VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Lizden]

OK...in the next 6 months to a year (maybe? possibly...who knows!) we may have to move out of our current home. So I'm looking to set up a studio in our small house in upstate NY as a possible permanent studio, possibly as a 2nd one. But I want to do it correctly.

The thing is it's a small space, and I'm used to being in a booth...don't know why, but I feel better in a booth as opposed to being in an open room...since most of my gear will be in the same space as well.....even though I loved Pam Tierney's setup in Chicago! SO I'm open to suggestions.

There are no closets in this space because we had to take out the one that was there 13 years ago when we added the handicapped shower for my mom and expanded the bathroom which is right next door.

The wall on the right as you walk in may be able to be moved, but not sure if we have the funds for that or whether it's a supporting wall. So I can't consider that at the moment (It's adjacent to what is another larger bedroom was was my folk's room and is now ours).

So:

Here is the floorplan:


Here is the 3D rendering:


Here are some pictures of the space as it is now.
Obviously the bed (& kitty litter box!) will be out. I'll probably have another desk and the big bookcase will be moved to the left wall as you walk in.

Entrance:


Looking left as you walk in:




Left wall:


Looking back towards the entrance of the space:


Thanks SO much for any ideas!
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

[Mike Sommer]

I haven't crunched any numbers on this, but as I look at the measurements it should be doable.

I do have a few questions:
How quiet is this room? (foot fall, machine noise, AC, road-- anything)
How hight is the ceiling?
What is behind the wood paneling on the wall?
Is the floor concrete or wood
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Lizden]

Hey Mike!
Great questions! OF COURSE!
Thanks SO much for taking the time to look at this!

So:
How quiet is this room? (foot fall, machine noise, AC, road-- anything)
The window on the right is the back right window of the house. There is a road that passes in front of the house and so there is some road traffic. BUT it is a country road and it's not a huge amount, but still needs to be taken into account.
The other window faces our 4 acres of meadow.
We don't have any central air in the house, BUT the Heating unit/Furnace is right under this room in the basement....if you look at the "Entrance" picture you'll see a heating vent on the right wall in front of the book case.

There is a room above this room (Used to be the attic that had a dormer put on to add 2 extra rooms on the 2nd floor) but this would only be used by guests, so not a real issue.

How hight is the ceiling?: I meant to include this on the floor plan & forgot! It's 94" (7' 10") high

What is behind the wood paneling on the wall? I am 99% sure it's drywall. I know that's what the left wall is.

Is the floor concrete or wood: Wood covered with linoleum (This was my family's country home & my mom decided it was easier to keep linoleum clean with kids running in & out of the house both in summer & winter!

Any other questions, just let me know!
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

[ballenberg]

Okay, I must admit, I can't wait to see what's next here from Mike---Vicarious studio-build excitement!

[Mike Sommer]

I opened my mouth to soon. You will have some issues with this room, especially with Flutter Echo; because the width is narrower than the height there will be a long decay time. This room will need 100% treatment on the walls, and clouds on the ceiling. I would also install carpet on the floor with a padding.

The short hall/entry/alcove will be the cause of even more echo and flutter. This area will need to be fully treated or sealed off to keep sound from entering this area. The red sections are intended to be heavy "HEAVY" floor to ceiling curtains; velvet, duvetyne are two fabrics that come to mind. The curtains should be densely pleated to provide more mass.

OR you can add a second door leading into the room, this will make a nice air lock; so as long as it is sealed around the edges and is a an 1 hour fire door.

Windows are a problem too. Installing thick glass storm windows will help greatly. Caulking around the storm window with Sekilfex 1a will help seal them off even more. If noise is still a problem the windows can be plugged.

Now even though this room has some problems, I think they are treatable. But what really makes this really nic is that you can move around in this room and act.





_________________
The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Lizden]

O.M.G.!!!!!
Mike you ROCK!

This is amazing....Thank you SOOOOOO much.

I totally agree that the windows need to be redone (they are over 30 years old!) and I see what you mean about the entrance space.

RE: The treatment of the ceiling & walls: is that using the "703" that several others here have used? (& what's the exact name of that stuff? )

RE: The corners: Is that Auralex?

Mike, I can't thank you enough. Really. You are a gem!

I will take your suggestions to heart & figure out how to set-up my gear.

OMG....this is awesome!
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

[captain54]

I'll defer to Mike since he's the expert, but from my research I've found that 703 trapping in the corners is more effective than Auralex or LENRD traps in the corners.

The Roxul Rockboard 60 seems to be a more economical alternative to 703, but the ATS site below only offers it in 2" width. And I'll bet my britches 2" for corner trapping isn't gonna cut it

http://www.atsacoustics.com/cat--Fiberglass-and-Mineral-Wool-Batts-and-Boards--106.html

Auralex LENRD traps

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Auralex-Studio-Foam-LENRD-Bass-Traps?sku=422628&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=26028623

[Mike Sommer]

[Mike Sommer]

[captain54]

[Mike Sommer]

Sorry. But you want to know something, pound for pound rigid insulation is cheaper than foam and it is three times as effective.
_________________
The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[JTVG]

Liz,
I'm using Insul-shield to build superchunk bass traps according to this guy's plan.

I really like his design for both support and aesthetics. Building 5 of them and just finished cutting all the triangles last night. (48 per 8 foot tall trap) I'll let you know how it goes.
_________________
Joe Szymanski
http://www.joethevoiceguy.com

[Mike Sommer]

First you cut a 2'x4' sheet of insulation in half, then cut each square from corner to corner so that you have 4 triangles.


Then stack into the corners. Like so...



For you really adventurous folks the ceilings and floors have corners too.


Make a light frame and cover with an acoustically transparent fabric. If you can breath through it, it's transparent. I like Guilford Of Main FR 701 fabric. -- yes it is a little expensive, but you get less waste with this material, it's fire proof, and there are many lovely colors from which to choose.

Set cover into place (I use a similar wood blocks on the wall like in the other guys website and velcro) pour cocktails and enjoy.
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Deirdre]

For the record:

I love Mike Sommer O yes I do.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Mike Sommer]

And I love you as much as I love Sidecar cocktails in the evning and French Toast in the morning. And I love them very much.
_________________
The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.