Work From Home / Music Room Office

[Bass Motifs]

Normal walls and double glazing cut out a lot of sound. If your doors are facing back towards your house then even better. I say this having just built a new place, and as a bagpipe player.

Total noise elimination so you can play loud any time of day/night is another proposition. Do you really need that?

We're planning a music extension, and my idea is to build a room within a room as the isolation studio for junior's drums. And jamming. Noise would carry into the extension, but hopefully not much outside from there. Was thinking of decoupled internal walls and ceiling, false floor on rubber mounts, and double glazed exterior sliders as the partition into the main room. I like the tip on double dry wall, and surface mounted cables.

 

[Appogee]

I built a games room / music studio above my garage which is remarkably quiet. Here is what I did:

1. Used "Soundchek" plasterboard on all the walls (it's thicker than standard plasterboard/drywall).
2. Used accoustic rated fibreglass insulation in the walls and ceiling.
   (Tip: run conduit down the walls for easy cabling access from ceiling to floor mounted power points.)
3. Put down foam carpet underlay on the floor and carpet over the top of that.
4. Blocked the windows with a removeable fibreboard panel, and then curtains over the top of that.
5. Added an accoustic isolation door which fully seals all the gaps around it when closed.

When seeking to create accoustic isolation, it's really important that there be zero gaps for sound to leak through. It's surprising how even the small gap under a door and next to its door frame can let out a lot of sound volume.

The thing I didn't quite solve is resonance/vibration. Being a combined games room and music sudio, I have a lot of framed posters and memorabilia on my walls. They vibrate at certain bass frequencies. It's not a problem when recording, as I DI straight into a DAW. However, it's less than optimal when jamming with a friend. (I try to EQ it out, but with only partial success.) If I was making a dedicated studio I'd replace all the hanging art with accoustic foam absorption panels.

One other tip: install about twice as many power outlets as you think you'll need, equally spaced around the room, and maybe even a couple of floor outlets in the middle of the room. I bet you'll end up using them all at one time or another.

 

[warptheory]

Normal walls and double glazing cut out a lot of sound. If your doors are facing back towards your house then even better. I say this having just built a new place, and as a bagpipe player.

Total noise elimination so you can play loud any time of day/night is another proposition. Do you really need that?

We're planning a music extension, and my idea is to build a room within a room as the isolation studio for junior's drums. And jamming. Noise would carry into the extension, but hopefully not much outside from there. Was thinking of decoupled internal walls and ceiling, false floor on rubber mounts, and double glazed exterior sliders as the partition into the main room. I like the tip on double dry wall, and surface mounted cables.

I built a games room / music studio above my garage which is remarkably quiet. Here is what I did:

1. Used "Soundchek" plasterboard on all the walls (it's thicker than standard plasterboard/drywall).
2. Used accoustic rated fibreglass insulation in the walls and ceiling.
   (Tip: run conduit down the walls for easy cabling access from ceiling to floor mounted power points.)
3. Put down foam carpet underlay on the floor and carpet over the top of that.
4. Blocked the windows with a removeable fibreboard panel, and then curtains over the top of that.
5. Added an accoustic isolation door which fully seals all the gaps around it when closed.

When seeking to create accoustic isolation, it's really important that there be zero gaps for sound to leak through. It's surprising how even the small gap under a door and next to its door frame can let out a lot of sound volume.

The thing I didn't quite solve is resonance/vibration. Being a combined games room and music sudio, I have a lot of framed posters and memorabilia on my walls. They vibrate at certain bass frequencies. It's not a problem when recording, as I DI straight into a DAW. However, it's less than optimal when jamming with a friend. (I try to EQ it out, but with only partial success.) If I was making a dedicated studio I'd replace all the hanging art with accoustic foam absorption panels.

One other tip: install about twice as many power outlets as you think you'll need, equally spaced around the room, and maybe even a couple of floor outlets in the middle of the room. I bet you'll end up using them all at one time or another.

I don't need total noise elimination, just a tick or two above normal construction. I don't get complaints now when I play in the house, but the new location will be about 20 feet closer to the neighbors.

I don't get many sympathetic vibrations when I play, unless I turn it up to a point where it's you can't blame it. If I get anything like that in the new spot, I'll just have to address it. I have some framed pictures that I can add foam backing to if needed.

I hear you on the power outlets. I work in IT and will have a work desk with 3 monitors, and a music desk with 1 or 2 monitors. I will probably have outlets every 3-5 feet, maybe even the outlet kind that has USB-C so I can charge things without an adapter. I also will need Cat6 cables pulled from the main house and a few outlets for my desks. Wireless is good, but wired is better. Especially as I transfer video to the NAS and have security cameras flanking the building saving to an NVR in the house.

 

[kevk]

@warptheory …looking at your list of items to include in your space, my recent converted bedroom space might help with some ideas. It’s a corner room to the exterior of my house (with neighbor’s) and installing 2” acoustic panels made some slight difference (requested my neighbor’s feedback before/after)… The acoustic panels substantially improved my listening environment though!

Keep in mind, I wasn’t attempting significant room isolation/wasn’t going to start tearing down walls, ceiling, etc. No drums…just wanted minimal recording equipment, and the ability to play guitars at a nice dB level.

I’m still working on the closet retrofit, which has power wired in—setting up my bass rig on an Auralex Isopad, with amp(s) and pedalboard(s) shelving, etc. Basically…grab a guitar, flip a switch, and play.

Custom-ordered the acoustic panels from here:

Acoustic Panels - Noise reduction in office - Acoustimac

Reduce noise and Echo in your office with acoustic panels from Acoustimac - Our Executive Series sound panels were developed with the office staff in mind. Shop our huge selection of acoustical panels today!

www.acoustimac.com

Custom built my walnut desktop enclosure—the top lid lifts off to expose all wiring/routing connections. There’s extra power (and usb charging) outlets on the right side of it.

My office printer is under the end table, and a JBL 10” subwoofer is under the desktop. 9 guitars in total (4 wall hung, 5 floor-racked<—being modified 4>5)…not huge, but extremely efficient space, and very comfortable to do work, watch tv, or play/record music…

I’d certainly take advantage (within your budget) of isolation construction techniques, per great advice mentioned by other’s here…and highly recommend including 2” thick acoustic panels…

 

[OnlyFlats]

I don't intend on playing drums or tracking a lot, I just want something where I can play my bass at a reasonable volume at night through an amp. Reasonable is subjective though.

I have a similar space to your generic picture one, built on a concrete slab. Positioned 3m from the main double brick house. I only followed some of the principles of managing sound, assuming all my efforts inside the space to absorb sound would prevent it from travelling outside.

I was wrong.

My family banned me from playing bass at night as they can hear it when they're in bed.

Its incredible how well the bass tone travels. Its the covid of frequency, it just wants to spread. I play at speaking volume, not raising voice to speak and be heard volume. Through a high end 1x10 cab. No where near loud.

However I can get away with listening to my studio monitors at night. Those don't transfer as much. I have treatment on the ceiling, front and back walls, and thick wool rug over thick hotel grade carpet on the floor. (Acoustically it sounds amazing, that's the part I got right).

When I walk outside around my space, with my bass playing inside (using a loop pedal), I can hear different volume levels from different positions but can't zero in on how the sound is getting out. You can't retrospectively improve it (easily), like find a window frame not sealed properly and get your caulk gun out.

If you really want to achieve your goal of playing through a cab at night, I recommend not disregarding any of the wisdom shared in this thread. You don't remember the money and effort 5 years later when you're still comfortably using the space for how you intended.

 

[warptheory]

I have a similar space to your generic picture one, built on a concrete slab. Positioned 3m from the main double brick house. I only followed some of the principles of managing sound, assuming all my efforts inside the space to absorb sound would prevent it from travelling outside.

I was wrong.

My family banned me from playing bass at night as they can hear it when they're in bed.

Its incredible how well the bass tone travels. Its the covid of frequency, it just wants to spread. I play at speaking volume, not raising voice to speak and be heard volume. Through a high end 1x10 cab. No where near loud.

However I can get away with listening to my studio monitors at night. Those don't transfer as much. I have treatment on the ceiling, front and back walls, and thick wool rug over thick hotel grade carpet on the floor. (Acoustically it sounds amazing, that's the part I got right).

When I walk outside around my space, with my bass playing inside (using a loop pedal), I can hear different volume levels from different positions but can't zero in on how the sound is getting out. You can't retrospectively improve it (easily), like find a window frame not sealed properly and get your caulk gun out.

If you really want to achieve your goal of playing through a cab at night, I recommend not disregarding any of the wisdom shared in this thread. You don't remember the money and effort 5 years later when you're still comfortably using the space for how you intended.

Ugh, don't tell me that, now I have to do everything!

Question on lighting and outlets. Every hole you make in the wall is an escape for sound. So how do you rig up outlets and overhead lighting? Run conduit alongside the wall and go for that rustic barn feel?

 

[turf3]

Ugh, don't tell me that, now I have to do everything!

Question on lighting and outlets. Every hole you make in the wall is an escape for sound. So how do you rig up outlets and overhead lighting? Run conduit alongside the wall and go for that rustic barn feel?

Surface mount boxes and conduit.

For windows, you'll get decent results, I expect, with a double pane window and then an openable storm window outside. Obviously when you open the window for ventilation all sound will go straight outside, but at least it doesn't have to be a sealed container when you AREN'T playing. Two doors in line - one outswinging, one inswinging.

 

[warptheory]

Question for @silky smoove

How come you used hat channels instead of RC1 or RC2 clips to attach drywall to the studs? According to the good book, RC clips are best:

I also noticed that you mounted your electrical boxes in the wall instead of conduit and mounting on the wall. Is this not as big of an issue as I've read about? I see you also coated them in some sort of reddish brown silly putty. That's not silly putty is it?

 

[silky smoove]

How come you used hat channels instead of RC1 or RC2 clips to attach drywall to the studs? According to the good book, RC clips are best:

Rod is talking specifically about stud-mounted channel. In that application RC does outperform hat channel. The missing piece is that I used hat channel mounted to Whisper Clips rather than directly to the studs, the combination of which is a significant upgrade over RC, but does eat up a bit more floor space overall as the air gap is increased.

I also noticed that you mounted your electrical boxes in the wall instead of conduit and mounting on the wall. Is this not as big of an issue as I've read about? I see you also coated them in some sort of reddish brown silly putty. That's not silly putty is it?

That was an aesthetic and floor/wall space compromise. Isolation is better when surface mounting because you limit penetration quantities and size. I risked it for a more finished aesthetic and fewer wall interruptions, and while I certainly lost some isolation, the end result is adequately isolated for me to, for example, play drums at midnight without my neighbors knowing about it.

It’s not silly putty, but it is a product known colloquially as putty pads. They’re a fire prevention product that helps create an air seal around light boxes, outlet boxes, etc. It’s a cheap addition for what was likely a tiny improvement in isolation compared to omitting them. Since I wasn’t surface mounting I felt like they were a worthy addition.

 

[logdrum]

The solution for me is, adobe construction and high desert rural living,

High elevation - means cool evenings - no need for fancy AC plus baffled ducting - just record in the evenings to night in the warmer months
Rural means - sound isolation
Adobe walls are almost naturally sound treated, helps with cooling and heating and results in good sounding live room. Silent wood-heat is a plus
It may not even have to be adobe but I am sure it will be harder if I have a wood lodge construction

Probably not helpful. Now if you want a proper studio, the we would be talking about non parallel walls , some intentionally geometry for the ceilings and a purposely built AC and ducting and well engineered power supply and wiring scheme and electrical noise reduction on top of doors and windows. Acoustical treatment would be towards the end.

 

[mikewalker]

Due to adjacent neighbors nearby, I needed to add 66 dB broadband isolation to my outbuilding with flimsy six inch stud walls. The room about six meters by 8 meters required 4.5 TONS of the heaviest available drywall, built in dual wall fashion with airgaps between the walls, and hundreds of tubes of Green Glue. Double-airlock doors every where and an active labyrinthine air-exchange system rounded it out. It worked! Sadly I can't enjoy the fruits of my labors as I live some 4000 km east of there now, but a musician friend rents my west-coast property and uses it every day...

 

[Ralph Manak]

Just a hunch, and in the spirit of brainstorming: landscaping may help isolate the building. For example, a brick or cinder block wall, berms, a vertical garden... could make a difference on property lines and between the studio and your house. Pay attention to where water will want to go. Perhaps phase 2 or 3 of the project if needed?

 

[singlemalt]

All of us PNW folks know that mildew and mold is a big deal. Air quality needs to be addressed.

The OP has the beginnings of an architectural program. I’d give it even more thought. I’d map out a 24 hour and weekly use patterns.

Let’s say 40-60 hours work. And it’s not sound production work, but office type stuff.
That needs attention to furnishings, lighting and climate control. Daylight is key and windows doors and window treatments will be super important.

Does this space need to be secure from kids and animals? Is it easily approached from the edges of your property or secure behind fences? Will there be valuables in there?

Now how much time is left in a week? With kids at home? A few hours some evenings and maybe weekend time.

Spend the money on making the space work really well for the work week.

Get some really nice headphones for playing and monitoring.

Consider putting furnishings and gear on wheels. This helps the space be more flexible. Rolling stand up desks with cord and cables managed so it just needs to move into place and plug in one power cord.

I started a take off and estimate on a similar project. I’m an experienced carpenter. At a certain number, I just gave it up. I was up to around $12k just in materials. And it would be a ton of labor.

Dumping that much money into a tiny space just didn’t make sense. Avoiding permits isn’t any kind of justification. The cost per square foot is exorbitant.

For comparison, I helped another carpenter buddy build a 24x24 garage for about $25k. Insulated, heated, plenty of extra wiring and outlets, good lighting. Standing seam metal roof. Concrete floor. Permits were a tiny fraction of that cost and the Hood River building dept was easy to work with.

He hosts foozball GTG’s and does lots of car work in there, nice and warm and dry. And you can park cars in it.

An oversized a garage could have a nice portion as an office. I had a 24x36 garage office. The office section was 12x24 with three windows and a separate entrance.

 

[Barticus]

I did a similar building type for my Makerbarn (14x20) but did not go crazy with sound deadening. When the doors are closed with sound at around 90-95db it sounds muffled outside. I don’t have neighbor’s so that wasn’t my primary objective, but we have a nice outside entrainment space for summer and I didn’t want it too loud for other family members in that space. There are times that I have the doors open of course.



I used the same Roxul insulation that I used in my basement music studio build out.

Ship lap on 2 walls and 1/2” plywood on machine wall


I didn’t do AC, the insulation and the heat shield they applied to the wall/ceiling panels have helped keep the heat out and I have a ceiling fan to move the air which is usually not hotter inside than mid 70’s even during hot summer days. I have an infrared heater that does well in winter, even on the coldest days here where it can get close to zero I’m able to keep the room in the mid 60s to 70 as needed.



In my basement studio, I did Roxul for all walls and above the drop ceiling. From the floor above you can barely hear the muffled sound from down below. Again I didn’t go crazy, this was good enough for my needs and not expensive to do.

 

[warptheory]

I did a similar building type for my Makerbarn (14x20) but did not go crazy with sound deadening. When the doors are closed with sound at around 90-95db it sounds muffled outside. I don’t have neighbor’s so that wasn’t my primary objective, but we have a nice outside entrainment space for summer and I didn’t want it too loud for other family members in that space. There are times that I have the doors open of course.

View attachment 7101200

I used the same Roxul insulation that I used in my basement music studio build out.
View attachment 7101199
Ship lap on 2 walls and 1/2” plywood on machine wall
View attachment 7101201View attachment 7101202

I didn’t do AC, the insulation and the heat shield they applied to the wall/ceiling panels have helped keep the heat out and I have a ceiling fan to move the air which is usually not hotter inside than mid 70’s even during hot summer days. I have an infrared heater that does well in winter, even on the coldest days here where it can get close to zero I’m able to keep the room in the mid 60s to 70 as needed.
View attachment 7101223
View attachment 7101217

In my basement studio, I did Roxul for all walls and above the drop ceiling. From the floor above you can barely hear the muffled sound from down below. Again I didn’t go crazy, this was good enough for my needs and not expensive to do.
View attachment 7101207View attachment 7101208
View attachment 7101214
View attachment 7101210

This is very nice!

I've decided on 14x20 myself. Sound isolation steps will be limited to double paned windows (with varying thickness) and some sort of door with sound isolation characteristics. Also Roxul for insulation.

Likely not going to go gangbusters and do double drywall or hat channels. It's just not worth it in cost for me. And once you go down that path, if you don't do everything, might as well do nothing.

I'll probably do some sound treatments, but that will wait until I get furniture in there. It's going to be packed with 2 desks (1 for work, 1 for audio), file cabinet, bookshelves, upright piano, maybe a couch, and workspace table for bass setups.

 

[Barticus]

This is very nice!

I've decided on 14x20 myself. Sound isolation steps will be limited to double paned windows (with varying thickness) and some sort of door with sound isolation characteristics. Also Roxul for insulation.

Likely not going to go gangbusters and do double drywall or hat channels. It's just not worth it in cost for me. And once you go down that path, if you don't do everything, might as well do nothing.

I'll probably do some sound treatments, but that will wait until I get furniture in there. It's going to be packed with 2 desks (1 for work, 1 for audio), file cabinet, bookshelves, upright piano, maybe a couch, and workspace table for bass setups.

Nice, congrats on the choice… I find that 14x20 is a nice size and I have to keep equipment organized so as not to crowd myself too work comfortably.

I reviewed the double walling as an option when I built out my recording studio in the basement, and it just wasn’t worth the extra labor or the extra cost for me. As It turns out I made the right decision because it was faster to get everything built out and the sound deadening quality is certainly there for what I’ve done.

That played a part in the decision to build out my maker space as well, and I was really looking at insulation as a weather treatment more so than sound deadening. It just happened that I ended up with the extra bonus of the sound deadening as a result.

I’m rebuilding my dust collection filtering over the holidays, which will better protect all of the office/computer and musical equipment better. I do tend to hide out there for my day job occasionally. Air quality will also benefit from the upgrade.

 

[silky smoove]

I’m curious why multiple people have indicated using Roxul (a rockwool product) in stud bays. Per Rod Gervais’ book, pink fluffy fiberglass insulation works just as well, is cheaper, and offers comparable R values to rockwool products. Why are people adding unnecessary cost for no benefit to their projects when it does not improve sound isolation?

 

[Killing Floor]

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[Barticus]

I’m curious why multiple people have indicated using Roxul (a rockwool product) in stud bays. Per Rod Gervais’ book, pink fluffy fiberglass insulation works just as well, is cheaper, and offers comparable R values to rockwool products. Why are people adding unnecessary cost for no benefit to their projects when it does not improve sound isolation?

It seemed a good investment to me when I priced it, it was about $5-8 per bundle more and got the 11% (fake rebate from Menards) which paid for other materials. Also easier to install because it tears easily and doesn’t leave you itching for days and it’s fireproof. So, that’s why I used it. And it has worked out fine for me, no regrets.

I didn’t follow the book you reference (I wasn’t aware of that particular rule book). I decided what “I wanted to build” and built it. YMMV

 

[silky smoove]

I wasn’t aware of that particular rule book

No one is calling it a rule book, but it’s one of many very valuable studio building knowledge repositories that one should consult well before ever buying any materials, let alone installing them. I like Rod’s book, and he knows more about this than any of us.

For anyone reading: Rockwool, specifically the “Safe n Sound” variety that’s marketer towards sound isolation while providing zero benefit over pink fluffy fiberglass insulation, runs about $77 at Home Depot for a batt bundle. A comparable amount of pink fluffy insulation with an identical R rating and the same sound isolation performance is about $36 at Home Depot. Over the course of an entire build this cost can add up. You might as well not waste your money and apply the savings elsewhere in the build for things that actually see a performance improvement.