Recording Studio Floor Plan

Recording Studio Floor Plan

Albro Analog Audio is located on the second floor of a 35 ft X 27 ft freestanding structure. The first floor has two parking spaces and a design studio. The three plate reverbs are in a soundproofed room on this level too.

During the designing of the recording studio, my goal was to create an intimate retreat that was divided into two primary areas: a control room and a studio room. These are separated by a 4 ft X 5 ft triple glass window. I have been in studios that have consoles costing $600,000 (SSL 9000 series) and home kitchens setup for digital recording that cost under $5,000. The price point for my design was $40,000 for the structure. My being a General Building and Electrical Contractor gave me a big advantage and cost savings for the materials and labor on the structure. A cost savings was also realized on the recording equipment because I was not in a hurry. I have enough vintage audio equipment to get started and if I purchased that same equipment today it would cost 3 to 5 times that amount I paid for it. This is because there is a huge demand for vintage analog equipment. During construction, I explored materials and methods that were cost effective and that would substitute for the more expensive materials and methods used in higher end studios.

The control room houses the recording consol, monitors, amplifiers, tape and hard disk recorders, spring reverbs and other outboard effects and processors.

The studio room is constructed of various materials that will allow me to control the reflection and absorption of sound waves at different frequencies. This also gives me ability to control how “Live” or “Dead” the room acoustics sound.

The exterior walls are “Double Wall” construction. The exterior perimiter wall is of 2X4 wood construction filled with wet celulose insulation that was blown into the stud cavities and a ‘Limp Mass’ barrier was hung in front of this wall. The interior perimiter wall is also of 2X4 wood construction that is acoustically isolated from the main structure and filled with R-13 Batt insulation. The interior skin is a double layer of 5/8″ Firecode sheetrock. The first sheet is screwed to the studs and the second sheet is glued to the first with ‘GREEN GLUE‘.

There are bass traps built into the corners and additional surfaces were added as needed for sound control.

The entries that follow will give an overview of the construction and placement of equipment. When the recording studio construction is finished, I will have compiled a complete guide to “Building a Recording Studio” that is much more than a ‘home studio’ but does not cost a million dollars. While others may not wish to spend what I have, this will serve as a guide for a more cost-effective solution for recording studio construction.