#967510 - 07/17/01 02:58 PM
About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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K.Smith
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Registered: 03/27/00
Posts: 61
Loc: liberty,tx,usa
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I am about to build my new home out in the country. I have allotted a 24’x24’ area of my house for my private recording studio. I will have 9ft walls and a 9/12 pitch roof in this area.
I would like 3 rooms:
1 control room
1 drum/recording room
1 vocal iso booth
Does anyone have any suggestions on design and layout? I want to build this right. My last studio was a design flop. My priority is a good mixing environment and a nice sounding drum room. I will be doing most of my overdubs, etc. in the control room, so this room should be the largest and most comfortable. I know 24’x24’ isn’t very big, but neither is my budget.
Anyone know who could get me going in the right direction? I want to do it right this time.
Thanks…..Kyle
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#967511 - 07/17/01 04:03 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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Ethan Winer
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Registered: 06/12/00
Posts: 5299
Loc: New Milford, CT, USA
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Kyle,
I'll repeat this here just in case you missed it elsewhere.
> I have allotted a 24?x24? area ... I would like 3 rooms <
Have you considered one large room instead? There's no question that having separate rooms for playing and listening back is useful. But without proper isolation - which you're not likely to get in a house anyway - you might do better to make one room that sounds good and is large enough to record drums and also make mix decisions. True, you won't be able to make EQ adjustments while recording (except with headpones - not recommended), but you can do that later assuming you have enough tracks to record each microphone separately.
> My last studio was a design flop.
The single most important thing is to have proper acoustic treatment so your microphones can capture a good sound, and so you can hear what is really being mixed. If you care at all about recording acoustic instruments you want a room that has a good sound, and not just a totally dead room with blankets on the walls. It's easier to make a good sounding room if you can make it larger than 5x5 feet .
Also, have a look at my Bass Traps article for further insight into studio and control room acoustics:
http://www.ethanwiner.com/basstrap.html
--Ethan
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#967512 - 07/17/01 04:10 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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K.Smith
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Registered: 03/27/00
Posts: 61
Loc: liberty,tx,usa
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Thanks for the response!
I thought about going with one large, well designed room. I record mostly acoustic instruments, so the ability to find correct mic placement is very important. Do you feel that rooms this size will not yeild a good sound? Is it even possible? I know room volume is extremely important.
Thanks...Kyle
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#967514 - 07/17/01 04:18 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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rold
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Registered: 02/10/01
Posts: 1493
Loc: supernatural BC CANADA
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Originally posted by radiant:
Thanks for the response!
I thought about going with one large, well designed room. I record mostly acoustic instruments, so the ability to find correct mic placement is very important. Do you feel that rooms this size will not yeild a good sound? Is it even possible? I know room volume is extremely important.
Thanks...Kyle
I wouldn't make it square; you're looking at a nightmare with standing waves. Wouldn't be tooo much of a problem with things like acoustic guitar, but bring a set of drums in there and you may be listening to an unitelligible mess.
My 2c
Harold
_________________________
meh
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#967515 - 07/17/01 04:25 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
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Alton Everest's book is excellent.
Note that he mentions room treatments besides architecture. That a variety of surfaces make for the best sounding rooms. Floors shouldn't be all wood. Walls and ceiling should have variations of reflecting and sound absorbing material.
Floating walls and ceilings also act as low frequency sound absorbers , so after you finish construction and fill your room with coaches and chairs and cabinets, then do your acoustic analysis to find what you need for resonance attenuation.
Also, make sure you use discontinuous construction techniques to sound proof your room. Workmanship is very important for sound isolation. You don't want the sound of faucets closing, toilets flushing and garage doors opening disturbing your studio. Wrongly attached drywall or blueboard can compromise architectural design intended to minimize sound transmission.
Joe
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#967516 - 07/17/01 05:32 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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Emile
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Registered: 08/25/00
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Loc: Montreal,,CANADA
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If you can make your walls NON-parallel that would be a good basic start.
And do check out Ethan's site 'cause it's a gold mine of info and he is very generous of putting such knowledge out there.
Emile
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#967517 - 07/17/01 07:19 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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-
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Registered: 03/13/01
Posts: 1999
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Originally posted by Ethan Winer:
Have you considered one large room instead?
...
True, you won't be able to make EQ adjustments while recording (except with headpones - not recommended), but you can do that later assuming you have enough tracks to record each microphone separately.
Yikes! I had planned that, when I get my own house, I would remodel one large part of the basement to be the studio. I was hoping to have real drums in my control room... I didn't consider that I couldn't *hear* what the drums sounded like when setting up the mics... I definitely need the ability for someone to play drums and move mics around while I listen for the best sound on the monitors. I don't think the one-room control room/tracking room idea will work for me now.
This is a really general/stupid question, but what would be some dimensions for a small, decent-sounding room which could also hold a drum kit? Or better yet, what are some more advantages/disadvantages to one room vs. two rooms?
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#967518 - 07/17/01 07:35 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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K.Smith
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Registered: 03/27/00
Posts: 61
Loc: liberty,tx,usa
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Thanks for all the great info!
I have another problem to deal with. My ceilings. The walls are 9ft and the roof pitch is 9/12. What would be the dimensions of my ceiling? How do I get my home builder to span that length? I think I'm stuck with him building the inner walls now because of the 24' span. Hmmmm..
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#967520 - 07/17/01 08:01 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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DC
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Registered: 01/17/01
Posts: 2706
Loc: here to eternity...
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First off, you need scissor trusses for the ceiling. I put them in my 24' X 24' recording room so my ceiling is vaulted -8' at the sides and 10' in the middle. I double framed my room so it's quite sound proof, but that cut my dimentions down to 22' by 22' on the inside. I just use the one big room cos I mostly do tracking one part at a time, but if your drummer has good touch, you could do a band in here with some gobos etc.
I did a ton of research at the time and my drop ceiling tiles took care of my absorbtion requirements for high mids, and the treble. I had to build 6 deep bass absorbers, 6 high bass and 6 low mid absorbers but it worked out great. I angle my board into a corner so the walls behind aren't parallel plus the vaulted ceiling works out to break things up too. All my absorbers fit behind the desk position completely covering the two walls directly behind me and spilling over the corners of the front walls. It's worked out great.
If you decide to go with the one big room concept and since our rooms are of a similar size, drop me a line if you want and I'll go re-measure things to give you a rough idea.
davecharles@musician.net
ps Except for very dead vocal booths, you really need at least 2500 square feet for any sort of descent recording or mixing space. Keep this in mind before you start dividing things up.
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#967521 - 07/18/01 01:30 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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Ethan Winer
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Registered: 06/12/00
Posts: 5299
Loc: New Milford, CT, USA
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Kyle,
> I record mostly acoustic instruments, so the ability to find correct mic placement is very important. Do you feel that rooms this size will not yeild a good sound? <
Yes, it's a real dilemma. 
A large room will definitely sound better than a tiny room, since the first echos in a tiny room will be sooner. Whatever you record there will by definition sound "boxy" unless you put the mike two inches from the source. But with a single room you cannot experiment so easily with mike placement.
I record myself mostly, and I spent a little time when I first built my studio trying three feet away, five feet away, and so forth. It was not a big deal! And now I can record pretty much anything and know where to put the mikes. Having a good sounding (large) room means I can put the mikes five or more feet away and it will sound good. In a small room the best you can aim for is to close-mike everything, and then add small-room ambience with a reverb preset. (Though that's not the end of the world either.)
--Ethan
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#967522 - 07/18/01 01:39 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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Ethan Winer
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Registered: 06/12/00
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Loc: New Milford, CT, USA
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Pop,
> I didn't consider that I couldn't *hear* what the drums sounded like when setting up the mics... I definitely need the ability for someone to play drums and move mics around while I listen for the best sound on the monitors. I don't think the one-room control room/tracking room idea will work for me now. <
And maybe it won't. I stopped recording live drums years ago, so for me this is not an issue. But if you have all or most of a basement to work with, maybe you'll have enough space for two rooms without either having to be too small. But I'll warn you now so you won't be surprised later:
If you have a studio in a basement - or any rooms in a standard house - so much bass sound will leak through the walls you will still be guessing at any adjustments you make. Yes, as you move the mikes you'll hear a difference, so I'm not saying it's unworkable. But if, for example, you try to balance an entire band as they play, you'll make the bass too soft because you're being influenced by the leakage through the walls and ceiling.
> This is a really general/stupid question, but what would be some dimensions for a small, decent-sounding room which could also hold a drum kit? <
I don't feel qualified to give absolute measurements for the smallest room size you can get away with. My studio is 18x33 and it sounds very good. Maybe 3/4 that size could still be good, but I'm guessing much smaller than that will sound too boxy.
--Ethan
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#967523 - 07/18/01 02:18 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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gtrmac
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Registered: 12/06/00
Posts: 1763
Loc: Naniwa-ku,,JAPAN
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I think that if you do the research you can get very good results with a DIY approach. Ethan's site has some great information and the book suggestions are good too. You might consider seeking the advice of an acoustician also, even just on a consulting basis if your budget allows. Bouncing ideas off someone with experience can be very valuable and can help insure "getting it right". I'm not volunteering though since I live in Japan but if I can be of any help drop me an email.
------------------
Mac Bowne
G-Clef Acoustics Ltd.
Osaka, Japan
My Music: http://www.javamusic.com/freedomland
_________________________
Mac Bowne
G-Clef Acoustics Ltd.
Osaka, Japan
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#967524 - 07/18/01 03:16 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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K.Smith
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Registered: 03/27/00
Posts: 61
Loc: liberty,tx,usa
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Wow, this is all great information here. Actually, I am currently hooking up with Russ Berger Design Group to do some concept drawings and consultation for me as we speak. I've built my own studio before and it sucked. This information also shows me that much of this is over my head. I do instrument & electrical design full time, but I am extremely behind on acoustical design.
I'm currently gleening a ton of information now. You guys are a great help!
Thanks!
Kyle
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#967525 - 07/18/01 03:18 PM
Re: About to build a new house and studio..Need help!
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-
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Registered: 03/13/01
Posts: 1999
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Originally posted by Ethan Winer:
If you have a studio in a basement - or any rooms in a standard house - so much bass sound will leak through the walls you will still be guessing at any adjustments you make.
Ack! Another good point. I'm not planning on recording a full live band, though -- just myself playing all the instruments. But your point is well-taken about the bass.
Thanks for the insight... There's a lot more to building a basement studio than I originally thought, and threads like these are *so* educational...
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