Members Gas Hed Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 So I'm getting a new house and luckily the basement is unfinished. The wife always new that when we get a new castle for her I get dips on the basement. I want to build a nice practice area and I'm wondering if there are any tips out there on how to build it. The main reason I'm asking this is because in my current home I practice in my basement that has laminate flooring. Everything sounds "tinish" because the sound is bouncing so much. So I'm guessing carpet is the way to go? Would drop ceiling have any effect or should I go dry wall all around? Is it worth investing in sound deadening materials? Thanks for any tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jelloman Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 What I would build... start with the floor...treated 2x4s with foam insulation in the voids...vapor barrier...plywood subfloor... then the walls...2x4 again...insulation...vapor barrier...drywall... a couple ventilation ducts for heat/AC with a return...a full 30 amp circuit dedicated to it... drop ceiling with sound proof tiles...and NO FLOURESCENT lights...pots with bulbs... carpeted floors, painted walls...either tapestry type curtains or acoustic tiles on at least one wall... Of course some here will say this is excessive...but that's what I would do... you can also go to home depot/lowes and look into one of the new-fangled basement finishing systems...I have no experience with them so I won't comment or recomend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tiltsta Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 My brother built a music room in his basement and went with double drywall on stud walls and the ceiling to cut down on noise. He also added fabric panels to the walls and ceiling, and carpet. It seemed to work last time I visited, as his son was down there playing drums and it was barely audible on the first floor. I think most of what we heard was vibration through the studs and stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 's mel gibson Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 The carpet is a good idea. A real studio seems to be a room within a room. With double doors. For deadening the walls, I've found that compressed cork board, I think it's called dona cona is really good. I don't know how expensive it is these days for a 4X8 sheet of the stuff but it really works well. It really makes a room sound absolutely 'dead'. So there is no 'ambience' of a hallway. That 'Headley Grange thing'. A headphone monitoring system would be a good idea if you and your bandmates can adapt to them. Some people hate headphones but in a real studio, it's a fact of life. Roland V-drums work well but then again, some drummers don't like them and the problems with leakage onto other tracks usually calls for an isolation area, like a separate room for acoustic drums. You might also experiment with the rest of the band going direct. Like the bass and keys. Some guitarists hate this but, others get used to it. A recording booth with a window was the norm but I think that with the cheap prices of 32" flatscreen tv's, and a half-assed digital movie camera, that might be better than a window. And it could always be recording. Just some thoughts of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IdaCrue Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 A friend of mine has a great music room in his basement, a couple things he learned after he built it..... 1. Make it as big as you think you need, then make it bigger.2. He sound proofed his walls and ceiling, but the vent ducts carry the sound upstairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HeimBrent Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 Check out Gearslutz.com for loads of tips on how to treat the room, but I got a few short ones... 1. If you treat the floor, leave the roof(and vica versa).2. Basstraps and panels. Make 'em yourself. Easier, cheaper and often better looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 I didnt got with any subfloor since I did not want that to eat into the overall height of the room. I went with padding/vapor barrier over sealed concrete, then pergo knockoff laminate with a 6.5' x 6.5' (thick) wool rug - off-center. the room is roughly 11' x 12' x 7.5'. yes, its primarily just for me. Drop ceiling (thin frame to avoid that corporate look), punched out two windows (gotta have natural light!) w/heavey tapestry curtains, baseboard heat on one side of the room. 1 small AC window unit and one small dehumidifier conditions the whole lower level perfectly in the summer - about 500 sq ft @ 70 degrees, 45-50% hummidity. Left and right side of the level are on seperate circuits. I knew I'd find use for that 200 amp service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kap'n Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 Ventillation is key if it's going to be all sealed up. Also, a fridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roy Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 read this and a few more books on acoustics before building anything. use a split AC system for heat/cooling that won't pipe the music upstairs. it's quiet but doesn't ventilate (open a door on occasion). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ralph onion Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 A good exhaust fan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gas Hed Posted July 11, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 Awesome tips - keep 'em coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarist970 Posted July 11, 2010 Members Share Posted July 11, 2010 USG makes really good drop cealing tiles that offer good sound proofing. I did some acoustic research for them right out of college, though it wasn't my main project sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.