Basic Step for Studio Design

Floor
2
Noise Criterion
• Noise Criteria (NC) curves are primarily used to rate indoor noise levels.
It is important that the background noise levels are within acceptable
limits to ensure optimal speech communication for structures ranging
from residences and offices to hospitals and schools.

• Indoor spaces are subject to several noise sources, including internal

sources such as noise from an air conditioning unit or external sources
such as road noise. Isolating the noise from external sources and
ensuring internal noises are low is essential for providing an acceptable
acoustic environment within a building.
NC
• Noise Criteria is calculated by measuring the background noise is a
building using a 1/1 octave spectrum and plotting the spectrum along
with a set of curves, called NC Curves, ranging from 63 Hz to 8000 Hz.
Noise Criteria for a specific measurement is defined as the criteria of
the lowest NC Curve which is not exceeded by the noise spectrum.
• Human perception of noise at different frequencies is very different.
To compensate for the differential frequency sensitivity of the human
ear, the criteria for the noise threshold needs to be defined for each
frequency band. The Noise Criteria (NC) specifies the maximum noise
levels that can be present in each octave band of noise to meet a
specific Noise Criterion.
The following table defines Noise Criteria Curves for the Sound Pressure Level
measured as dB for each Octave Band center frequency in Hz.
Noise 63 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1000 Hz 2000 Hz 4000 Hz 8000 Hz
Criteria

Sound Pressure Level (dB)

NC-15 47 36 29 22 17 14 12 11
NC-20 51 40 33 26 22 19 17 16
NC-25 54 44 37 31 27 24 22 21
NC-30 57 48 41 35 31 29 28 27
NC-35 60 52 45 40 36 34 33 32
NC-40 64 56 50 45 41 39 38 37
NC-45 67 60 54 49 46 44 43 42
NC-50 71 64 58 54 51 49 48 47
NC-55 74 67 62 58 56 54 53 52
NC-60 77 71 67 63 61 59 58 57
NC-65 80 75 71 68 66 64 63 62
NC-70 83 79 75 72 71 70 69 68
Standard Noise Criterion
Basic Recording Studio Soundproofing
• Recording Studios in a commercial or home recording studio, a
broadcast studio, or a production room in a church, requires
Recording Studios Soundproofing from the mechanical equipment,
isolated room from outside noise and good space noise control.

• Engineering standards for Production Soundproofing is Noise Criterion

Curves (NC), Preferred Noise Criterion (PNC) that provide acceptable
noise levels in different types of rooms depending on usage.
Production Rooms should fall between NC 15- 20, or an equivalent
dB(A) weighted level between 26 and 30 dB(A).
Soundproofing
• All Noise Control can help choose the right materials for the audio
recording rooms, vocal booths, editing rooms and other such rooms
that are found in broadcasting, recording studio and other media
rooms.
• Noise control products can be installed during construction of a new
studio or during remodeling or for retrofitting an existing studio with
products that can “float” on walls and/or ceiling to help make the
ideal sound control solution attainable. Through a full range of sound
absorption products we can solve all your sound control needs.
Noise Reverbration
• This is part where noise is needed to be controlled in studio.
• For reverberation, noise can be controlled by acoustical foams & bass
traps. To scatter sound waves & eliminate hot spots we have
acoustical diffusion panels and systems.
Exterior noise
• This is part for people inside the room has to control sound from
outside and to control the sound from inside to outside.
• To eliminate or control exterior noise, material such as Sound Barrier,
Wall Panels The acoustical solution will be a balance of sound
isolation products, sound blocking and sound absorption, all resulting
in a harmonious sound control solution.
• Gonos also as part of the exterior movable partition to control noise.
Floor Plan
Studio Floor
• If studio is being built close to busy street. Grounding foundation will affect the
building studio is being built on, causing severe low rumble.
• For 1st floor studio, leakage might be apparent from downstairs or upstair neighbors.
You might want to increase the isolation to reduce floor-borne leakage and/or
tranmission.
• Common construction methods utilizes neoprene blocks (hockey pucks) isolation
mounts.
• Underlay is spread over existing floor foundation and then covered on top with
another layer of plywood floor structure.
• Some even add extra wire mesh on top and topped with another 4 inch layer of
concrete.
• Another plywood can be installed on top of that for layer of carpet.
types of isolation mount
Control room
Soffit
• In recording studios soffits are sometimes created along the front walls
of a control room or studio space as an area to place large studio
monitors.
• These are often recessed into the front wall of the room such that their
baffles are flush with the wall surrounding them. They may be
supported by being attached to the wall, flown from the ceiling joists
above, or on stands attached directly to the foundation.
• Some facilities pour separate foundations specifically for soffit mounted
speakers to achieve maximum decoupling from the control room or
studio. Generally soffit mounted speakers are tuned for the specific
room with equalizers and other tools.
Farfield mounted on the wall as soffit
Studio Wall
• Drywall or wallboard
• Noise creates energy waves that can actually vibrate through a
partition; the lower the frequency the harder the waves are to
stop.
• Floating / decouplinga wall or ceiling is the only way to effectively
reduce the low frequency noise
Floating wall
• You may create another wall to
create a floating wall
• this is effective to eliminate low
frequency especially
Bass Traps
Bass traps
• This technique is also a part of to control bass in a room.
• Bass traps are more likely same function as absorbers.
• Difference between them are that absorbers absorb middle to high
frequencies.
• Bass traps absorb lower frequencies due to their thickness. Thicker
basstrap means lower frequency absorption.
• Usually studio walls are thick enough to handle mid to high frequencies,
BUT are not thick enough to handle the low end frequencies.
Bass traps Placement
• Bass traps are often placed at corners as low frequencies tend to build
up pretty heavy in corners of rooms
• It is advisable to place bass traps at the corners of structure/room as
it performs at optimal level
• General rule: Eliminate 90 angle by placing bass traps in a 45 angle.
• Placement of bass traps not only absorbs low ends, but also help
scatter and diffuse waves in room.
Bass traps placement
Diffuser
• Another way to help eliminate frequencies are diffuser.
• Having a room fully with absorptive materials is not good enough to eliminate
reflections and echoes from occurring in the environment
• Diffusers are geometric structure used to break down echoes and reflections.
• Diffusers generally create an irregular surface area that will deflect sound in
random directions.
• Placement of diffusers can run vertically from floor to ceiling or horizontally from
wall to wall dissolving echoes and breaking up standing waves.
• There is a calculation to fine tuning the room with absorber for fully complete
soundproofing room. A basic studio will be much standard placement of
absorber.
PRD Diffuser
• Scatters the sound in a more wider angle
• Designs of PRD are more inferior compared to QRD
• Easier to construct than QRD and used to supress specular lobe of
broadband sound and scatter sound in wide angles
• Placement usually on the wide angle instead of narrow angle.
PRD
QRD
• Diffuser which always together with the mirror side of the
diffuser.
• Usually in pair from left to right to get mirror of reflection.
• Consists of series of slots of wells of equal width but depth is
determined by a special number of theoretical sequences.
• •Main feature of QRD is one side will always be a mirror image of
the other side
QRD
Placement
• QRD may suggested for laft
and right position.
• Front and the back cpuld be
the PRD.
Another placement of diffuser in recording
room
Live room
• Live room equipment placement are
depending on the preferred of
designer. In this example, placement
of instrument are because of all
instrument n eeded to be seen
through the window connected to the
control room.
• Drum set is the centre and last
position from the window.
Riser
• Most sound leakage will be on drums in a live room as it has
loudest sound.
• Decoupling the floor tends to minimize much of the lower
frequencies produced by drums.
• Drum risers are available commercially or can be constructed .
• Major objective of the riser is to absorb the lower frequency energy
from the kick and tom drum all the way up to the snare.
Gobos
• It is known as movable partitions
• They are commonly used in studios to provide on the spot barriers to
sound leakage.
• This is done by partitioning the musician or instrument in one or more
sides and then placing the mic inside the temporary enclosure.
• Gobo is a sound recording term for a movable acoustic isolation
panel. In typical use, a recording engineer might put a gobo between
two musicians to increase the isolation of their microphones from
each other.
Gobos
Ceiling
• Ceiling is part where problem of reflection become worst when you ceiling is higher
and you might nee to adjust the ceiling.
• This can be achieve by install another panel at the ceiling without disturbing the
original ceiling structure.
• Making your ceiling disappear using absorption
• Control rooms usually pair a reflective (e.g., wood) floor with an absorptive ceiling.
• In the example room setups you can see the outline of an absorptive ceiling cloud
above the listener. This is the minimum ceiling treatment required — just enough to
create a reflection free zone around your listening position.
• But in a perfect critical listening room the ceiling would be a giant broadband bass
absorber, perfectly absorbing all reflections, so it sounds as if there is no ceiling at all.
The same can be said about the rear and side walls.
• This can be achived by installing suspended ceiling/cloud
Door
• Access doors to other rooms in standard studio ( control room,
recording room, machine room etc ) should be constructed of solid
wood or high quality acoustical materials.
• Solid doors offer higher transmission loss ( TL values ) than cheaper,
hollow ones.
• Other points to note from a good design of acoustic doors are seals,
weatherstripping and door jambs should be considered. All these parts
are important so that to reduce leakage through the cracks of the door.
Summary
• Amount of acoustic panel such as diffuser,gobos, riser, ceiling, bass
traps are advised with the calculation to get exact amount which is not
covered in this lesson.
• This lesson are the basic understanding on acoustic installment in
making soundproofing a basic studio with Control room and Live
room/recording room.
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