removed the posts will no longer be load bearing, then it won't be an issue to pull them out.

I'm not set on the symmetrical idea, just symmetry within individual rooms. This just seemed like a more straight-forward design. Moving things around might be cool though, help make things more cozy by being a bit less obvious in layout. But lose the booths? Why do you think so? I figure a good dead room and then a fairly reflective roomy sounding booth will be useful for vocals and guitar amps. Your possibly more knowledgeable advice is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks a lot for responding.
 
Have you chalked or outlined the booths on a floor. They look like they may be a bit cramped, considering the layouts. Once you add a mic stand, music stand and chair, it may be very tight. Also, you may find that the 'reflective' sound you'll be looking for may actually be too boomy or bassy (then again you can test that out once you complete the first booth, before adding acoustic treatment). I have a 6x4 booth. It's a tight fit just with the mic, chair and me. If you really want a booth, I'd go with just one and make it a bit larger than what's on the plans. A booth can come in handy if you decide to rent out the studio for voice work.
 
Looks good. I agree with the above. Get a few pieces of gear in there to help you with scale, and mark out the studio. You may find a way better layout when your actually in there and able to see exactly what your working with. I know that's what's going on over here. Once I finally able to put a few instruments down here in my project studio (in construction) I found planning changed, but for the better. Just set a lot of small goals when building and like rock climbing, look up, not down. I find its way easier just to mark off one section and say "I will only do this section before moving on". Its workin for me anyhow..

Also, I know it hurts, but I would try to work around the load balancing posts. On a building that age you should not move these, especially with the soft farm soil the foundataion is on. The shifting may be a bit much. You're foundtation may become hairline crack heaven. No fun. Add in all the extra weight of cables in the ceiling, storage, building materials ( your doubling the inside mass of this structure, thats petty huge) and things start to get industrial real fast. I would like to see the barn though, I am most likely picturing something which is way worse than it actually is. But, you may end up having to put more load bearing posts in to be honest. This also involves serious building code rules and permits are in full effect. If you have to beef the ones in you got, its not too bad. But with 5000, a barn, and music gear, being NC, I would just buy 300 kegs of Bud Light, and book Lynyrd Skynyrd . Then you'll make enough to build a HUGE studio :)
 
Wow! A recording studio in a 120 year old barn! Very cool... I definitely want to see pics from the inside and the outside when it's being done... and when it's all done.
Good luck! :)
evt
 
Make absolutely sure you have someone who understands structural engineering look at your plans before you move ANY load bearing posts, and listen to what they say. If you don't, you are unlikely to finish building your place before it colapses on you. Moving load bearing structures is a MAJOR deal. Do not do it lightly.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Ganhdi
 
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