Drum studio project

Brundlefly

Senior Member
I just started work on a new studio. I've noticed a lot of folks asking questions about how to go about this kind of thing in the past. So, this time, I decided to document the entire thing on a daily basis (or reasonably close to it). Lots of pictures, plan details and problem case coverage. And you can watch it happen stage by stage as it goes up... from planning to move-in day.

Also, if there are questions, you can ask then here and I'll do my best to answer them as we go along. Day 1 coverage is up now with my wall design spec and overall plan here: Studio 2.0 - Day 1
 
I've never seen a home studio constructed from start to finish before. I shall follow this with interest.

Great idea mate...thanks for showing.
 
Has anybody ever told you that you're rich? I'll be keeping a look out for this one.

Hehe... Ummm, no. Least of all, my wife. Btw, I will be posting all of the costs so that you can get an idea what something like this costs and how you might make different choices to control those costs but still end up with something that works for you. For this one, I'm going a little bit past the point of diminishing returns on some of my material choices. So you might be able to build something with very close to the same performance for significantly less.

do DW members get unlimited use of said recording studio

Perhaps a limited used agreement might be arranged. :)


Also, Day 2 is up. We hit a couple of interesting snags already.
 
Very neat project! You sound very informed and well understanding of what your getting into. Glad your documenting it and sharing it for our benefit!
 
How much noise does the blower in the office or studio make, and could you have gotten a steel pre-hung door in a 36 or 42 inch width?
 
How much noise does the blower in the office or studio make, and could you have gotten a steel pre-hung door in a 36 or 42 inch width?

Very little, and it can always be turned off while tracking if it becomes a problem. The one in the office isn't as loud as my Mac Pro which will be in the same room, so I already have that as an issue.

I looked into a steel pre-hung door from local contractor/reseller. I was pushing for something from Overly or Marshfield. But this local "expert" on sound control doors came back 5 days late with a quote on a $2,000.00 door with an STC rating of 21, and that was going to take 4 weeks to deliver. I probably don't have to spell out what is wrong with that. The last door I built had a performance that is consistent with a door rated at STC ~50. I'm confident that we can beat that this time around.

As it stands, I've spent $200.00 on a pre-hung, solid core door, which is almost nothing when it comes to sound rated doors. If that doesn't work out, I can always upgrade later. Besides, this allows me to cover the path that other people are most likely to take.
 
Nice! Are you going to 'float' the floor or use the concrete? i prefer floated/decoupled floors.
 
Nice! Are you going to 'float' the floor or use the concrete? i prefer floated/decoupled floors.

Nope. Two reasons:
  1. The room height is already severely limited by being in the garage and the fact that we need to use 2x10s for the ceiling joists. Altogether, I'm losing a foot off the already low 9 foot garage and I just can't stand to lose any more.
  2. The concrete slab is already well isolated from the rest of the house's foundation. And I'm going to add some MLV and closed cell foam to the mix.
This is pretty close to the same formula that I used on the last practice room and the floor definitely wasn't an issue there. At least not from a sound control perspective.
 
This blog is great, I am following it with great interest. As a 'bit' of a sound engineer, I find these sorts of resources invaluable. You managed to make your's entertaining. I will be following!
 
2) I'm in the design stage of a home addition and want to include a soundproof room. What are the good resources to research?
Thanks
Wayne

You may want to check out various book on how to design a recording studio. A CRITICAL issue i don't believe that has been discussed on this thread is the room dimensions and wall designs to reduce standing waves. If you look at the way a concert hall is designed, that gives a small hint. Of course room size and design could also be dependant on the sound you are seeking to achieve, as a pipe organ in a small jazz club makes as much (non)sense as a jazz band in a classic large European church. Same goes for a recording studio as the monitoring room will be different than the room used to record within. If you live in a big city, you might want to contact the AES (Acoustic Engineering Society) and see which members may have the knowledge you are seeking.
 
bridgewater%20hall.jpg


Now that is an acoustic space. I've been to see concerts there (classical, my ex-girlfriend and my brother have both played there) and it sounds incredible. The best venue I've been to.
 
Brundle, I'm a little late to this party, and I have to ask, why do you need to run conduit for the electrical? Why not Romex? Conduit would transmit noise better, and it's just way more involved to install.. Do local codes forbid Romex in dwelling units in CA? You could run the romex in the space between the studs and the garage wall (If I was seeing your pic correctly) without drilling, easy breezy japanesey....Conduit is way overkill IMO
 
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