Legionreturns builds a new studio... an epic tale of mishaps and glory

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We've finally found a new house, and with it, the perfect opportunity to actually build the home studio of my dreams. 

I'm obviously looking for advice from others in the know, or who have done this before, but also have my own ideas. 

We're hoping to complete the move in the next few weeks, and I will be looking to get underway with this straight away, to get a good chunk of kit out of the main house. 

So here's what we've got: 

The new house



...which includes a second, large garage at the bottom of the garden, backing on to nothing but fields (you can see how far away it is, the red arrow is the top of the second garage)

  
My initial plans are to remove the big garage door, and build a breeze block wall, with a regular sized secure door and shutter. It has another door from the garden, which will also be replaced with something more sturdy. 

Second phase is security and insulation. It will have a linked alarm, cameras and I'll be putting some sort of panels inside to the walls and ceiling to insulate, with acoustic foam or thick acoustic curtains around all 4 walls. I'll also put in a wooden riser for the drums (there will be both acoustic and electric drums in there) and a decent carpet over the whole floor. The loft space above will be kept for storage of extra cables and guitar cases etc, albeit with a hatch to get up there so the panels to the ceiling are uninterrupted. 

Lastly, I'll be updating the electrics and putting in some decent lighting and an electric storage heater.

My main recording rig at the moment is the XR18. This is regularly used away from home for YBTB sessions though, and I will want a permanent setup in the studio to avoid having to take it apart when I am working away. So I will be looking for ideas for a decent audio interface, or perhaps just get another XR18 to use at home. I will have room for a rack, so if you can think of anything else that might be worth putting in, please shout!

I'll be getting some screens for drums and vocals, and some sturdy shelving for amps. I'm also looking at constructing a noise box for recording guitar cabs at cranked volume without blasting the neighbourhood but I really don't have a clue how big I would need to make this, so it may be a non starter. 

This is going to be mainly for rehearsing with my band, and recording either live mixes or multitrack. I won't be mixing and mastering, as I will have a separate study in the house with my main computer, so I will really only need a couple of speakers for vocals and will have proper monitors back up at the house. 

So there you have it. 

Any ideas, suggestions, criticisms and laughter at my expense as I make several inevitable fuck ups are more than welcome. 

2020 is going to be a fun year! 

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Comments

  • Will be watching this thread with interest...this has the potential to be a really sweet space

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  • Sounds as if we've found a new spot for the Northern jam!
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  • Sounds as if we've found a new spot for the Northern jam!
    Very reasonable rates, and a decent amount of onsite accommodation  ;) 

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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31365
    If you're starting from scratch I'd build a dedicated vocal booth, then you can mic guitar cabs in there too. 

    It sounds like a lot of work but it's the best thing I ever did in mine and it turned my spare room into a 'real' studio rather than just a back bedroom full of gear. 

    You will get great vocal results using screens etc, but having a properly isolated area is incredible useful for all sorts of things. 
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  • MusicwolfMusicwolf Frets: 3627

    Congratulations on finding the new house.

    My first thought is – what level of sound attenuation do you require?  If you need to achieve a high degree of sound attenuation (you mention an acoustic drum kit) then there are no short cuts and, if you don’t do it right, you’ll just be pouring money down the drain.  Be aware that acoustic treatment (to improve the sound) will have practically zero effect in terms of sound attenuation.

    In order to improve the sound do not use acoustic foam (absolute waste), build some broadband absorbing panels using Rockwool RW3.  Easy to build (loads of info / vids on line) and both cheaper and far more effective than acoustic foam.  This will help the room acoustics but, as I said, do nothing to stop the sound leaking out.

    Your roof is an obvious weak link in terms of sound attenuation, thermal insulation and security.  I’ve no construction expertise so I’m afraid I can only point out the weakness, not offer a solution.

    It all hinges upon how much attenuation is required (proximity of neighbours, what hours will you be making a noise etc).  A possible starting point would be to get someone to play the drums in there before you change anything and have a listen.  Do this at the time of day when you would expect to be making noise.  Remember, if you are far enough away from houses to not be heard then the same applies to a potential burglar.

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  • Thanks chaps. 

    In order: 

    I have thought about a proper vocal booth, but as the primary purpose would be for band rehearsals, I think this would take up too much space. If I'm recording vocals, it will be in isolation, probably using headphones, and I would expect the acoustic treatment to give me a result that's good enough.

    In terms of attenuation, I'm looking at using the room within a room technique, with floor, ceiling and walls. Given how far away from everything it is, that should be sufficient as long as I can get a good seal around everything. 

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  • In terms of security, it's absolutely essential; and will be a mix of good quality physical stuff, alarm linked to the house, and cameras on a CCTV circuit. 

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  • MusicwolfMusicwolf Frets: 3627
    edited February 2020

    In terms of attenuation, I'm looking at using the room within a room technique, with floor, ceiling and walls. Given how far away from everything it is, that should be sufficient as long as I can get a good seal around everything. 

    The Devil is in the detail.  You have to be absolutely sure that no part of your inner room's walls or ceiling are making contact with the outer walls i.e. totally free standing.

    I would recommend that your first purchase is Rod Gerais’ book – Home Recording Studio : Build it Like the Pros.  Don’t skimp otherwise you’ll just be throwing money away.

     https://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X

    When it comes to acoustic treatment (how the room sounds rather than sound attenuation) this is where you get best bang for your buck.  All too often I see people spending their hard earned cash on expensive monitors and then use them in untreated rooms or ‘treatment’ consisting of thin foam tiles or, worst of all, carpet tiles stuck on the wall.  If you can build a room within a room then you are more than capable to knock up some broadband absorbers.  In a small room it is very difficult to over do it with absorption and, if the room does sound dead, it’s easy to add back in a few reflectors for the top end.






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  • mrkbmrkb Frets: 6635
    Levi clay has just done a YouTube series on converting a garage into a music room - the later ones are worth watching - early ones dealt with damp issues so not as relevant.
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  • Very cool Leege, and congrats!!

    Bye!

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  • @Musicwolf thanks for the book recommendations. A copy is on the way as we speak :) 

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  • This guy is worth a look too, lots of free resources on his site and youtube channels

    https://www.acousticsinsider.com/
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    Looks good.....maybe inspire me to get on with my out outbuilding in the garden ..


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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    Talking of which....I mean to embark on a build this year if possible, Im starting from the grass up...so Im thinking a base build of concrete slab and concrete block walls to start...is that good ?

    All the stuff I look up seems to revolve around stud work shed type buildings. 




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  • Here's an idea of the starting point: 


    Externally, the walls and (fully tiled) roof are in great shape, and there's no sign of water coming in or under the front door.
     The timbers all appear sound and relatively new and the pointing on both the inside and outside of the walls is completely intact.
     There's quite a lot of clutter to clear out, and the garage door assembly to dismantle and disable. 
    The electrics on the other hand...are a bit dodgy! The mains feed to the building is fine, but I'll need a new distro board and then need to run electrics around the room. I'll also need to get the lighting changed, as the strip lights currently fitted are likely to cause problems with hum.

    All things considered, the basic shell looks ideal.

    I've revised my initial plan for the front door, as I want it to still look like a garage from the outside, so I'm going to disable the door and remove the mechanism and rails, then bolt and weld it shut, with some basic water defences at the bottom.

    I'll then be building a room within the room, so the front door will be sealed as well as having a further wall an inch or so behind it. This is about as secure as you can make a garage door I guess! 

    I did some measurements today, and the overall size of the room as it stands would seem to give me plenty of space for an internal room of a decent size. It's 4.8 x 4.45 meters and has a height up to the existing beams of 2.18m. Yes, I would lose a little bit of that height, so it will feel a bit low, but the overall size is great. 

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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    Yeah that was my theory....but I'll be building the block wall from scratch...I figure as its down the garden with no immediate neighbours my sound proofing won't need to be too exciting....Im thinking stud wall inside the block wall, Rockwool, maybe double plasterboard overlap joints etc.


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  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    So cool man, you must be so excited - I would be. It's my absolute dream actually.

    Look forward to progress photos/videos as it comes together.
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  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    Musicwolf said:

    Congratulations on finding the new house.

    My first thought is – what level of sound attenuation do you require?  If you need to achieve a high degree of sound attenuation (you mention an acoustic drum kit) then there are no short cuts and, if you don’t do it right, you’ll just be pouring money down the drain.  Be aware that acoustic treatment (to improve the sound) will have practically zero effect in terms of sound attenuation.

    In order to improve the sound do not use acoustic foam (absolute waste), build some broadband absorbing panels using Rockwool RW3.  Easy to build (loads of info / vids on line) and both cheaper and far more effective than acoustic foam.  This will help the room acoustics but, as I said, do nothing to stop the sound leaking out.

    Your roof is an obvious weak link in terms of sound attenuation, thermal insulation and security.  I’ve no construction expertise so I’m afraid I can only point out the weakness, not offer a solution.

    It all hinges upon how much attenuation is required (proximity of neighbours, what hours will you be making a noise etc).  A possible starting point would be to get someone to play the drums in there before you change anything and have a listen.  Do this at the time of day when you would expect to be making noise.  Remember, if you are far enough away from houses to not be heard then the same applies to a potential burglar.

    This is all great info.

    The luxury of not having to care about sound leaking out makes the world of difference, just unfortunately not always practical.
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  • LegionreturnsLegionreturns Frets: 7965
    edited February 2020
    Nice touch today! I spoke to my tame sparky; the guy who does my Pat's for the YBTB rig at a ridiculously cheap rate, and talked him through my plans. 

    As soon as we've got the keys, he's dropping me off an industrial roll of cable, decommissioning the current distro board and replacing it with a single socket for me to use during the build, and doing a wiring plan with me, then I can pre fit all the sockets and lights on separate looms before he comes back and terminates it all with a new board and does me a certificate for the work. 

    Bonus! 

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  • Looking for ideas for the roof. 

    I have, basically, two options. 

    If I stick rigidly to the "room within a room idea" then I'll have to put a false ceiling on top of the new walls. The issue with this is that it'll be a pretty low ceiling as it will have to be under the existing beams. I'm told that low ceilings are bad for sound quality. (According to the above mentioned book, which I've now read a lot of). 

    The second option is to go up into the roof cavity and add insulation and double board at roof level, with green glue between the board layers. I'm aware that this will therefore be the weak point in my sound proofing. On the other hand, noise leaking out isn't a massive problem because of the location of the studio, being fairly isolated from neighbouring properties. I do want a reduction in noise leakage, just to be sociable, but it's not the absolute priority. 

    Will option two, with enough insulation and filling all gaps with expanding foam and caulk, make a significant difference? 

    Is the difference in natural acoustics between a low, flat ceiling and a roof cavity noticable ?

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