Best money you can spend on your basement studio?

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roygbiv
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Best money you can spend on your basement studio?

Post by roygbiv » Sun May 18, 2008 11:42 am

Based on suggestions posted in this Forum (thanks JWL, Ethan, and others for your helpful posts...), I bought some UltraTouch cotton insulation and packed it in between the joists in my basement ceiling.

HUGE improvement in the sound of my room!

NO feedback during band practice. Moreover, everything sounds much, much clearer - even with drums bashing away! I like to record most tracks live (for the "feel" factor), and now there is much less bleed-through or wash on individual tracks.

Best $150 I've yet spent on recording equipment! Most importantly, the process was painless - I literally put the stuff up in a couple of hours, by myself (one advantage of a low ceiling). No gloves, itch free, just a little bit of free insulation floating around, kind of like lint you get in your drier.

If you are considering improving the sound of your basement tapes, don't buy another cheapo mic or pre - you really should try the UltraTouch stuff.

Just thought I'd share :D

PS: One question: to make things look better, I'd like to cover this stuff up. I was going to use a canvas painting tarp. However, I just noticed the tarp is coated with a very thin plastic layer (1-2 mm). Can I still use it, or will it reflect back too much high frequency?
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Post by Nate Dort » Sun May 18, 2008 3:53 pm

Go to a fabric store and pick up a few bolts of raw burlap or something similar. It'll probably be cheaper than a painting drop cloth.

Rule of thumb: if you can breathe through it, it's probably alright for audio use.

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Post by JWL » Sun May 18, 2008 4:45 pm

You can use the painting tarp, BUT it will affect the sound. You will get some reflections on the high end. But, you will likely get a bit extra bass trapping from it.

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MASSIVE Mastering
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Post by MASSIVE Mastering » Sun May 18, 2008 9:52 pm

Burlap or cotton duck, staple it up and staple some 1" furring strips over it.

"Custom."
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Post by RodC » Mon May 19, 2008 5:35 am

+1 on the burlap.

I would highly recomend you get some spray on flame retardant if it isnt flame retardant already. Its not that expensive and my save your A$$.
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Post by markmeat » Mon May 19, 2008 12:12 pm

Where did you pick this stuff up at... found an internet dealer but I can't find on Home Depot/Lowe's website... do they normally carry this stuff or should I just get online? What R rating (13? 19? 21? ???)??

????

I've been looking for a while for something good to cram between my rafters...

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Post by newfuturevintage » Mon May 19, 2008 12:25 pm

markmeat wrote: I've been looking for a while for something good to cram between my rafters...
I think I've found my new signature :)

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Post by markmeat » Mon May 19, 2008 12:29 pm

I hesitated a bit after typing that sentence... I knew SOMEONE would comment on it :D
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Post by tfred812 » Mon May 19, 2008 1:44 pm

Since this thread has attracted some knowledgeable posters, perhaps someone can help me.

I, too, have a low-ceiling basement space ? which I finished with drywall ceiling before I knew it would be a studio space. (Damn. I'd have much preferred hanging burlap on the ceiling to renting a drywall jack). Since I am not about to undo what I did completely, would I be better off treating the ceiling by

a) opening up a largeish portion of the ceiling over the listening position and stuffing the joists and covering with fabric

b) opening up several smaller "windows" at various spots across the ceiling and treating similarly

c) creating a shallow cloud below the drywall celiing (I doubt it could be more than 2 inches, with very little room between it and the ceiling)

This is apart from any other treatment I am planning.

Thanks.

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Post by markmeat » Mon May 19, 2008 1:50 pm

Upon further research, I found they make the cotton stuff in a blow-in type insulation as well... I'm betting you could make rather tiny holes in the drywall and blow in insulation (??? can this be done on ceilings??? I've only ever done it on vertical walls)... someone back me up?

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Post by trodden » Mon May 19, 2008 5:17 pm

MASSIVE Mastering wrote:Burlap or cotton duck, staple it up and staple some 1" furring strips over it.

"Custom."
totally. those thin 1" strips have been great for helping me "finish" and "hang" treatment..

Image

These were the first ones built and hung over drum area, so they're a little sloppy..

I found using rigid fiberglass (like 703 equivalent) easier to work with for this type of stuff rather than rockwool which is used in the photo above.

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Re: Best money you can spend on your basement studio?

Post by roygbiv » Tue May 20, 2008 1:42 pm

Hey dudes

thanks for the comments and suggestions - I think i may indeed "customize" with some furring strips. I just have to decide on the type of fabric to use (flame proof of course, as RodC points out). I'd use burlap, but I want a "lighter color" to give the illusion of higher ceilings, since they are so low already.

BTW - for those of you wondering where to get the UltraTouch stuff:

Heres's the company: /http://www.bondedlogic.com/ I got mine at Environmental Building Supplies in Portland, OR.

Specifically, I used the R19 stuff, which costs ~ $1/sq. foot. The stuff I bought was ~$50/bale. Each bale includes seven ~ 8ft long strips, which are 16" wide, and ~ 5" deep. The 16" size lets you just stuff it between the joists, and it holds itself in.

cheers,

roy
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Post by Jon Nolan » Fri May 23, 2008 5:03 am

RodC wrote:+1 on the burlap.

I would highly recomend you get some spray on flame retardant if it isnt flame retardant already. Its not that expensive and my save your A$$.
+1!!!!!

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Re: Best money you can spend on your basement studio?

Post by RodC » Fri May 23, 2008 5:08 am

roygbiv wrote:I'd use burlap, but I want a "lighter color" to give the illusion of higher ceilings, since they are so low already.
They make white burlap. I have traps covered in White for the low portion above my desk, some Dark brown or Black for other locations.
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Re: Best money you can spend on your basement studio?

Post by roygbiv » Sun May 25, 2008 2:48 pm

OK, new question for you guys:

So I got a good deal on ~ 20 yards of open-weave Canvas. It was only slightly more expensive than the Burlap.

Note - I wanted the light-colored burlap (as suggested by RodC) - I thought the texture looked better, and there were some fabulous color combinations possible.

Oddly enough, the ladies at the store (including my wife) for some reason did NOT like burlap.

They really did not want me to buy it! Why? Who knows - maybe bad memories of 70's burlap wall treatments?

Anyway, I got the canvas and now I'm set EXCEPT - for the life of me I can't find "Fire Retardant Spray" anywhere - where do you guys buy it?

Also, how do you apply th stuff - do you spray the fabric 1st, then install it on the ceiling, or install the fabric 1st, then spray it on (of course letting some fall into your half open mouth and eyes, good times).
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