Studio Buildout Pics

I renovated and soundproofed a 19'x15'x9' room in my home back in 2012 as my new studio. I've been recording exclusively in this room since September 2012. It took me a month or so to get familiar with the sound of the room (and led to remixing most of my catalog!) but I'm very happy with the results.

I've linked pics below. Enjoy!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/66213926@N03/sets/72157641769593325/

Really nice Mike...I like the guitar closet idea!

Mattfig said:

Really nice Mike...I like the guitar closet idea!

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Thanks, Matt! The closet and doors also have treatment, which is where my bass and guitar cabs are mic'd. I didn't think to take pic but I'll get to it soon and add another link.

I added a few pics of the cabinet closet. I used a combination of 705 panels, Auralex diffusers and Markertek 3" foam to treat the closet. Each cab sits on its own Auralex Great Gramma to de-couple it from the floor.

It's all kinda ugly but effective in eliminating phasing and other issues.

Doesn't look ugly at all.. looks kinda sweet. Some great ideas there. The way you hung the guitars in the closet off those wooden slats. Do those have any diffusion properties or do they just look cool?

My space is just about finished but it doesn't look half as cool as what you have. I might just post some pics when i get the DIY gobos up around the cab.

Kapo_Polenton said:

Doesn't look ugly at all.. looks kinda sweet. Some great ideas there. The way you hung the guitars in the closet off those wooden slats. Do those have any diffusion properties or do they just look cool?

My space is just about finished but it doesn't look half as cool as what you have. I might just post some pics when i get the DIY gobos up around the cab.

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Oh, thanks! I thought the closet was kind of ugly because that Markertek foam, while effective, is terribly difficult to cut. But every piece of treatment, including the 705's and diffusers were needed because without them, there was serious phasing. Unlike the control room, which I carefully planned out before construction began, the cabinet closet was a bit of a mystery and definitely sounded much different than my prior amp closet. Better and truer though for sure.

The slat walls don't provide any acoustic benefit but since they're anchored into stud with 4" steel lag bolts, they're a much sturdier option than drywall mounted guitar hangers. These hangers swivel and lock, which gives me a lot of flexibility in terms of hanging and allows for better and easier use of the space. They only cost $74.99 each shipped so they're affordable, too. But IIRC, the hangers were like $25 each.

I just received a pair of Producer's Choice 8.5 pound acoustic blankets and wow, it makes a huge difference in the closet. I just draped one blanked, folded in half, over the guitar and bass cab and the result is pretty awesome.

The guitars sound more "focused" and "tight". I *knew* there was some weird phasing artifacts happening because "Mono" sounded a bit strange with heavier tracks but now, it's focused, big time.

I bought the other to mount in between the two studio doors. I haven't figured out how I'll mount it but hopefully, it'll substantially reduce the bleed. It's not "bad" currently but any little bit will help.

For guys looking to dry up their room and deaden the sound, these would be a great solution, especially since they're offered with grommets, making for easy hanging and removal without massive repairs.

https://www.vocalboothtogo.com/acoustic-and-soundproofing-products-vocal-booths/acoustic-%28sound%29-blankets-for-sound-absorption---producers-choice/acoustic-blanket-producers-choice-solid-black/8-24#ja-pathway

Looks great. I need to get off my butt and get my basement studio going. I have a space about 26 long by 12 and only about 7' ceilings. Can't figure out where to put the guitar cabs so it not blaring in anyone's face. You closet idea might do the trick. I could open or close dors depending on how loud I can play. Great job Mike. Love the red walls.

I was going to say, with just the foam in the closet and the tight quarters, I thought you might just be deadening some highs and ending up with the same phasing or box like sound issues. Those producer blankets get great reviews. I am thinking of picking some up for my space as I have treated the walls and corners for the most part, but i have to do everything in one room. I was going to tent around the cab with draped blanket over some acoustic panels I have. Nice to see they actually do their job..

My next purchase I think, is monitors (and decouplers ) Tired of ear phones or isolation earphones. They only do one thing well... that's keeping sound out and saving the ears.

Mike361 said:

Looks great. I need to get off my butt and get my basement studio going. I have a space about 26 long by 12 and only about 7' ceilings. Can't figure out where to put the guitar cabs so it not blaring in anyone's face. You closet idea might do the trick. I could open or close dors depending on how loud I can play. Great job Mike. Love the red walls.

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I think the solution for me is re-amping when I am not physically in the space. So cut your direct track and work on your takes then pump it back through when you have a chance to open the amp up. Or use these to tent around the amp to bring some of the volume down in the room. Gotta be crafty at home if you don't have the space or a closet big enough to make it worth your while..

Kapo_Polenton said:

I was going to say, with just the foam in the closet and the tight quarters, I thought you might just be deadening some highs and ending up with the same phasing or box like sound issues.

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I could only hear phasing in Mono, which of course, is never used these days but it did bother me.

The Marktertek foam, Auralex Diffuser styrofoam and GIK 705 panels definitely tamed 98% of the closet and I've haven't had any tracks that needed remixing from clients, but the top and bottom end has been greatly improved (i.e., tamed even further) with one Producer's Blanket. The high end is so much smoother, probably because there's a 9' ceiling and guitars in the closet, allowing sound waves to bounce around the room.

I don't really notice a difference in DB's in the control room, as it was fairly quiet before (and never bled outside the room) but the top is smoother and the bottom less boomy. It was really noticeable on a bass track I cut yesterday - I was really blown away by the results, especially A/B'ing against the previous track that was cut sans blanket. I would imagine that you'd be able to cut guitar tracks with by draping a single blanket over your cabinet (and maybe build a frame of some sorts?) and two blankets would certainly suffice.

If you're going to re-amp, make sure you purchase a high quality Direct Box such as the Radial J48 phantom powered active box. Not only will you get a much better and accurate signal when reamping, it makes a HUGE difference if you choose to use a program like ReVavler or Guitar Rig 5 when tracking.

I set my 70 year old Dad up with a Cubase-based PC Studio last year with a Radial J48 to track guitars and bass using Komplete 9 and I'm actually pretty blown away by the results. The guitars and bass sound awesome but he's only using models like the AC30 and Fender Bassman, not full on shred Marshall's or Bogners. But the results are just flat out awesome.

Your other option is to use IR's or simulators like an ADA or Red Box by setting your Master Volume to zero will driving the sim with your effects loop. I think it's more convincing than IR's (and nearly indistinguishable from a mic'd cab, if done right).

Mike361 said:

Looks great. I need to get off my butt and get my basement studio going. I have a space about 26 long by 12 and only about 7' ceilings. Can't figure out where to put the guitar cabs so it not blaring in anyone's face. You closet idea might do the trick. I could open or close dors depending on how loud I can play. Great job Mike. Love the red walls.

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Thanks, Mike! You definitely have a nice space in which to create a studio and closet but make sure you take advantage of the length of the room because sound waves are super long. The longer they have to travel, the better your mixes will translate.

The dimension of my closet is 11.5' W x 34" D x 9' high. This gives me plenty of room to hang the guitars and mic up the cabs. You'll definitely need acoustic deadening material of some type or you'll experience phasing. In all honesty, I just used leftover materials from my other room and if I had to do it again, would purchase at least two 54"x54"x3" Markertek sheets and two of the Producer's Blankets mounted to the solid core closet doors (I already had the Auralex Great Gramma's, which are awesome and inexpensive). I think that overall, that would have provided me with a better solution but so much of doing things with the limitations of a home studio is trial and error.

The 7' ceiling is definitely a limitation, so if you plan to do any serious mixing, you'll want to purchase several bass traps for the corners and corner/wall joints, along with 705 panels over your mix station. Otherwise, it'll just sound like a giant blob of bass.

Good luck and please feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like any further suggestions and/or advice.

If you're going to re-amp, make sure you purchase a high quality Direct Box such as the Radial J48 phantom powered active box. Not only will you get a much better and accurate signal when reamping, it makes a HUGE difference if you choose to use a program like ReVavler or Guitar Rig 5 when tracking.

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That's exactly my plan.. the radial is the unit I am going to get so that I can not have to worry about the perfect settings on my amp or which module I feel like using etc.. right now I am going from the line out of my hotplate into Redwire cab impulses and it is pretty good actually. With some effects I could definitely play happily (and in silence) all day along. I still prefer the mic on the speaker though but it has got to be loud or else it is preamp fizz.

Very much appreciate the advice from those of you that have been through it. Saves a lot of trial and error. Right now I have a new toy, a jvm410 head running through my old 2x12 cab. Sounds incredible and the Marshall has a direct out that I plan on using to the daw. Haven't tried it yet but hopefully will work out although I will do most of my recording with the cab miked. I will definitely get some of the bass traps soon as I use drums in the room as well and need sound treatment to knock down some reverb. I am sure I will be referring back to this discussion.

Looks awesome Mike ,By the way love your recordings too man ,they sound great ,I'm always listening to the XMG+ one that you made a while ago ,It convinced me to buy one .

amesav said:

Looks awesome Mike ,By the way love your recordings too man ,they sound great ,I'm always listening to the XMG+ one that you made a while ago ,It convinced me to buy one .

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Wow, thank you for the kind words.

I'm finishing up a batch of tracks this month and I'll post a few with the Producer's Blankets. They're a game changer on the guitar and bass.

Mike361 said:

Very much appreciate the advice from those of you that have been through it. Saves a lot of trial and error. Right now I have a new toy, a jvm410 head running through my old 2x12 cab. Sounds incredible and the Marshall has a direct out that I plan on using to the daw. Haven't tried it yet but hopefully will work out although I will do most of my recording with the cab miked. I will definitely get some of the bass traps soon as I use drums in the room as well and need sound treatment to knock down some reverb. I am sure I will be referring back to this discussion.

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I find that treatment is more important than converters and even monitors. Properly treating your room with bass traps makes it much easier to attain mixes that translate well.

My experience is that traps like the GIK Tri-Traps and 705 panels not only look far better, they're infinitely more effective than Auralex foam. If you're handy, there are places online that sell the rock wool and filling so that you can build your own 705 traps for probably about 40% less pre-made.

I made my own and saved a ton of cash but Mike is right, the pro made ones look better than mine. I have some that look great, others where i must of had a few beers while putting the frames together. At the end of the day though, they look pretty good on the walls and they deaden the noise and flutter and bass in my space. If we could post pics right to this site I'd give you guys a tour of my studio space!

Next for me are monitors.. Mike P can you recommend something in the 250-350$ range? I was looking at Yorkville monitors. Canadian made and Canadian company. Support my local economy. I've read reviews of them out performing KRK monitors in the price range. Going to go listen with my ears this week.

Kapo_Polenton said:

Next for me are monitors.. Mike P can you recommend something in the 250-350$ range? I was looking at Yorkville monitors. Canadian made and Canadian company. Support my local economy. I've read reviews of them out performing KRK monitors in the price range. Going to go listen with my ears this week.

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$250-350 each or for the pair?

About 20 years ago, I owned a pair of Yorkville YSM-1's, which were awesome. My mixes still translate perfectly today and I can't remember why I felt I needed an upgrade. The subsequent mixes I made on KRK's and Tannoy Reveals pale in comparison.

I haven't listened to sub-$350 monitors in probably 15 years, so I'm not much help in that area. My methodology back in the day was to take in a mix CD with several songs that I liked sonically to see how the speakers responded in the same room.

There are a lot of options today so I'd recommend trying several before settling. Corner/wall bass traps and 705 panels over your mix station will go much further than over spending on monitors.

Mike P said:

Kapo_Polenton said:

Next for me are monitors.. Mike P can you recommend something in the 250-350$ range? I was looking at Yorkville monitors. Canadian made and Canadian company. Support my local economy. I've read reviews of them out performing KRK monitors in the price range. Going to go listen with my ears this week.

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$250-350 each or for the pair?

About 20 years ago, I owned a pair of Yorkville YSM-1's, which were awesome. My mixes still translate perfectly today and I can't remember why I felt I needed an upgrade. The subsequent mixes I made on KRK's and Tannoy Reveals pale in comparison.

I haven't listened to sub-$350 monitors in probably 15 years, so I'm not much help in that area. My methodology back in the day was to take in a mix CD with several songs that I liked sonically to see how the speakers responded in the same room.

There are a lot of options today so I'd recommend trying several before settling. Corner/wall bass traps and 705 panels over your mix station will go much further than over spending on monitors.

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Around 300-350$ for the pair depending on which ones I go for. These would likely be 6 or 8 inch speakers though I am not sure if i really need the 8 inch given the size of the room.

As long as they are clear and flat response, I think that is key isn't it? My wall over the mix station is treated up the wazoo. 4 inch thick bass traps floor to ceiling, two panels between them (2x4) and then first reflection points also have 2 x 4 panels. I also have bass trapping around my drums on the other side of the room and 2 x 4 panels on most walls in the space. (it is an open basement concept so not a closed in rectangle or square). The ceiling is also fiberglass tiles with pink insulation between the floors so that's the cloud above the whole room. Honestly, it is a pretty nice space with the laminate floor providing some reflection. A few people i have jammed with commented on the sound around the mix area and guitar cabs. Feels like it is clear and sucked out a lot of noise.

I'm going to def. give the yorkville's a listen and choose with my ears. To be honest, this is a hobby for me and nothing more, I am just tired of doing everything with isolation headphones on. It fatigues the muscles in my ears having these huge heavy things sucked up against them.