[starsailor]

Hi guys, This is a spare building I have for a studio, just wanted some thoughts, tips, ideas, it is a bit small but all I have available just need some space for myself as the house is starting to resemble the Subway at Rush hour due to recent additions to the family, interested to hear any opinions on how to get the best out of it, here are some details.

The buildings about 4.5 meters long and about 3 meters wide, the roof height is about 4.5 meters no ceiling, it's not that big but the only spare building I have, it has quite a high pitched roof and the walls are quite thick as it is an old building with cob walls which was a material used for building a few hundred years ago over here they are pretty soundproof, it has a solid oak door not a lot gets through that either and one window that I might have to soundproof a bit.
Here's a picture my Daughter took yesterday, it's a bit bigger than it looks as she wasn't right at the back of the room but gives a general idea

Cheers

Chris

[X4StringDrive]

Thats cool Chris, you'll luv the fact of just having a place to keep everything set-up and ready at your disposal, not to mention an escape from the asylum Bet the acoustics are cool in there. First thing I would recommend would be a small
refridgerator{ lol}. How's the power supply situation? Oh yeah, second thing would be the "do not disturb" sign{tip:nail it to the door }

[starsailor]

Thanks for having a look Kenny, a fridge is on the list and a deck chair for outside, it has four electric sockets so should take all the plugs and it has plenty of light, it's quite a relaxing building, my Daughter chose the color scheme Mellow Yellow, The roof is very high for a small building, it has a stone floor and echoed quite a lot, the carpet has dampened the sound down a bit, we played the old keyboard in there yesterday and got quite a good sound but the acid test will be the recording, just wondered if I needed any bass traps or things like that or would that be over the top

[carol m]

I was thinking Mellow Yellow, and then there it was in your post! Great Minds (or something). Is that sunshine I see???? I just watched Doc Martin on the TV, is that anywhere near you?

I reckon that room looks perfect (don't know anything about acoustics) sometimes I dreeeaam of a hidy hole like that, oh well, its good to have family around too. I just like the idea of a big solid door!

[X4StringDrive]

Originally Posted by starsailor

the acid test will be the recording, just wondered if I needed any bass traps or things like that or would that be over the top

once you have recorded a take or three, it should give you an idea of what may or may not be needed as to acoustic
treatment{s}

[allthumbs]

looks good. I don't think you will have any problems that a mixer can't fix.

[Doug]

You may need bass traps for such a small place and maybe diffusers. Check out Ethan Winer's site - he has tons of info about conditioning small areas for better sound. Looks like a great retreat.
Build a Better Bass Trap
I think he has another website - I posted the URL before, but I can't find it right now.

[starsailor]

Originally Posted by carol m

I was thinking Mellow Yellow, and then there it was in your post! Great Minds (or something). Is that sunshine I see???? I just watched Doc Martin on the TV, is that anywhere near you?

I reckon that room looks perfect (don't know anything about acoustics) sometimes I dreeeaam of a hidy hole like that, oh well, its good to have family around too. I just like the idea of a big solid door!

That color does put me in a good mood, it looks a bit brighter in the picture I leave my Daughter to interior design she usually gets things right she thought white was a bit boring

Doc Martin I didn't know you got that in Australia, it's quite a way from me it's in North Cornwall and we're at the most southerly point the Lizard Peninsula.
Here's where it's made Port Isaac, they also made Poldark there don't know if that was shown in Australia, if you know it I only watched it to see Demelza (Angharad Rees) I was quite taken by her.

Port Isaac and Port Gaverne, Port Wenn

The room is nice and it is good to have it available, we had it for my Daughter as a small sitting room/bolt hole but she has my room now as she has the Baby, it will give me a space of my own, I love my family but recording has been impossible recently, there seems to be people everywhere and it's been getting me down a bit, we've been storing stuff in there, I had a few complaints about moving everything out but I dug my heels in this time and I knew how I wanted it so stuck to my guns

Hope You're Well Carol

All the Best

Chris

[starsailor]

Originally Posted by X4StringDrive

once you have recorded a take or three, it should give you an idea of what may or may not be needed as to acoustic
treatment{s}

Ok Kenny, I'll take it a step at a time when I put recordings on you guys should be able to give some feedback too so that will be helpful

Originally Posted by allthumbs

looks good. I don't think you will have any problems that a mixer can't fix.

Thanks for having a look allthumbs, I still need to get a mixer as my gear is pretty basic at the
moment

Originally Posted by Doug

You may need bass traps for such a small place and maybe diffusers. Check out Ethan Winer's site - he has tons of info about conditioning small areas for better sound. Looks like a great retreat.


Build a Better Bass Trap
I think he has another website - I posted the URL before, but I can't find it right now.

Thanks for having a look Doug and for the links, I read somewhere about bass traps and thought they might be required but I wasn't too sure I think the most common question is, is this big enough for a studio but it's easier for people to comment if they see a picture, thanks for helping me out, always appreciated

[eddiez152]

Chris,
Nice start.
What about heating and cooling ? Humidity issues ?
I assume that has been done.

[Jomi]

Originally Posted by eddiez152

Chris,
Nice start.
What about heating and cooling ? Humidity issues ?
I assume that has been done.

It's England Eddie it'll always be cold and damp

Brilliant Chris, that should be great, maybe you should frost out the glass though so people can't see in, presumably your going to leave some pretty expensive stuff in there - I'd definitely have to do that round here!

What's a bass trap?

[starsailor]

Originally Posted by eddiez152

Chris,
Nice start.
What about heating and cooling ? Humidity issues ?
I assume that has been done.

Hi Eddie, it is quite like Jomi said but it's surprisingly tropical down here and there are a lot of tropical plants down here that wouldn't survive in other parts of the UK, I actually have a Hygrometer for Humidity which I used in my Polytunnel when I had it, the Polytunnels long gone (it used to get humid in there) but I kept the hygrometer so I'll pop it in there, the walls though are so thick that they tend to regulate the temperature so it is pretty consistent it is quite cool in the summer and doesn't actually get very cold in there in the winter, the building actually doesn't get damp at all, the floor isn't porous,my house has a bit of damp in the winter but this building is pretty consistent, I wasn't too sure about keeping the guitars out there but I think they will be ok, I do have a heater for it if it gets very cold but we don't get frost down here and rarely get ice, one of the biggest problems is the salt air as we're surrounded by the sea. I will put the hygrometer in there to see what the humidity is, I have it in the house at the moment so I can compare the two. Thanks for having a look Eddie

Originally Posted by Jomi

It's England Eddie it'll always be cold and damp
.



Brilliant Chris, that should be great, maybe you should frost out the glass though so people can't see in, presumably your going to leave some pretty expensive stuff in there - I'd definitely have to do that round here!

What's a bass trap?

I used to live in Gloucestershire John and I honestly miss the heavy frosts and the snow, in the Countryside the landscape and trees are a wonderful sight in the Winter, it rarely snows down here, it's quite windy and it does seem to rain a lot but the Scenery is breathtaking and the lifestyles pretty laidback.
This is no word of a lie John, I haven't seen a police car out my way since 2001, there have been two robberies out here in that period, one house down the road has been burgled 3 times and some equipment was stolen from a property in a nearby village but that's about it. I know where all the local criminals live that's how small this place is, they only seem to target new houses for some reason, our house is inside a walled courtyard with a gate and we have light sensors which light up like a football stadium and there's always someone on the property so strangers get spotted, , and we also have 5 Dogs but I have a lock on the door as nothings ever 100% safe these days unfortuately

Pleased you like it John, I'll have to refer you to Doug's link for the Bass trap, it's to do with the way sound bounces round the room so recordings can sound quite bassy if the balance isn't right, I'll do a few recordings hopefully that won't be an issue but as Doug pointed out it can be a problem in a smaller area.

Hope you're well and good to hear from you

Cheers

Chris

[knight46]

Great looking room Chris. Enjoy, enjoy enjoy...

[starsailor]

Thanks for having a look Knight, I was a bit concerned it was too small, so getting you guys to have a look has allayed those concerns, it's going to be nice to have my own space

[knight46]

Small is just another word for cozy