Basement studio, in the planning stage

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 8:45 am

I took some measurements yesterday, the space that I can use for my studio is in the corner of the basement, it is approximately 13.5" X 10.5". This is measured from the outside of the interior walls to the inside of the exterior walls (meaning: it's the maximum space I can occupy, so it includes the walls, however since the exterior walls, read concrete walls, are already covered with insulation and gypsum, they are not included). The ceiling is approximately 7.5" from the concrete floor.

So I have a few questions! Before I begin: this will be a project studio, I know it's a pretty small room but it will probably be just for overdubs,but I would like to be able to record a drum set (actually, I'd like to buy one and keep it there).

For the interior walls I was thinking about keeping just one layer of 2X4 studs since floor space is at a premium. I was thinking two layers of gypsum on each side, using resilient channels on the inside, and mineral fiber insulation between the studs. I may replace one layer of gypsum with a layer of "Sonopan". I didn't see any mention of that stuff on Acoustic 101, it is green and it was used to soundproof my previous semi-detatched house (and soundproof it was).

For the exterior walls, I am under the assumption that it's not that big of a deal since it's concrete and underground. They are covered in pink foam insulation and the gypsum board is already installed. I may just scrap the existing gypsum, install resilient channels and two new layers of gypsum (or one sonopan + one gypsum).

For the ceiling, at 7.5" I can't sacrifice much, so again I was thinking resilient channels and two layers.

For the floor, I can't build a subfloor because of height limitations. One of my dilemmas here is: carpet or laminated? I am under the impression that carpet would remove some reflections and transmit less vibrations. They usually use some rubbery stuff under the carpet to separate it from the concrete, that might help a bit. If I got laminated, I suppose it makes for a more "live" room but I suppose I could use a removable rug depending on the wanted result. Is this correct?
Since I can build a sub-floor, I was thinking about simply using isolations risers for the drum or the amps so they don't make the foundations vibrate.

Mostly, this room will be used for vocal overdubs and mixing, but I'd like to be able to do it while the family is sleeping (on the second floor). I guess having the main floor in between will help a lot. But I would like to be able to occasionnaly track drums or guitars during the day without too much perturbation upstairs (as I mentionned: said instruments and amps would be on isolation risers).

Do you think this level of soundproofing will be enough?
Should I add sheetblock layers between my gypsum/sonopan sandwiches? How much of a difference does it make?

As for room treatment, I would probably go with Auralex's Roominator 2 kit. I want to be able to mix accurately, but I'm afraid of making the room too dead sounding.

Thanks in advance!

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 6:36 am

I dont think you should worry about sound proofing as much as you are. You seem to stress the sound proofing and deadening.
I think the natural acoustics of a basement would be nice and even if you had a band in there playing you can still tweak any frequencies that annoy you or fix any reverbiation. You shouldnt be so hung up on perfect sounding mixes. Listen to some original early '54 rockabilly recordings. They used only the rawest techniques and have the best, 'warmest' sound. I realise that 'warm' is used a lot but I measn it as in a homely sound.

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005 3:09 pm

Hardtailed,

It would be helpful if you posted some pictures and/or drawings of what you have in mind. You have to be very careful when doing the design and construction because any mistakes nullify the all the effort. You also need to consider structural capacity when adding a lot of weight to the existing house structure.

I'm not an expert here, but I just completed a similar project and am pleased with the results. I can have my monitors at 85dB and it's totally undetectable on the second floor and barely detectable on the 1st floor.

Drums are another story (well, they're at 100+dB so I guess that explains the difference). I am still pleased about the results, but undetectable they are not. My family might be able to sleep through the drums playing, but they are probably just audible enough to be annoying.

My control room is a similar construction to yours with RC and 2 layers of 5/8" drywall. I also added mass to the subfloor above by adding 2 layers of 5/8" drywall in between the joists. I used Roxul AFB for insulation because it was easy for me to get. My weak link is my door. It is a standard exterior entry door. I have a little MLV and MDF and plan to beef up the door later, but it's good enough for now. It's really more of an issue with leakage to the rest of the basement, not to the upstairs so much.

I went with laminate flooring for a little liveliness. I then treated some of the ceiling with absorbers.

Anyway, the more specifics you can provide the better. Many people have tried and failed at soundproofing because of poor planning. Take advantage of the generosity of experts on this forum and others.

Best of luck

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