IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE KEYBOARD AND GUITAR AND BASS ARE IN TUNE.  AND LET’S NOT FORGET THE SINGER!  BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ROOM ?  YES, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE ROOM YOU DO THE RECORDING IN AND ALSO (JUST AS IMPORTANT, THE ROOM YOU MIX DOWN IN, SHOULD ALSO BE TUNED.  NOW MANY PEOPLE WILL SAY "JUST PUT SOME ACOUSTIC CUT FOAM ON THE WALL AND MAKE SURE THE SPEAKERS ARE WITHIN A FOOT OR TWO TO YOUR EARS, AND YOU’VE GOT IT"!

YOU BET YOU GOT IT......A REAL MESS THAT IS (ONCE YOU TAKE THOSE TRACKS OUT TO ANOTHER SYSTEM TO LISTEN ON).  NOT TO MENTION ‘EAR FATIGUE’.

TRUTH BE TOLD, THERE IS HARD SCIENCE TO UNDERSTAND BEFORE YOU CAN BEGIN TO EVEN THINK ABOUT DESIGNING A GOOD WORKING ACOUSTIC ENVORIMENT.

THE STORY

THIS WAS THE FOURTH AND LAST STUDIO DESIGN/ CONSTRUCTION THAT I WAS INVOLVED WITH.  PREVIOUS WORK OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN READING ARTICLES ON ACOUSTICS AND BASIC TREATMENT KNOWLEDGE. I HELPED DESIGN SEVERAL SMALL ROOMS, WITH THE BIGGEST EFFORT (20 YRS AGO) BEFORE THIS ENDEAVOR WAS GATEWAY RECORDING STUDIO.  A BUSINESS THAT ONLY LASTED 10 YEARS.

SO THIS TIME AROUND WAS A LOT DIFFERENT.  I SPENT 6 MONTHS STUDYING AND READING BOOKS SUCH AS F. ALTON EVEREST MASTER HANDBOOK OF ACOUSTICS, TO AN INTERNET CRONY OF MINE, NIKA ALDRICH’S DIGITAL AUDIO EXPLAINED, PLUS EVERY PIECE WRITTEN ON THE SUBJECT IN PRO SOUND, MIX, EQ & SOS.  THEN THERE WAS THE ADVICE GIVEN AND TAKEN FROM ETHAN WINER OF REAL TRAPS, DR. JEFF OF AURALEX AND OTHERS.

NEXT CAME THE 3 MONTHS OF LAYOUT DESIGN WORK (SEE DISCLOSED “STUDIO” GRAPH DESIGN), THEN THE FULL YEAR OF PHYSICAL CONSTRUCTION.  THE ONLY REVENUE THAT WAS GENERATED DURING THOSE LONG 12 MONTHS WAS THE MOBILE RECORDINGS. BEFORE I FORGET,  I MUST GIVE A TIP OF THE HEADPHONES TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE THAT HELPED MAKE THIS CHANGE FROM AN ‘OPEN BAY’ DESIGN TO A ‘NEW’ STUDIO – BILL & JIM BLASINGAME, MARTY CHARLEVILLE, AL BROOKS, CORKY FRANKE, GLEN BRAMLET, AND MY UNDERSTANDING WIFE KATIE (FOR COUNTLESS MONTHS AWAY FROM HER).

BUILDING WAS A LONG PROCESS, FROM ‘FLOATING’ THE WALLS TO MAKING SURE EVERY CRACK OR SEAM WAS SEALED. TO GIVE YOU SOME SENSE OF DESIGN, ONE WALL FROM OUTSIDE TO OUTSIDE: 3/8 INCH DRYWALL, ½ INCH SOUNDSTOP, ½ INCH DRYWALL, METAL STUDS W/INSULATION, 3/8 INCH DRYWALL, ½ INCH SOUNDSTOP, ½ INCH DRYWALL.  THEN SPACE 8 INCHES TO WALL TWO, REPEATED. THE INTERIOR-MOST WALL ALSO RECEIVED A SPECIAL LAYER OF 1/8 INCH THICK VINYL BARRIER. THE SAME MATERIAL USED IN U.S. NAVY SUB'S ENGINE ROOMS, SO THE EMENY WON'T HEAR THEM.  WHEN IT WAS DELIVERED, THE FULL ROLL WEIGHTED 400 LBS.  WHICH CAUSED MONTHS OF HEAVY LIFTING!

ONCE CONSTRUCTION WAS COMPLETE, THEN ‘FINE TUNING’ HAD TO BE DONE TO BOTH THE STUDIO AND CONTROL ROOM.  WITH SOME HELP FROM TOM BLAKE, WE WERE ABLE TO DIAL IN THE ROOMS HAVING THE PROPER ACOUSTIC DESIGN, WHILE ADDING A LITTLE MORE ADDITIONAL TREATMENT.  BASS TRAPS, DEFUSION AND ABSORBERS WHERE BUILT INTO BOTH ROOMS.  IF YOU SIT AT THE CONSOLE, YOU ARE IN A “RFZ” (REFLECTION FREE ZONE) WHICH IS THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THE ENGINEER TO BE WHEN RECORDING AND MIXING.

WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE END RESULT, IN THAT IT WORKS RIGHT, LOOKS KINDA COOL AND MOST OF ALL, OUR FINAL PRODUCT TRANSLATES WELL ON ANY OTHER SYSTEM. NOW THAT’S TUNED!