As a conclusion to the studio build articles….. here are the final photos of the studio
Worth it in the end.
Articles
November 25th
Studio Build Part 3
November 21st
Studio Build – Part 2
There are a number of permanent acoustic treatment options available to you at the build stage such as filling the gaps between the ceiling beams with rigid fibreglass and covering the ceiling with cloth instead of plaster board, or creating bass traps built into the wall but these options are both more expensive and more time consuming compared to the treatments detailed below.
The overall challenge was to create a great mixing environment with the minimum amount of expenditure, easily removable in the future and yet aesthetically pleasing. Weighing up all of the options we decided to make bass traps, wall mounted absorbers and a diffusor.
The first challenge was finding the materials, most websites dedicated to this subject are based in the US and recommend using Owens Corning 703 / 705 rigid fibre glass. Unfortunately this is not readily available in the UK and it took literally days of research to find a product that matched these specifications. For the acoustic panels Rockwool RWA45, 2″ thick (50mm) and for the bass traps, Rockwool RW5, 4″ thick (100mm). The 45 is fairly easy to get hold of but I had some trouble finding the RW5, eventually tracking some down at Sheffield Insulation. Since then we have also found out that Knauf RS45 and RS100 are equivalent products. Both brands have almost identical properties to Owens Cornering 703 and 705 and Ethan Winer (acoustics expert, see links at the bottom of this page) confirmed that they are more than adequate.
The RWA45 came in at 9 slabs for approximately £20 and the RW5 was around £18 for a pack of only 2 slabs. In order to treat 3 corners in the room we purchased 3 packs of the RW5. Other materials required were muslin (a cheap fabric) to cover both sides of each panel / trap and wood to make the frames, it is cheap enough to pick up a pack of 1″x 2″ for the absorbers and 1″ x 4″ for the bass traps from a common builders merchant such as Wickes. On the tool front only a saw, tape measure and a staple gun are required.
The first step is to Build the frames to the required size.
Next, staple a straight edge of muslin along the back of the frame. Wrap it around the edge of the frame, pull it tight across the front of the panel, wrap it around the opposite edge of the frame and staple at the back again.
You can now drop your measured and cut fibreglass into the frame and pull the muslin tight across the back of it, again stapling along the back edge. If all has gone to plan it should look like this, with all of the staples hidden around the back.
The RW5 and frames for the bass traps look like this.
We used exactly the same procedure to build them, however they are measured to fit tightly between the floor and ceiling when stacked on top of each other.
Next up was the diffusor. The plans for this are here: www.pmerecords.com/diffusor.cfm
Chris Page, one half of MIDI09, he’s not just a pretty face.…
The studio dimensions are 20′ by 10′ with a height of around 8′. Using the 38% rule http://www.realtraps.com/art_room-setup.htm as a starting point for the listening position we placed the speakers to form an equilateral triangle with the listening point, ensuring they were not equidistant from the floor and ceiling. We then fitted the acoustic panels around the listening point to reduce early reflections. They are mounted to the walls leaving a gap of 2″ between the panel and the wall. Using the plan I drew up during the build (see first part of article) it was easy to locate the joists behind the plaster board to ensure a solid fixing.
There is a wall on one side of the listening position and a window on the other but provided a panel is hung on both sides this negates the difference.
The same distance was also maintained when hanging panels from the ceiling.
Next the remaining absorbers were mounted on the wall and ceiling and some of the left over RW5 was used to create a make shift bass trap. Finally the diffusor was mounted using some heavy duty bolts.
Word of warning, the diffusor weighs a ton, so be sure you have fitted it to a strong wall.
When all of the treatment was theoretically in place, measurements were taken with the ETF software to make fine adjustments and finally the ARC system was set up to make any fine equalisation adjustments to the system to ensure the listening point provides the most accurate representation of a mix as possible. The stereo imaging is excellent and the bottom end is very tight.
If you have any questions about either article, please ask. We can save you a lot of time researching and are only to happy to help.
A couple of great sites to check for info are:
http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/24/page/1
http://www.realtraps.com/
Ethan Winer is the genius behind both of these and what he doesn’t know about acoustics isn’t worth knowing. He also has various videos on youtube.
November 20th
Studio Build – Part 1
In the summer we undertook the slightly daunting but undoubtably exciting project of converting an outhouse building into a dedicated project studio. The aim was to create an excellent acoustic environment for mixing and a space that offered sufficient soundproofing to allow for prolonged studio sessions with causing disturbance to any neighbouring buildings. After some extensive research and a handful of meetings with a carpenter who has previous experience in the field, work began.
In the beginning…….
The first job was to strip everything out of the building. Shelves, windows, door, roof….. the lot.
As a word of warning, several tradesmen examined the roof and provided varying quotes. Many said the decking on the roof was fine and adding another layer of felt would be enough to complete the job but when our carpenter examined the roof he found out that it was rotten in several places. It pays to take your time on projects like this to avoid getting your fingers burnt.
The next step was to put the new roof on. We decided to raise the roof slightly and increase the thickness of the beams to 6 x 2, thus ensuring a greater space to fill with sound proofing material.
We then fitted double glazing and an external fire door with several high quality locks for security. These were sealed in with an acoustic expanding foam product.
Raising the floor and filling it with insulation came next. The joists were raised from the concrete floor with packers to help prevent damp problems in the future and then stabilised with more expanding foam.
The next step was to install new electrics, two external security lights and a PCB to protect against power surges. The building had previously been used as a workshop and already had a supply of electricity via an armoured cable concreted under the ground.
With the electrics in place more evenly spaced joists were attached to the walls and then both the walls and ceiling were filled with insulation. The product we used is Knauf Loft Roll 44 and has acoustic dampening properties. It is relatively inexpensive and can be picked up from most builders merchants.
This is nasty business, make sure you cover up your skin, mouth and eyes or you will regret it. Knauf Loft Roll is far better then most, but still, you have been warned.
To finish off the walls and ceiling we added a damp proof membrane and boarded everything over with plasterboard. The product in the pictures is Knauf Soundboard and is specifically designed for sound proofing.
Before covering up your joists it is a good idea to take measurements of exactly where they are and draw a plan on a piece of paper for future reference. If you need to hang anything heavy such as the diffusor detailed in the next part of this article, you will thank me for this advice!!
The work on the shell of the studio was finished with a layer of plaster and a good paint job.
The studio was sound proofed to the necessary requirements, it is already 60ft away from any neighbouring buildings and therefore did not require 100% dampening. If you are carrying out a similar project there maybe additional ideas to consider, such as, the double door approach, employing a product known as resilient bar between the sound board and the joists http://www.keepitquiet.co.uk/resilientbar.htm and using rigid fiber glass instead of loft roll (Kingspan is recognised as a market leader). All of course carry additional expenses so consider your options carefully at the budget stage.
The second pat of this article will cover acoustic treatment such as absorbtion, bass trapping and diffusion.