Tom Volhein

January 15, 2010: Studio Has Been Dark
Because of some personal issues the studio has been “dark” for a few months. Now, however I am back in the studio – modestly. I am working on some cover tunes and it looks like I will have a client back in the studio some time in March of this year.

March 4, 2009: some new gear is in

Last week UPS brought some new gear for the studio – packages containing two Grace m101 mic preamps, an ART Pro VLA II tube compressor and a Shure SM7 (to match the SM7 already in the studio). Over the weekend and on Monday, I installed and tested the gear on my own. Then yesterday, a friend come into the studio and laid down some guitar and vocal tracks.

I am mostly interested in the results for vocal using the SM7 > Grace preamp > ART compressor.

The primary reason I am focusing on the SM7, is because of its tight, super-cardioid pattern. The pattern works well with the live set up that I use for singer/songwriters and folk artists who don’t track. The SM7 allows for better isolation of the vocal.

The thing that surprises me most is the amount of gain that the SM7 requires. I knew this, but was still surprised at having to crank the Grace gain to full-on (65dB) and trim another 3dB to 8dB to the signal. The Grace still didn’t peak. The test genre is folk, so the vocalist is not a screamer. But there was plenty of dynamic range for a good test.

The Grace worked well. I will need to test it more without compression, so that I get a good sense of its qualities. The only thing that I don’t like about it is how stiffly the gain knob goes from position to position. I like the graduated stops, but the knob takes a lot of cranking to move from one to the next.

The ART is a modest piece of gear, but I have heard good things about it. After some knob turning I got what I consider to be a good male vocal sound. It is rich and present. Much fuller and pleasing than the plugin that I had been using.

I set the threshold on the ART at -6.0dB, ratio at 2:1, attack at about 3ms, and release at .5 seconds. The make up gain hovered around 0.0dB, depending on the song.

In the coming months, I plan to make some modest modifications to the ART, first some new tubes.

All in all, I am liking what I am hearing. I have a session tonight with a male singer/songwriter and will start with the set above for his vocal. I have some existing tracks for his project, and will be able to A/B the new set up to the old.

So far, so good. I think that the new gear is a significant addition to the capabilities of the studio. Now it is time for me to gain more experience with analog gear, and to continue to put in the hours that it will take to get better and better sounding music reproduction for me and my friends.
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Also on the horizon is the possibility of expanding the tracking area to include another part of the house (I currently use two rooms in the back of the house, see below) – a “great room” created during the last house remodel. This area is 13′ x 13′ square (unfortunately), but has a high ceiling. I will have to close mic everyone and use some more absorbers, but it should be a fun experiment.

later,

t

FALL, 2008: Major Acoustic Upgrade to Studio A -  (this is a long entry, with details)

For the last couple of years, since I set up my studio, I have known that I desperately needed to treat what I call Studio A and the Control Room. These are two rooms in the back of my residence that were once bedrooms, that I have converted into a recording studio. For the past six months I have focused on designing and planning the treatment. I started the project the weekend of October 25, 2008, by cleaning out my garage and setting up a temporary shop. What follows are:
- acknowledgments
- process
- materials

For a complete set of photos, CLICK HERE

First off, thanks to Ethan Winer and all the expertise he shares on his forum Music Player – Ethan Winer: Acoustics Forum. Without his guidance and the guidance of the other forum members, I would have had no idea how best to proceed.

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ACOUSTIC CEILING – Parts and Process from the Top Down

Support Structure

Wall Cleats
When the project began, I planned on screwing the outside rails (oak outside corner molding, see below) directly to the walls. However, the walls of the room are not straight and I found myself searching in vain for all the studs. So I decided to attach one-by-six-inch pine cleats to the walls as a super structure on which to attach the outside rails. These cleats were screwed to the top plates of the walls, aligned to level chalk lines that were snapped six-inches-on-average below the ceiling. Although it was expensive, I used clear pine for its added density, even quality, and straightness. The cleats were stained with Minwax “golden oak” before installation.

Ceiling Cleats
The ceiling cleats are one-by-two-inch clear pine pieces that are screwed to the ceiling rafters, perpendicular to the long rails which hang from the cleats. They were stained with Minwax “golden oak” before installation, and attached with three-inch gold drywall screws with quarter-inch washers. Probably overkill for the weight, but I wanted to be sure. The ceiling cleats hold the hooks for the long rails.

Hooks and Fasteners
The hooks for both the ceiling cleats and long rails are two-and-one-quarter-inch, number ten screw hooks. Although relatively small and not recommended for overhead support, they are plenty strong enough for the job at hand. The material they are screwed into is dense enough, and the weight they must support is minimal. The weight of the entire ceiling is about 212 – 240 pounds, 28% of which is supported by the rails along the walls. This leaves about six pounds per hook of suspended weight.Between each hook in the ceiling cleats and each hook in the long rails, I used plastic pipe tape. The holes in it are perfectly spaced at one inch. It is easy to cut into pieces.

Oak Gridwork

Long Rails
These are the rails that hold the rigid fiberglass panels. They run the length of the room. They are made up of oak outside corner molding purchased at Home Depot. The outside rails that are attached to the wall cleats are single pieces, screwed to the wall cleats as shown in the picture. The long rails that hang from the ceiling are glued back to back to form T-beams. These oak T-beams are then sanded and stained, and hooks (see “Hooks and Fasteners” above) are attached. The stain is Minwax “natural.”

Cross Members
The cross members are clear pine with the oak corner trim attached. I was lucky in the dimensions of the room. I was able to use a simple configuration and come out with three standard 24″-by-48″ pieces of rigid fiberglass – between which are two cross members comprised of two pieces of oak corner trim attached to one piece of two-inch (net 1 3/4″) clear pine. The pine is stained with Minwax “golden oak” to match the oak trim. It worked pretty well.

Ceiling Rigid Fiberglass (RFG) Panels

Panel Construction
The acoustic panels are Johns Manville or equivalent, two-inch, 24″ by 48,” six-pound, rigid fiberglass – faced and plain. The faced RFG is used at the perimeter (24″) of the ceiling for bass trapping. At the perimeter, above the faced RFG I put another 12″ wide piece of plain RFG to make the 12″ perimeter, four inches of fiberglass with a two-inch air space above.

Each ceiling panel is wrapped in muslin that I got from JoAnn’s Fabrics at a nice discount. The fabric is stretched across the face and around the sides of the fiberglass, then pinned in the back with 1 5/8-inch drywall nails – a fast and simple solution. I opted not to spray glue the fabric to the front of the fiberglass. I tried it and it was messy and time consuming. I think that the muslin will stay stretched tightly enough. If not, I can pull them down and re-stretch them in the future if necessary.

Panel Installation
I tried a couple of methods. First I built a support to hold each panel in place as I moved along a row. That didn’t work, so finally I to removed one cross member at one end of each 24″ wide run, pull the long rail back a little to widen the run, then slide a panel in, then slide it down to the end of the run, then insert another panel and slide it down to the next frame, etc, until one run was done. Then do the same thing for the next run. See “Challenges” below for more detail.

Other
There were a couple of room adaptations that I had to make. One is the ceiling light. It was a globe light at the approximate center of the room. I dropped a second ceiling box using a one-half inch galvanized pipe nipple and all the requisite pieces (box covers, lock nuts, etc) to come up with a very solid and safe mounting to move the light down below the dropped ceiling. The other issue was the A/C vent. I used metal tape across the top half of the vent to prevent air from blowing into and above the fiberglass, and force the air through the lower half of the vent. Simple.

Challenges
I have to laugh at the concept of challenges. It was all a challenge. I had to mock up every step prior to going into “production mode.” I made mistakes all along the way, as a method for figuring out how to put the ceiling together. One of the big challenges was getting the panels into the framework once the framework was up. Each panel is 24″ by 48″. Each frame (panel space) is 24″ by 48 3/8″ – not enough room to get the panels up through the framework once the framework was installed. I had to remove one cross member at one end of each 24″ run, pull the long rail back a little to widen the run, then slide a panel in, then slide it down to the end of the run, then insert another panel and slide it down to the next frame, etc, until one run was done. Then do the same thing for the next run – moving to the middle of the room. I am sure that this explanation is too confusing to understand, but just let it be known that if I want to take out a panel from one corner of the ceiling, I will have to take out all the panels on that half of the room – whew.

The ceiling project took three weeks, start to finish, not including the initial order of rigid fiberglass. I made another purchase of fiberglass during the project. I was lucky because the fiberglass was in stock locally, and the distributor delivered it for free.

Materials
RFG Faced = 15 pieces of 48 x 24 x 2, 6lb
RFG Plain = 12 pieces of 48 x 24 x 2, 6lb
45″ wide muslin = 57 yards
Oak outside corner moulding = 250 feet (approx, net)
1″ x 6″ clear pine = 8, 8′  pieces
1″ x 2″ clear pine = 12, 8′ pieces
Minwax natural and golden oak stain = 2 quart cans
Hooks, screws, pipe tape = enough

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VERTICAL CORNER BASS TRAPS
The traps go from the top of the base moulding to the new dropped ceiling. They sit on little stands to keep them off of the floor and to allow the panel itself to rest against the walls and prevent the base moulding from kicking out the bottoms of the panels.

Corner Trap Stands
The stands are simple, two-legged contraptions made of clear pine, stained with Minwax golden oak. They are built to fit into the corners and lift the fiberglass panels above the bass boards.

Corner Trap Fiberglass Panel Construction
For the corner traps, I used six-pound, 24″ by 48″ by 2″, faced fiberglass panels, with the faced side toward the room. The panels are wrapped in muslin, like the ceiling panels. However, the corner traps are 84″ tall. To accomplish this, I butted two pieces of the fiberglass together end to end – one uncut 48″ against another cut 36″ piece. Once I wrapped the front (faced) pieces tightly, I spray-glued two pieces of 12″-wide plain fiberglass panels to the back sides of the faced, overlapping the butted seam. I used 3M General Purpose 45 spray glue, following the directions for “Extra strong bonds.” If you ever do this, make sure that you have the two pieces that you are gluing together lined up right off the bat. This glue bonds instantly and the pieces cannot be separated once they touch. I wasn’t sure that this method would make the panels rigid and stable enough, but it seems to have worked fine. The panels stand straight and erect.

Installation consisted only of putting the panels on the stands. They are tight enough against the ceiling and the weight distribution is such that they are stable in the corners.

Materials
RFG Faced = 5 pieces of 48 x 24 x 2, 6lb   (some waste)
RFG Plain = 3 pieces of 48 x 24 x 2, 6lb    (some waste)
45″ wide muslin = 9 yards
1″ x 6″ clear pine = scrap from the ceiling project
Minwax natural and golden oak stain = minimal
Screws = enough

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VOCAL CORNER (booth)

Rather than build a separate vocal booth, primarily because I don’t have room, I created a dead corner of Studio A. This is accomplished by building some mini shelves upon which to place more rigid fiberglass panels as shown in the images.

Vocal Corner Panel Shelves
The shelves are made of clear pine and stained with Minwax golden oak. They are constructed as per the images above, then attached to studs in the walls with two-and-one-half-inch drywall screws. They are mounted to allow for 36″ wide by 48″ tall panels that extend from the shelves to the dropped ceiling.

Vocal Corner Fiberglass Panel Construction
For the vocal corner panels, I used two six-pound, 24″ by 36″, two-inch plain fiberglass panels (cut from 24″ by 48″). The vocal corner panels are 36″ wide by 48″ tall. I butted the two pieces of 24″ by 36″ fiberglass together side by side. Once I wrapped these two pieces tightly, I spray-glued a 12″-wide plain fiberglass panel to the back side of the wrapped panel, overlapping the butted seam. I used 3M General Purpose 45 spray glue, following the directions for “Extra strong bonds.” If you ever do this, make sure that you have the two pieces that you are gluing together lined up right off the bat. This glue bonds instantly and the pieces cannot be separated once they touch. Like the corner bass traps, the panels stand straight and erect.

Installation consisted of setting the panels on the shelves. They are tight enough against the ceiling and the weight distribution is such that the are stable against the walls.  In addition to the two 24″ by 36″ panels, I also put a panel, custom cut, in the corner.   This is because the trap in that corner is faced and I didn’t want the facing in the booth.

Materials
RFG Plain = 5 pieces of 48 x 24 x 2, 6lb   (some waste)
45″ wide muslin = 4 yards
1″ x 6″ clear pine = scrap from the ceiling project
Minwax natural and golden oak stain = minimal
Screws = enough

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GOBOS (movable absorbers)
Once I  competed the ceiling and the corner traps, it was time to do the moveable absorbers.  For these I designed a framework that not only surrounds and supports two of the plain rigid fiberglass panels, but also serves as legs to get the absorbers to a useable height.

I chose the same oak corner moulding used in the ceiling as vertical rails that support the whole absorber.  I decided to make the height of the absorbers 77″, more to match existing bookcases in the studio than for any other reason.  With the fiberglass panels in the upper section of the frame, that height puts the absorbers at typically functional height, and leaves room enough for a 24″ mini fiberglass panel to be placed in the bottom section if needed.

Three clear pine plates (top, middle and bottom) serve to make rigid the entire framework, and the middle plate supports the fiberglass panels.  I used one-by-six-inch clear pine for the plates.  These net to five and one-haf inches.  This is perfect for supporting the two, two-inch thick fiberglass panels, leaving a one-and-one-half-inch air space between.  I closed up the sides of the air space with one-by-two-inch clear pine (net one and one-half inches), fitting exactly the depth of the air space.

For stability, I put some 12″ long feet on the bottoms with one and one-half-inch rubber glides.  I offset the feet slightly (two inches in from one side, and four inches in from the other side) so that the absorbers can be stored face to face and save room.

Sanded and stained, the absorbers went together fast and easy.  They are light and easy to move and function wonderfully.  I made four of them on this first run.  Two are used to tighten up the vocal corner and two for first reflection points at the sides of the area where I track acoustic instruments.

This part of the project took about a week.  I did a mock up, documented the process and the cut list, then quickly cut and assembled the remaining three absorbers.

Materials
RFG Plain = 8 pieces of 48 x 24 x 2, 6lb
45″ wide muslin = 14 yards
Oak outside corner moulding = 112 feet (incl waste)
Minwax natural and golden oak stain = minimal
1 1/4″ gold dywall screws with brass washers, 2″ black drywall screws  = enough
1 1/2″ rubber glides = 16 (4, 4-paks)

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PROJECT COMPLETE
After I finished all of the above, I arranged the Studio A into three sections – acoustic instruments, vocal corner and a corner with all the stuff.  So far, I have done some preliminary set ups for the acoustic guitar.  The room sounds very nice, which is to say, that there is little room sound at all.  I plan to do some frequency testing.  I have order The Master Handbook of Acoustics, by F. Alton Everest, and will now start to tune the room, and will probably put together a few smaller absorbers or diffusors for spots on the walls.  The next big acoustics project will be the control room.  I won’t be starting that project for a while though.

Spring, 2008: Early History

Christmas Eve, 2006, I finished phase one of the studio. It was in the back bedroom of the house and the stuff I had included a new computer, a big sound card and a couple of mics. For a current list of equipment, check out the Equipment page. I was overwhelmed by all that I had to learn just to get something recorded. Within a few months I had a couple of dry tunes recorded.

I had no idea how far I would go with it at that time. All I had done was tweak the back bedroom that I had already set up as an office. I have few pictures of it from before, so you can get an idea of the situation. The room was about 10 feet by 13 feet and had a closet in the corner. Some of the floor space was taken up my a closet that faced the another bedroom.

Early in 2007, I installed soundproof windows from Soundproof Windows in CA. They work especially good when installed in addition to the existing casement windows. I live in a block-construction house, on a corner lot in a quiet neighborhood, so the addition of the soundproof windows just about takes care of outside noise.

During a house remodel in 2007, I decided to gut both of these bedrooms, connect them with a sliding glass door and create a studio space that includes a Control Room and Studio A. My plans for the layout included a large console where I can perform many functions, and for a Studio A to be basically empty. Here are some pictures of the reconstruction:
- Gut the rooms
- Rewire
- Drywall, Texture and Paint
- Install Wood Floor

Early in 2008, I installed a large worktop for the DAW screens and monitors and did some minor acoustic treatments. Here are some pictures:
- Control Room, console deck
- Control Room, Rack (Fireface 800, headphone amp)

By the fall of 2008, I planned a major upgrade to Studio A. I will report on that when it is done.

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