How I built my recording studio ventilation - My Studio Build

[@MrJadeco79]

Bro you just brought to life what I was envisioning for my church's drum booth. Seeing it physically made sense. Thanks for sharing.

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Awesome! Glad to hear it helped. 🥁

[@konbucklin]

There are a number of things here that aren't so great when it comes to obtaining maximum soundproofing: The box and baffles need to be the same density as the wall, at least. So if you have double drywall, you need double layers in your box (MDF or OSB probably). If you have two walls, you technically need a box for each wall and each direction (4 boxes). The hard connection between walls in this video is a major compromise. If nothing else, at least use flexduct between walls. Some folks with 2 walls can get away with one very heavy box for both, but you have to be careful. I think in that case you would have a very heavy sleeve through the wall. Also, there are some calculations necessary inside the baffle to make sure you maintain a decent air velocity. General wisdom is that you want to be well under 300 FPM where the air enters and exits the room. The register can be very important as well. Quality registers are pretty expensive but are designed to add little to no noise. Cheap ones will add turbulence and noise. But, all that said, if you're happy with what your sound meter says, then no harm done. But I'd suggest you got lucky. You could have just as easily done all this work and needed to go back to the drawing board. One thing I'll add is that using acoustic foam for the lining is a bad idea. This stuff is not intended for that purpose. Over time it will get funky and possibly moldy. Impossible to fix without a major teardown. You should only be using duct liner for these baffle boxes. It still absorbs noise as expected but won't make you sick years down the road -- and its fire rated! Unfortunately duct liner is rather expensive and not found at most big box stores, but it's the right tool for the job.

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

All very good points. Obviously I’m not a professional and this was my first attempt and as you said, “I guess I got lucky”. The pipe was supposed to be temporary but I was surprised of the results, so decided to leave it. If I could change one thing, it would be the lining, for the reasons you state above and might consider changing it down the track. But all in all, I am very happy with the results. Thanks for your well informed comments. I will definitely be taking this into consideration on my next studio build.

[@michaelangell9535]

Awesome build. Thank you for the video. Im building a garage drum room. 70-45 is 25. 25 db reduction would mean a 115db snare crack is still 90 in the garage. My neighbors will hear that. Do you hear sound coming from out of the garage side fans more than other places in the garage? I wonder if two more boxes on the garage side would help?

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thanks for checking out the video. Can’t really say that I notice that as in my case, nobody is ever really in my garage while I’m in the studio. Yes 25db doesn’t sound like much, but also keep in mind that’s what going into the garage. That sound then needs to go through another wall (brick) for the neighbours to hear it. The only problem with adding more boxes as mentioned in the video is airflow. If you can’t move enough air, the boxes will be pointless. Soundproofing is a tough problem. Hope this helps.

[@jamesgoldman1685]

Thank you so much for posting this. Just what I needed and just when I needed it. I am very grateful and suitably inspired.

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thank you James! Let me know if you have any other questions or video suggestions.

[@jamesgoldman1685]

@@TroyGrech_In2Drums please can you make a video on how to persuade your child to give up the drums and take up the flute or recorder?

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Lol! Thats a path to the dark side. Those flute and recorder players are wild!

[@daveplenty5495]

Great vid once again Troy. Thanks so much for posting. Really informative.

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thanks Dave. Good luck with your new build.

[@cambowatt]

Thanks for this. I like the bulkhead ventilation idea. Was thinking to overcome your hot garage air problem, you could put the inlet fan close to ground level so it’s blows cooler air in from the garage. Cheers

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thanks for checking out the video and taking the time to comment. Your air inlet idea is awesome! If I ever have to do this again, I will definitely look at doing that. 🙌

[@jacksondrumfoster]

I’d love some more info about your room. I’m building a studio in my garage as well and trying to figure out what methods to use.

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thanks for checking out my video Jackson. Here is the link to the studio build video. It was done 7 years after the build, but I do explain exactly what, how and why did things. Building My Soundproof Studio - Drum Practice room build kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmebpml5bqhlpqc

[@michaellyons5208]

You may have mentioned this in the comments already, but have you considered routing the intake pipe to the floor of the garage where the air is a little cooler?

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

That’s a great suggestion. Not really an issue if you have AirCon inside the room though. Also, it’s kind of good having the vents up high and out of the way. That way you don’t need to stress about obstructing the vents on the bottom. But I can see the benefit of your suggestion. I guess, use whatever works for your own situation. Thanks for checking out the video.

[@IAMDRUMMER]

I’ve seen and heard this in person and it’s a brilliant idea and it works.....I might have to steal it or have Troy come over and build it 😃

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thanks Richie! I'm free whenever you need me brother.

[@joeyjoey3423]

This is great! Very helpful. Thanks!

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thanks soo much for checking out the video Joey. I’m glad it could help.

[@BolerosWithAttitude]

This is an awesome video. My thought was that if I have a mini split that would be enough to get fresh air but I was wrong. If I actually get a central air unit instead would I have to use this system you built? Or would that give me fresh air? Thank you

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Thanks Decibel Studios. It really depends on where your room is and what it’s connected to. Personally, I would not connect to the room to central air system, as my goal was to seperate the studio as much as possible from the rest of my house. That’s why I ran the air boxes to my garage. The other thing to take into consideration is temperature. If you have a room like mine (room within a room) then it’s most likely much more insulated than the rest of the building. So if the thermostat is outside the room, it’s going to be hard to control the temperature. I also wouldn’t want any heat being pumped through the air box as it could be a fire hazard. A split will retain sound as it is a closed system and regulate temperature perfectly. Couple that with the air box for fresh air (connected to an external wall) and you will have a perfect studio climate to spend hours in. Hope this helps.

[@jaypeepenson9866]

This great, can you tell me what is the STC of this set-up? Thank you in advance

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

Hey Jaypee, Thanks soo much for checking out the video. I am honestly not exactly sure of the exact STC of this set-up or how to even work it out. But on my studio build video I demonstrate a DB-A reduction of roughly 30-35DB-A. It’s my understanding that each 10DB-A drop is perceived by the ear as a 50% reduction. Here is a link to the studio build to check it out for yourself. Hope this helps (sorry if it didn’t) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmebpml5bqhlpqc

[@SeanLeonDrumz]

Would you recommend building these two boxes inside of the wall studs on a side wall?

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

I just made a bulkhead inside the room. But it’s totally up to you and your imagination I guess.

[@TheRTM]

What is the 40 mm air gape for?

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

The 40mm air gap is to de-couple (separate) the internal room from the external room. Sound travels through vibration so the air gap helps to stop that transference through contact.

[@TheRTM]

@@TroyGrech_In2Drums Thanks for your quick response!👍 I have another question. if the goal is to de-couple the room how does one negotiate all of that if they want a window (does your studio have a window or sky-light to let in some light?)

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

@@TheRTM Hope it helped.

[@TheRTM]

@@TroyGrech_In2Drums I have another question. if the goal is to de-couple the room how does one negotiate all of that if they want a window (does your studio have a window or sky-light to let in some light?)

[@TroyGrech_In2Drums]

@@TheRTM Yes I have windows etc. I answer most of your questions in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmebpml5bqhlpqc