Re: Soundproofing a Home Tuba Room


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Posted by DavidK on February 13, 2004 at 14:07:14:

In Reply to: Soundproofing a Home Tuba Room posted by David C. Ellis on February 13, 2004 at 09:58:47:

David,

Good luck with the project!!!

Disclaimer - I'm not an engineer, nor do I work for any of the businesses that are mentioned below. I have a home studio and play tuba and this worked for me.

Go to the Auralex link (included) Print out their Acoustics 101 Guide, they offer it for free. It has great info!!! and construction tips!!! They have great products available at all Guitar Center, Sam Ash or similar big chain music stores, check with their "Pro Audio" department. Auralex has products for absorption, reflectance and sound transfer control. After you read their construction tips, you might want to adjust your materials list before heading back to the home improvement center.

Before you go any further, go back into your room with a roll of masking tape and a tape measure. Lay out all of the full sized objects that will be in your room. Or do accurate paper mock-ups. 10 by 12 foot is a nice sized room, but will be consumed quickly by furniture and instruments!! Possibly with little room to move around or open the door once the musicians are inside. Don't forget to allow for the music stands! Try different configurations. You may need to adjust your expectations of how much will actually fit in your studio and future tuba storage facility.

In the basement, consider ventilation and drainage. Without it, you will build a fantastic hot, stuffy and potentially musty room. With it you can send your sound through the duct work to the entire house. This one is a typical studio pitfall. Maybe a silent vent fan mounted remotely using a basement window. Good luck with it!! Humidity, condensation, mould and mildew are other considerations-you don't want your instruments to corrode or your sheet music to rot.

My electronic music studio in my apartment is a 10 by 8 foot dining room...After installing the main work desk, storage cabinets and music keyboard rack I have a 3 foot by 5 foot area in the center where the swivel chair sits. I have to walk through this space to get to the kitchen. I gotta get into a house this year.

Space saving ideas to consider:
1. Hanging your instruments from padded hooks from ceiling beams or wall studs in the corners. No permanent shelves or big cabinets. Padded rope loops or wide straps will hang flat against the walls when not in use. Pad any areas where instruments will contact the walls.
2. Use folding / drop-leaf tables and or benches along the walls. Use heavy duty/industrial drop leaf hardware.
3. Put any bulky items on wheels (A Godsend!!! My entire electronic music studio is mobile - helps with access to cables, maintenance, cleaning, etc...)
4. Recessed ceiling lighting so you won't bump into fixtures hanging from a low basement ceiling. (Lower if more sound treatment is used.
5. For microphones, put a few hooks into the ceiling beams and hang your mic(s) from bungee cords. No mic stands to worry about!

Let us know how the final project turns out!
Best wishes,
DavidK



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