Jump to content

Solo rehearsal spaces


Chordite

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Something I am addressing right now, living in an overcrowded UK, is finding spaces to practice where I can let rip both guitar and vocally. I live in a terraced house on a main street so I have neighbors and want to stay on great terms with them

As a guitar band it is usual to hire a church hall or whatever and let Marshall do his thing. That works

However as a solo performer that isn't working for me it just felt wrong ( and expensive when the cost isn't split) pitching up with your gear in a big hall on your own, almost spooky. The only place I can let rip vocally is while driving the car.

 

How are you other Solo guys dealing with this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've been using the living room lately. I have some time home alone through the week and the neighbors haven't complained yet, Of course my nearest neighbors are pretty old ,maybe they don't even hear me . I sing as loud as i want but not screaming, I don't crank the amp super loud because I still like my ears.

Do you have a basement where you could build a studio with acoustic insulation. ?

Would it be possible to rent a small lesson room at a music shop?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I mostly practice with headphones or IEMs on - plugged into my mixer. That way I can run my guitar and voice (and backings, if needed) and also get a pretty good idea what the front of house will sound like and tweak the levels and panning etc.

 

I also used a noise control drywall system and special glass when I renovated it, so it's not too bad. I'd never run a guitar amp at night or at high volume though. I use a profiling amp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sound proof your bedroom using different things on the cheap. Find a neighbor that will take a moment and listen out for you so you can test it on different levels.

 

Might want to test first before going to the expense of modding the room (which to be truly effective, is going to be at least somewhat significant in terms of construction and costs) - even if you need to mod things to be effective, the initial measurements will give you a benchmark to work from and will tell you a LOT about how much bleed you're getting and where you need to put the soundproofing.

 

OP, by any chance do you have a large walk-in closet or small room you could dedicate to practicing in? Also, do you own your home, or rent?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

OP, by any chance do you have a large walk-in closet or small room you could dedicate to practicing in? Also, do you own your home, or rent?

 

 

It was a downsize so I don't have a lot of space but I do own it outright :)

Also at the top of the garden is a substantial block built shed (pic) about 80 square feet and I am considering the potential there. It's a bit drastic but probably achievable.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n32087524[/ATTACH]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

It was a downsize post divorce, (you know how that familiar story goes) so I don't have a lot of space but I do own it outright :)

Also at the top of the garden is a substantial block built shed (pic) about 80 square feet and I am considering the potential there. It's a bit drastic but probably achievable.

fetch?filedataid=127460

 

There's your answer right there. :)

 

Block wall is pretty darned good at sound attenuation.

 

Since you own it, you can modify it to your heart's content. A layer or two of green glue and a couple of layers of gypsum sheetrock over the interior walls (green glue between each layer), as well as some limp mass vinyl to the floor under some carpet and pad (you could float the floor, but that's probably not necessary - put the amp(s) on floating risers instead) and you'll probably be all set. You might need to cover the ceiling in something like limp mass vinyl too - it looks like a tin roof, right? Add a bit of acoustic foam or fabric covered semi-rigid compressed fiberglass / rock wool in the corners, on the walls and ceiling, and it should sound half way decent inside there too.

 

But before you do anything else, first test it out. Put an amp in there and blaze away at the volume level you typically expect to use while you have someone else checking with a SPL meter (they make SPL apps for most smart phones that are either free, or dirt cheap) to see how loud it is. Measure the SPL in the room, and then outside, and then if possible, also the level(s) below the block room, if it's on a roof or upper floor. If it's not, and it's free-standing, that's even better!

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks Phil Really interesting, I hadn't come across green glue before but it looks like a game changer they have a UK dealership which is good.

It looks like it could work on the house interior too without taking too much off the room dimensions compared to the usual wall batons and 'stuffed cavity' way of soundproofing which I had ruled out . I will investigate. Glad I asked now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

That shed is sort of like my situation. We had a single garage that we didn't use for a car, so I converted it into a secure, alarmed space. Half as a rumpus room and half for my office.

I worked for a drywall manufacturer for many years, so I've got more experience than most with how to attenuate sound transfer. The key is to initially think of it like water. If there are any air leaks or regular glass windows then most of anything you do will be wasted. Those are called flanking paths.

 

So I used 2 layers of high density drywall (stagger the joins so the 2nd layer overlaps the joins on the first), dense polyester insulation, double-glazed windows with laminated glass and put a wall-mounted heat pump unit in so I can control the temp and humidity without breaching the envelope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Looks like the best solution. If climate control is an issue you could try running a dehumidifier when you are not practicing. As an added bonus it also warms the air.. Somehow when I think of England I think cool and damp although I've never been there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Looks like the best solution. If climate control is an issue you could try running a dehumidifier when you are not practicing. As an added bonus it also warms the air.. Somehow when I think of England I think cool and damp although I've never been there.

 

You could say damp yes :) Two years back we had 90 days of continuous rain! To be fair it did follow a good Summer

Here is video of a drive along Cumbria's roads with the emergency services .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-35320126/dashcam-footage-shows-rescue-teams-brave-floods-in-cumbria

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the best solution. If climate control is an issue you could try running a dehumidifier when you are not practicing. As an added bonus it also warms the air.. Somehow when I think of England I think cool and damp although I've never been there.

 

I live in the Southern California desert... when I looked at it, I thought "air conditioning" - not heat. :lol:

 

Heating it with an electric heater would be the approach I'd probably take - it's a pretty small space. But you're right - good weather proofing / waterproofing, and a way to keep warm would be a must for someone in the UK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're good with sheetrock, you can do interior walls that look standard, but have pretty significant attenuation, and by using limp mass vinyl and green glue, you can do it without needing / adding nearly as much depth / thickness to the wall. Lots of acoustically-savvy builders use it in home interiors now. It's good stuff!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Might want to test first before going to the expense of modding the room (which to be truly effective, is going to be at least somewhat significant in terms of construction and costs) - even if you need to mod things to be effective, the initial measurements will give you a benchmark to work from and will tell you a LOT about how much bleed you're getting and where you need to put the soundproofing.

 

OP, by any chance do you have a large walk-in closet or small room you could dedicate to practicing in? Also, do you own your home, or rent?

 

 

​I've used cheap foam cushions stuff in windows and carpet on the back of doors. Cheap foam self stick insulation tape on door facings. Cheap foam mattress pads with double sided window plastic tape hung on the walls. You can significantly shut down noise from a spare bedroom for cheap without any construction cost outside your own time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The main sound problem is that it is a 1846 stone cottage with a single layer wall between the two houses, so I need to do a serious job on the wall. I bought it to refurb and move on in a couple of years. The green glue is expensive but not too bad in scale of the refurb overhead and enhancing the value. But yeah for the "Abbey Road" shed I might try your route first. If I also use expanding foam in the open steel roof ends it may well be enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

"The main sound problem is that it is a 1846 stone cottage with a single layer wall between the two houses, so I need to do a serious job on the wall. I bought it to refurb and move on in a couple of years. The green glue is expensive but not too bad in scale of the refurb overhead and enhancing the value. But yeah for the "Abbey Road" shed I might try your route first. If I also use expanding foam in the open steel roof ends it may well be enough."

 

​Ok, so your flipping the house soon and don't intend on keeping it for personal use. In the UK do they have storage unit places. Here in the states we have places built on big lots where you can basically rent a room to store your overflow stuff in on the temp. Some are even climate controlled rooms. The only time people are there is when they put stuff in or take stuff out. Rent one and jam in there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...