[Frameworks] Constructing A Foley / Sound Studio

[Gawthrop, Rob]

Hi Matt

While what Dave says is true, it is still possible to do something
workable with little money. By not having parallel walls you can eliminate
standing waves. The space between the walls and the 'false' non-parellel
walls (and ceiling if possible)  can be filled with insulating material of
some sort or other.  Thick curtains on runners and portable screens (&
suspended from the ceiling) can give flexibility.  The choice and use of
mics is also crucial.  The floor is your main problem if you can't afford
to build, you're then restricted to boards and carpeting.  This may not be
a 'professional' set-up but it can work.

Rob



On 08/11/2014 04:34, "Dave Tetzlaff" <djtet53 at gmail.com> wrote:

>Matt:
>
>I doubt you'll find good models at other schools. In my travels, college
>sound facilities have either been created from the ground up as part of
>an expensive building project, or jury rigged into some existing space so
>cheaply and poorly they're barely worth having. If you can find any
>schools that have gone a DIY route, they'll probably be useful mostly in
>telling you what NOT to do.
>
>I've have experience with some small pre-fab booths, and they all stunk.
>Also, they are designed as essentially the opposite of what you want: the
>idea being the talent goes into the booth to do a VO.
>
>To get anything functional, you're going to need a custom constructed
>studio booth designed to fit the room. The materials with need to be
>custom cut, and the booth will likely need to be constructed mostly in
>the room, rather than making larger sections in another location and
>assembling them in the space.
>
>I would guess you could hire a contractor who specializes in sound booth
>construction to create something for you, but i'd also guess the cost
>would be prohibitive. There are any number of books that lay out
>principles and methods for DIY booth construction. Perhaps you could work
>with the college's physical plant to design and build something
>'yourself' (that is, within the college).
>
>I would guess what you can accomplish will depend on how much time you
>(Matt) can put into it. That would be an advantage your program has over
>most small college film programs: your labor, knowledge and commitment to
>getting it right..
>
>Since it's an educational facility it doesn't have to look nice to
>impress clients, it just has to be functional. Whatever you save on
>aesthetics, do not scrimp on basic functionality. You'll need a serious
>double pane glass sound isolating window, serious sound seals on the
>door(s). The trick is the sound isolation of the booth. It's ideally a
>six-sided double-walled room within the classroom, with the bottom
>decoupled from the classroom floor, and the inner and outer wall of the
>booth decoupled...
>
>There are a number of books, and maybe even some plans on the web. I have
>no familiarity with any of them. This one was recommended:
>http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/home-recording-studio-rod-gervais/11003551
>28?ean=9781435457171
>
>I'd probably do plenty of research, check several books, before making
>any plans.
>
>Other things that are not going to be cheap: A classroom probably has
>old-school tube fluorescent overhead lighting which will have to be
>replaced. LED lamps probably, but I don't know if they have counter-EMF
>issues. You'll probably have to isolate the stage part of the room from
>the buildings ventilation and heating system, as that's likely to go on
>and off at will and generate too much noise. Then you'll need a way to
>ventilate the booth, as it will be a sealed space and the equipment in it
>will generate heat. Finally, classrooms have a shit-ton of echo and
>you'll need serious sound deadening treatments for the walls and ceiling.
>
>In short, it's a major project, and if you can't do it right, it's
>probably not worth doing at all.
>
>

Falmouth University

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