I got some advice from a member’s son about how we could get the podcast/sound room set up acoustically in a way we’d be happy. They suggested:
Walls The ideal solution is to hang floor-to-ceiling heavy velvet curtains (like school auditorium curtains) in sections around the entire room. The sections should slide back and forth so you can adjust sound reflection as needed. We should look for schools getting rid of old curtains.
Alternatively, we could make acoustic panels by wrapping R19 insulation with fabric, mounting it on MDF backing, and affixing the panels to the walls. We’d need to consult Josh to determine how many panels the space requires.
Josh advised against egg-crate acoustic panels—he used them for a sound booth and was disappointed with the results. They absorb sound but don’t provide adequate soundproofing.
Ceiling The room height is fine—no dropped ceiling needed.
Control Room Ideally, build a double wall with an airspace between the layers. If that’s not possible, construct a single wall in this order: drywall, foam, stud, R19 insulation, foam, drywall.
Doors Check for gaps under doors and seal them with weatherstripping, thresholds, or door draft stoppers.
Other Considerations
What’s inside the large grey box mounted on the wall? If it contains a fan, it will create ongoing sound issues.
Install an 8-channel cable snake through the wall between the control room and studio, and soundproof the opening.
Josh is happy to answer any additional questions. Let us know your thoughts.
I’d love to help with this too! I have some acoustic panels in Milwaukee I could donate, but I don’t have a way to transport them at the moment.
I have a copy of “how to build a small budget recording studio from scratch” I could bring by the maker space next time I’m around. I picked it up thinking I might try to build a mini isobooth in my apartment, but never did!
I’d like to organize a meeting (next month?) for folks interested in helping build this space out.
Some things we could discuss:
Equipment donations
Equipment needs
Sound treatment (process, requirements, etc)
Use cases and audiences
I’d also like to advocate for rebranding the space as an audio lab, to open it up for general sound work beyond just podcasting. Off the top of my head some use cases could be: students recording demos for auditions, theater groups recording radio plays for local broadcast, ecologists doing field recording analysis, sound art, etc!
Here are a few random proposed dates next month to get the ball rolling:
Sorry I’m super late to the party, but this is a space I’m definitely interested in have have experience with. I can’t meet on the 1st but could probably make one of the other two dates work. I have some gear I could possibly donate. And also experience with doing sound treatments.
I’m excited for this, thank you @erik and @j_dat for getting this moving! I posted it on our site and had Erik print an extra sign for our board. Will include in a future email of upcoming events in the space.
I’ll try and make the next meeting, but Jon (my husband) plans to be there. I have experience in radio, podcasting and building my own sound spaces with Jon. I’m just on night shift on the 10th.
