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.