Converting basement into a studio

[Dion ZammitParticipant]

I would like to convert my basement into a studio and could use some advise working through some of the challenges. At one end of the basement, the furnace/laundry room are walled off. At the other end is a bathroom and my current 6'X12' music room. I want to turn the main part of the basement (approximately 18'X25' minus the stairway in one corner) into a "live room" and my current music room into the "control room." The walls are steel studs with drywall that was glued and screwed (and insulated). The ceiling is a dropped ceiling with a grid that rattles even when my bass amp is played at relatively low volume. The floor is cheap carpet (no padding) on top of old asbestos tile with concrete underneath it. I was thinking I'd remove the dropped ceiling, add insulation and screw 2"X2"s to the rafters and screw ceiling tiles to the 2"X2"s to fix the rattle problems. I may have to find a way to deaden the cold air return ducts too. Once I solve that problem, I can start with acoustic treatment for both rooms and would appreciate any suggestions you have. I also want to add a window between the control room and the live room and wonder if you have any advise as to what to do or not do for a window. I may build an isolation box or boxes for tracking guitar and bass or re-amping and could use some advise for that as well. I'm very handy, but I'm clueless when it comes to studio design and acoustic treatment.

[John BrandtParticipant]

You have some great ideas for the ceiling... Be careful using the 6 x 12 room... it has common denominators!!

You should change the dimensions of the future control room to eliminate coincidental resonances in the space. Treatment can not fix those issues. It helps, but does not 'fix'.

I would recommend that you research the level of sound proofing that you require. See my resources page and download "How To Find How Much Isolation You Need", along with anything else that you would like. 🙂

CR / TR sight lines and symmetry:
Sight lines are very important during production... but a CCTV camera and video monitor can often be better than a window. It is very important to maintain symmetry in the control room, but NOT in the tracking room. Form follows function.

I would not recommend iso-boxes for guitar re-amping. Use a real room! You'll have low frequency issues if you do and the recorded speaker never sounds like it does in the open room. You'll probably need a good isolated booth and I would recommend that you contact me or any other reputable studio designer for some plans. 😉 - It's a lot cheaper than trying and failing. 😛

Cheers,
John

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