Anyone have their studio in a multi-unit mill?

[LupineSound]

I'm trying to determine the viability of renting a big space in a mill for my recording studio. The trouble I foresee, quite obviously, is that I will need to do some sound proofing because there are tenants above and below. Has anyone gone this route?

The landlord was open to the idea so long as I would sound proof the space. I asked a couple contractors and was quoted at about $22 per foot to sound proof. Holy shit that's a lot of money. I would have to do it myself but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get the sound level down enough.

[goose134]

I'm nearly done with my soundproofing project myself. I live in a 2 flat (I'm the landlord) and my tenants are on the first floor, studio in the basement. They got tired (rightly so) of having my drums sound like I was playing in their bedroom. Now I have not tested it yet, but I can tell you that the amount of noise coming DOWN is negligible. I used to hear every squeak of the floor, I could point to the ceiling and tell you where their cats were sitting.

But yes, it is expensive. I did all the work (except the rerouting of a duct) myself and it'll be around $5 K for 550 square feet. It's a lot of money to spend if you're just renting.

[GlowSounds]

It's a lot of money to spend if you're just renting.

Ya- be careful. A few years ago I moved into a rehearsal studio that I was very happy about finding- great location, nice space. Within a week it had a flooding issue & I had to move out (with a very wet rug). I'm sure others could share similar unfortunate stories- to a certain extent it's part of the game.

Moral of the story is: before you invest anything in a rental be very certain it's the bee's knees. Good landlord, good neighbors, assurances that the rent isn't going to double next year...

[Gregg Juke]

And proper insurance coverage!!!!

GJ

[LupineSound]

Welp, I went ahead and got the mill space. I work 9-5 so hopefully the businesses there will be gone by the time I get there to record at night. It's pretty nice, though. 40' by 20'. Now I just have to figure out how to partition it between control and live rooms, and treat it acoustically.