Studio my Pirelli or am I WAY OFF?

[Kemble]

Ok, this is Waaaaay off...maybe. Instead of floating a whole floor on Auralex U-Boats, can I use something else rubber? Like...well, hockey pucks seem too hard and would transfer vibrations I assume. (This isn't for a whole floor, just maybe a platform for amps or.....whatever. Point is, this is theoretical as of now). How would old TIRES work? Lay out some tires of the same size on the floor and a built up platform over it. Necessity is the mother of...cheap inventions? Or stupid ideas ?

 

[isoloop@juno.com]

This is not meant to be mean, but... Why not just go out and rent a studio that has bothered to do it right? There are lots of people who care about acoustics and isolation that have spent good money and have good reputations in this business. Reward them by using their facilities. Being a former studio owner, I know the cost of putting a studio together and maintaining it. I also know that the vast majority of studios, if not all of them, are underpriced. Take advantage of the deals they offer.

I understand the value of having a small recording space of your own. I have a PT LE rig in my spare room at home for editing and simple mix and overdub chores. Unless you have a reputation that is strong enough to float a studio on its own, I don't think it is wise to build one that floats on old tires.

 

[Kemble]

alright, I was up MANY hours when I thought of that. Maybe I was drinking too.

I'll go take my medicine now. Doctor says I shouldn't post messages unless medicated anymore
I'm TIRED.

 

[anonymous]

man! I thought this was about what tacky calenders to hang in a studio!! (Pirelli etc)



The ALL TIME sleazy classic to hang in the pool table room is the girl in cut off jeans washing a Ferrari poster! (framed)

Mmmm. Kate Moss - Yarz!

 

[Kemble]

I drew Mr.Standens attention.
I am on a whole new level of feeling dumb now.
Nice.

Just because I am trying my hand in rap doesn't mean I HAVE to be GHETTO!

 

[anonymous]

Don't let anyone discourage you, Mike. If you have a vision, go for it! Besides, we need more fat and jolly in this business. (So I don't feel so all alone!) Should I call you "your majesty" now, or wait for the coronation?

 

[ironsheik]

Hey Mike,
You definately don't need the Aurolex pieces. Hockey pucks are actually made from neoprene which is what works great. I floated the floor in my little room with this stuff that I got from Canal Rubber in NYC. You can check out my site for info on what I did @
http://www.seasideloung.com
I haven't had access to a scanner in a while so it's about 6 months outdated but it has most of the important stuff documented there.

 

[quixzika]

Feeling better now.
My point was this: Tires are soft rubber. And if I wanted to put my FenderTwin up on a tire to decouple it from the floor, would it be effective? And if so, couldn't I put a whole platform on tires?
I'm a hoss, so I'm thinking alot of tires . I am investing money into quality equipment instead of rubber and glorified sponges .

(I like the face things)

 

[isoloop@juno.com]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel inferior. I encourage creative problem solving. Here is some info that you may find helpful.

The primary consideration when choosing a material to float an isolated surface is its capacity to handle weight. If you think about a metal spring, neoprene, or a tire for that matter, there is a range of compression that will be effective in isolating sound transmissions. Too little compression and there is not effective dampening and it acts almost like a solid coupling surface. Too much compression and the two surfaces become coupled as if they were touching directly. The ideal situation is for the decoupling material to be in the center of its compression range.

The advantge of buying materials specifically made for floating floors and walls is that you know its handling capacity. Also, the effective compression range is much wider in these materials than in standard springs or plain rubber. Longevity is another variable when considering rubber or neoprene versus metal springs. Synthetic materials eventually break down and need to be replaced.

As you can imagine, building a floating floor that is effective when supporting a guitar amp one day, and a piano the next is not a job for everyday materials. If you come across a good, inexpensive solution to the problem, I would love you hear from you. Good Luck!

 

[anonymous]

I've got it! You run valve extensions from all the tires to an inflation patch-bay. Then you just inflate or deflate as necessary with your handy bicycle pump to adjust the compression coefficient of your floor! Oh, man... where's that hotline to the patent office...!

 

[knightfly]

Since we're getting into horse puckey here, how 'bout an idea Jon Best reminded me of a while back - horse mats. Any decent tack shop or farm supply carries these regurgitated tire material compressed rubber mats, they are typically 4 feet by 6 feet by 1 inch thick. They can be sliced with either a recip saw using a medium tooth blade, or a razor knife and steel straight edge (if you're tough) It would take a little experimentation to get the right size "pucks", like build a small section of floor and load it with varying weights to find optimum compression - you would need to know the weights of all the building materials you're using, and whether you're bearing the walls on top of the floated floor or building them outside the floor (I've seen articles showing both ways)

As far as synthetic vs. springs, different animals here - Kinetics labs sells rolls of hockey pucks on backing, to be rolled out and covered with the layers of floor material, so neoprene apparently is OK for that.

Yeah, for a guitar amp a tire should work cheaper than those new isolators from Auralex (I think) Maybe not as classy, but if you get one of those hop pants/Ferrari posters, who'd be looking? Or, you could do like the Beatles did for the one album, and everybody just wear shoes with Rubber Souls... Steve

 

[lakesidestudios]

Neoprene mat or strip is the accepted material for floating floors and stud walls as far as I know.It's worked for me.Don't know about longevity,but I have a feeling it will outlast me.Here in UK,Studiospares sells it by the yard at a reasonable price,but I guess any Rubber dealer would carry it.Another material that's good for mechanical acoustic isolation is MDF(used as sandwich with a neoprene layer,it's great for framing glass doors and partitions etc.)However,I have a feeling that because of health fears over its allegedly carcinogenic properties when worked with power tools,it's been banned in the USA.Not so here,you can buy it by the sheet at your local DIY palace.

 

[MadMoose]

When did MDF get banned in the USA? I haven't bought any for a while, but it's made of compressed sawdust and glue. What's so bad about that?

 

[lakesidestudios]

Apparently it's the glue that's the problem,Jay.If you don't use proper dust extraction gear,and wear a spacesuit,the(very fine)dust created by sawing,routing etc is very harmful to lungs.Sorry this has gone way ot.
Dave.

 

[quixzika]

I just picked up some MDF yesterday. Right after I left HomeDepot FEDS shut the place down for selling illegal product. Whew! Good thing I got out quick.
I work in Pulmonary Medicine. Wear a mask cutting ANY wood/other product. Especially when you cut the cheese.
Here's proof MDF is as safe as ANY wood/product:
From http://www.safety.ed.ac.uk/resources/occ_hygiene/hygiene_update14.html

"It would appear that there is now sufficient evidence available to conclude that working with MDF presents no more, or less, of a health hazard than working with natural woods. Risk assessment should be carried out, in compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), before working with any woods and suitable control measures put in place to ensure that exposure to dusts is maintained at a level as far below the assigned Maximum Exposure Level (MEL) of 5mg m-3 as is practicable. Both hard and softwood dusts are designated as respiratory sensitisers and hardwood dust is defined as carcinogenic in Schedule 1 of COSHH."

I'm a nerd.

 

[lakesidestudios]

I've been misinformed.Maybe I was thinking of depleted uranium.

 

[anonymous]

God bless the nerd!



Have you seen Miss April yet?