Studio Owners - Construction Question

[scuppari]

Hi all... I posted this question on the homerecording.com BBS & did not get a response. Thought I would try here...

I've seen tons of great studios posted here (Show us your Studio thread) and I'm in the process of building my first home studio. My question...

Do you think the commercial (high STC) doors are worth the money or should I stick w/ a solid core door w/ good seals? What did you use in your studio?

[Parnellian]

I'm building a home studio myself and am curious as well....BUMP

[jbr]

Are you constructing a "sound proof room" or acoustically treating an existing room?

If sound proofing your room, mass is required. STC ratings are only as good as the lowest studio construction component rating. The walls, doors, ceiling and floor must adhere to the same standards. For my home studio, the price of commercial studio doors" was not worth it. So I opted for 1 3/4" solid-core wood doors...along with 3 heavy duty hinges per door and a rubber seal all around. You might even want to fix 2 doors together as long as the door frame and hinges will support the extra weight. Or construct a sound trap at each entrance.

My studio walls were created using steel studs filled with Roxul, then 2 x 5/8" drywall. Outside walls are single stud, interior walls are double. The ceiling has 2 x 5/8" drywall on resilient channels. Since the studio is located in the basement, the floor required only carpet.

Any questions?
Jim

[Roy Howell]

scuparri,
Also, you might email Phil(O'Keefe) directly for advice, if he doesn't happen to see this topic. He's got some good experience in this area...
[email protected]

~Roy

[Parnellian]

Jim,

Thanks for the reply.

I was looking around the internet and for what I need the cost would not be justified.

My room will be new construction on the second story of my home so I will be building "a room within a room".

There are many other factors that I must take into consideration (i.e. air conditioning vents, floor, ceiling, etc.), but let's just say that the rest of the room is up to par.

I was considering using two solid doors that both swing outward with rubber sealing.

Being that your room is well built with regards to soundproofing, does the 1 3/4" solid door that is sealed suffice?

I know that STC ratings are the only way to identify the true value of any method, but I would just like to know your opinion.

If you could go back, would you have gone with a different design?

What is Roxul?

Thanks for your help with this,
Ian

[scuppari]

I'm building a new studio in my basement. I've filled existing 2x6 walls and ceiling joists with a cellulose-type product called celbar. STC rating of my walls and ceiling is approx. 62-63.
The window between the control & live room consists of 9/16" laminate glass and 3/8" laminate glass. STC is 57 for window.

In order for me to achieve a similar STC on the door, I've got to drop $2800 for the pair of doors. Is it worth it?

[Phil O'Keefe]

When it comes to STC, mass is important, as is air tightness. A solid wall with a STC of 60 dB may as well not even be there if you put holes in it that take up only a very small percentage of its total surface area.... and you'd be surprised by how little it takes to ruin the effectiveness of an otherwise very serviceable wall...

If you have the space to build sound traps (essentially small, well insulated hallways with double doors - one at each end - to further impede the sound), I would recommend that. And as far as doors, you can go all out with the commercial doors... or you can get some of the pre-hung Stanley steel clad, solid core, fire rated doors... they are fairly massive, but not too expensive. Clad them with a layer of Auralex Sheetblok on each side (which adds mass and improves LF attenuation), and then a layer of acoustic foam. The seals are not too bad, but if you really want to improve things, add extra seals to those the door comes with... You end up with a pretty darn effective door on a real world budget...

Hope this helps.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Oh, and for those building a "room within a room", make sure each seperate "room" has its own door. IOW, if you're floating a room, that door should be attached to the floated structure, while the other door should be attached to the existing structure.

[homerg]

Does anyone know a good source of information if someone wants to build a separate building for a studio. I have a big yard and would like to look into how much it will be to build a studio in my yard.

[tptman]

acoustics101