I'm currently taking a studio recording course in school (part of why I haven't done any recording in the past few months) and for a class project we're supposed to design an ideal studio. It was assigned today so I only have a few ideas of what I want in my studio. I'd really appreciate it if I could get some examples of the spaces you record in and what soundproofing/diffusing and other acoustic methods you use to create a decent sound. Even if you don't have it in your own studio, I'd like some suggestions as to what you would do if you could to improve your space or what your ideal studio would be like. If anyone is feeling particularly generous or has some free time on their hands, I'd also appreciate it if you could post or pm me some pictures of your recording space for visual reference. Since my particular "studio" is going to be specific to bands with no more than 5 members, I don't really need any advice for orchestral recording.
Since the project also entails figuring out which building materials to use, I wouldn't mind hearing what some of you use at home. For example, drywall, acoustic foam, carpets, etc. Cost isn't an issue since the studio won't actually be built, so feel free to let me know of any products you've heard of that do wonderous things.
When I was still in high school and living with my parents, my room had an attached walk-in attic. We called it the Computer Room because that was where I kept my desk and computer, so it was the logical place for me to start recording when I got into that.
I miss that space. In a lot of ways, it was an ideal recording spot. There was a lot that was wrong with my recording chain back then, but the room was excellent.
For starters, it was oddly-shaped. The ceiling was the roof, so it slanted down for about half of the room. There was also a block built in the room taking up another corner (it was there to mask what otherwise would have been exposed air conditioning ducts). The carpet was thick, too. The material the ceiling was made of some kind of wood, and wasn't great, but it had holes, and underneath there was some kind of insulation, and I'm pretty sure the end effect was incredible sound absorption. The room itself was also isolated from the rest of the house, being in a corner like it was, so I could be as loud as I wanted.
One time, I left my electric guitar plugged into my preamp, which was being monitored by my computer speakers, and then forgot to turn things off before going downstairs. It got caught in a very loud feedback loop, but no one managed to hear it until we came to the foot of the stairs. And even then it was more like a "Do you hear that? What is that?" kind of sound.
The downside? If it was raining, I couldn't record. Period. I mentioned that the ceiling abutted the roof, right? That's why the ceiling was slanted. This meant that every single raindrop reverberated into the room.
Of course, notmark, if money is no object for your project, you might look into a detached, "floating" room for sound isolation. I went to a high school that had special programs for the Creative Arts, and many of the music students (especially the drummers) used rooms that were only attached to the building through pneumatic struts. They were going nuts in there, but we couldn't hear a thing. I don't know the technical term for it, and my google-fu is weak today.
Sounds like a fun project. Gonna share the blueprints with us when you're done?
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I have seen some pretty awesome studio setups here by members over the past couple years. The ones that comes to mind first are Spud's and Adam's.
Spud has a separate control room in his with a clear visual out the the musicians and from the pics, looked pretty damn organized with Mr Potato heads everywhere.
Adam got all crazy with meters (iirc) in his and strategically placed bass blockers and other acoustic enhancing things in his studio until he created an almost perfect recording space. I think he had a vocal booth too.
Me. I have a spare bedroom/cat room/office/naked dancing/music room. All my gear and recording stuff is in said room. It has a couch that folds out to a bed, acoustic cottage cheese ceiling, and a mini fridge always stocked with beer. I do have to unplug the mini fridge during mic recording, because it seem to be the perfect frequency for my mics to really focus on, even though it's very quiet. Maybe I should just get an ice chest.
But between the couch and the ceiling, the rooms acoustics aren't too bad. Not perfect, but nothing I can't fix in the mix.
I played in a band that practiced in one of those things!!! Rats chewed their way in and chewed up the carpet on my amp.
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Oddly enough, that's very close to the blueprints I have right now. The only difference being I'm including amp boxes and a dip in the floor in front of the console. I've also decided to "float" the room on hockey pucks; a studio in Calgary did that and I went mental on their drums the other day and no one could hear me from the hallway.
Me$$iah, thanks for the link. That site's definitely going to come in handy.
Generic, the oddly-shaped room is also being incorporated into my blueprints. If I can't figure out how to do that in the vocal booth, I'm thinking of using polycylindrical diffusers. And yes, I will post my blueprints/list of materials when I'm finished.
