Building low cost Home Studio in Garage

[MetalWorks]

That was a pretty cool Post James......

As far as the earlier post on how cool this site is for everyone to share such things as this and other information...

I just feel like everyone gives so much info that I feel like sharing back hoping that someone else might get that bit of inspiration or ideas to form their own projects.

If it wasnt for this site, I probably wouldn't have had half the motivation to even get started or to want to improve my recording environment.

Salute!

I am pretty beat today.

And I cant tell you how fucking great an Ice Cold Beer tastes after a day of manual labor.

Yesterday I had to drill a hole into the concrete to put a large screw in the bottom wall plates to hold the wall in place.

I picked up 34 sheets of Gypsum to double layer both the inside and the outside walls.

The trusty 5x8 band trailer paid for itself once again!

$200 for 34 sheets.

Also picked up this bucket at Lowes called The Total Package. Has all the supplies you need to get most of the drywall done. Only $7.

I did the 1st layer of inside sheetrock Last Night.

And here is a view of the Garage Door Motor and how I boxed/framed around it to give me a few extra feet of room inside.

Its perfect for head room unless you are 7 feet tall.

Then I did the Insulation on the outside Wall.

This old Hacksaw was perfect for cutting the mineral wool insulation into clean squares for smaller spaces.

I completely finished the 1st layer of drywall on the inside and outside today.

Here is a somewhat dark Outside view of the first layer of sheetrock.

Did a little caulking inside.

I was hoping to get further than that but working all these days in a row starting on the 1st of November is getting pretty tiresome.

Luckily I have friends that pop in and help out every couple of days and my brother and father have been here twice.

Use any of the free help you can get!!!

Thats about it for now.

Tomorrow I will do some more caulking and start on the 2nd layer of sheetrock.

Time for Beer and a Movie.

 

[KeithRT99]

nice work.

 

[Waterboy]

I tell ya what: if I were in your shoes, I doubt that I would be able to sleep with all this excitement!!

 

[Metaltastic]

I would point out that I'm pretty sure that's not a hacksaw - but christ dude, you are a god amongst aspiring DIY-ers such as myself, though I've still got a ways to go before I start doing my own contracting! Looks fantastic man

 

[MetalWorks]

Yeah, its just a hand saw huh....

My buddy said Grab that Hacksaw.... Kinda stuck in my mind.


I recommend that anyone looking to do the same, give it a shot.

I've never framed, hung drywall and done flooring but it wasnt too hard to figure out.

2x4's and Drywall are cut to size and made for eachother to begin with.

All you really need is a measuring tape, utility knife, pencil, cordless drill and cheap 10" mitre saw.

And internet access!

 

[MetalWorks]

I do have a question for anyone who knows or has done soundproofing construction.....

My father thinks I shouldnt worry too much about caulking or using joint compound on the first layer.

He thinks I should just seal the final layer on the inside.

I was under the impression that you want to seal as much as possible every step of the way.

So whats the most suitable approach?

Should I caulk all the seams on the first layer and second layer on both the inside and outside?

Or just worry about the 2nd layer?

Any tips or advice in this area are appreciated.

 

[KeithRT99]

I've never framed, hung drywall and done flooring but it wasnt too hard to figure out.

i really couldn't tell. if the whole audio thing doesn't pan out, you could hang sheetrock.

 

[Transputer]

You should caulk all layers as you build. Imagine sound as water - real soundproofing requires very tight construction. Don't know what you are doing for ventilation - recommend you study here http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php the best on the net. It really is a pity you cannot heed the advice on layout - mixing in a small room is hell, before you know it you just use headphones !

Cheers

 

[MetalWorks]

I finished caulking the first inside layer last night and put up half of the inside layer sheetrock as well. Hoping to finish the second half of the inside sheetrock tonight and get all of the caulking, joint compound and taping done so I cant get ready for texturing and painting.

Then I can finally get the floors done.

I can start on the 2nd outside layer while the inside is drying and such.

Cant wait until its over cuz I am exhausted.

 

[Waterboy]

Awesome news!
Have fun.

 

[462studio]

I would like to share that I have the same lamp as seen in the middle of your garage. Two of them actually, one on each side of my drum kit.

I hate them, but I'm glad to see someone else has one so I'm not alone.

 

[MetalWorks]

When my neighbors moved they had a garage sale and I bought that lamp for $1.



Back to work....

 

[462studio]

When my neighbors moved they had a garage sale and I bought that lamp for $1.



Back to work....

You got a much better deal than I did! So far things looks awesome. Best of luck in the rest of the construction!

 

[MetalWorks]

Well I took me a while to get back out and continue working but I finally got the second layer of sheet rock done on the inside and outside walls.

Then I moved on to the taping.

First I had to put some of the edging on the inside and outide corners of the sheet rock. Basically 1 wall corner inside, 1 wall corner outide and around the garage door box on the ceiling.

I put caulking in every seam I could and then I did the first layer of joint compound. I buried the tape into the first layer of compound and then applied another layer of joint compound over the tape.

And since all that has to dry for about 24 hours I started planning out what I am going to make my Bass traps out of.

So I took a trip to lowes and got a 12 foot piece of 4 inch wide 3/4" pine for $2.50 a board.

I got a piece of 2'x4' 1/4" thick pegboard to use as backing. $3.50 each.

Got 1 can of Burgundy spray paint for $3.00.

I went to Wal Mart and got some black crushed velvet like material. $3.50 per square yard. Enough to do 2 traps for about $11.00.

I also got some batting to wrap around the mineral wool before I put the fabric cover over it. Its about 48" by 108" which was enough to do 1 Bass Trap. $3.50 each.

I basically cut the boards to make a 2'x4' box frame. Before I staple gunned them together, I used whole saws to cut holes along the sides.

I sanded them a bit with a palm sander.

Then I applied wood glue to the joints and stapled them together with a staple gun and air compressor. I put the pegboard backing on and stapled that to the boards making sure it was square.

Then I spray painted the boards with the burgundy spray paint.

I wrapped the 2'x4' 4" thick mineral wool with the batting and used a cheap hot glue gun to secure it. Then I wrapped the black velvet material around it and used the hot glue gun to seal it.

After the paint dryed I popped the insulation panel into the frame.

It fit pretty snug since the frame is a little shorter in width and I just squeezed it in. Otherwise I was probably going to use Velcro to secure the insulation panel into the trap box.

So this is what I came up with in the end.

I was basically aiming for something like these:

Those are pretty commonly designed Bass Traps as many other Do It Yourself guys have done.

If I really wanted to do a great job on it I would have primered it and maybe payed more for some better quality wood.

But it will suit my needs as I am only looking for at the lowest cost that still does the job.

Right now, each Bass Trap will cost just under $18 in materials.

I will look into some other lumber yards and fabric stores to see if I can get the material any cheaper in bulk.

But thats still not too bad considering that the other Bass Traps cost $129 each.

If I decide to go with this and make all of the traps like that I will take pictures of the Trap Building Process.

I still have to see what my bracket options are for mounting them too the wall.

Hopefully the last layer of joint compound will go on tomorrow and by Tuesday I can sand it and spray the texture on.

 

[KeithRT99]

crushed velvet eh?

would thack work well? i could see it absorbing hi's well, but does is breathe? i've always read it should be breatheable like a hessian or like-materials.

 

[dreamcatcher]

Cool thread :Smokin:

And that's not really crushed velvet, it's a lot thinner and breathable (if I am recognizing the stuff).

 

[MetalWorks]

crushed velvet eh?

would thack work well? i could see it absorbing hi's well, but does is breathe? i've always read it should be breatheable like a hessian or like-materials.

Its not actually crushed velvet.

I believe it is some form of crushed Panne. But is very loose and transparent compared to the crushed velvet which is very dense and thick feeling.

But yeah, they had crushed velvet there and it wouldnt have worked well for letting the sound pass through the fabric like it should.

I went through all of the materials on the shelf as far as feeling the stretchyness and breathability and thought this stuff should work.

I hope.

 

[MetalWorks]

So I am thinking of getting this Auralex kit that comes with LENRD Bass Traps to put in the Tri Corners of the rooms and use the 1'x1' Square panels to place around the room between my Large Traps that I am building.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Auralex-DS2-Pro-Designer-Kit?sku=420869

figured that would help with the corners and high frequency absorption.

At $249 for the whole kit It seems cost effective for the whole room.

Otherwise I was thinking of designing some corner fills by cutting smaller shapes out of my Mineral Wool panels.

But I kinda like mixing in the Auralex for the aesthetic look since my design for corner traps may not look as nice.

Any opinions?

 

[unsilpauly]

So I am thinking of getting this Auralex kit that comes with LENRD Bass Traps to put in the Tri Corners of the rooms and use the 1'x1' Square panels to place around the room between my Large Traps that I am building.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Auralex-DS2-Pro-Designer-Kit?sku=420869

figured that would help with the corners and high frequency absorption.

At $249 for the whole kit It seems cost effective for the whole room.

Otherwise I was thinking of designing some corner fills by cutting smaller shapes out of my Mineral Wool panels.

But I kinda like mixing in the Auralex for the aesthetic look since my design for corner traps may not look as nice.

Any opinions?

stick with the mineral wool. it works way better. its cheaper as well for what you get. get creative and im sure you can do something with it that looks better than the auralex foam.

 

[Waterboy]

I am not challenging anybody here, rather - I ask out of ignorance: is Auralex a bad product? I have seen people bashing their stuff on the GearSlutz forum. Just curious.
Thanks