Been Awhile But Back Again.....

#1

It has been a while since last posted here....and lots of changes in direction and in plans....

Yes, lots of changes since we first looked at building a studio....from L-shaped garage DIY build to looking at larger properties to lease or even purchase....and since I love doing design work I continued to draw up my own concepts even though any final project would be done by an incredible professional studio designer and architect (who is a friend and encourages input)....however I learned a lot from online resources like this one....I thought I would share some of the drawings I have worked up for each of the various projects.

We have looked at existing studios that need an update....existing commercial properties that had space and height....even a church....we are still looking....but realize that our best bet might be a full build from ground up....the last drawing is my idea for that:

We have decided to embrace immersive audio (both for film & TV as well as music production)....we have an opportunity to purchase property near the water in our city....close to several film & TV production studios....as well as some recording studios....we have looked at how to best position ourselves....besides immersive music we are interested in performace space for showcases and videos....we have an incredible team as well as enough investors to make a project like this happen....

BUT more than anything forums and other online resources like this challenged me to push the boundaries....push the limits....and for that I say thank you.....

I will keep you posted on the progress....

#2

Just to let you know that your pics are not showing, "Access denied Error code 1020."

Will you be using the same studio playout you had in January or are you starting over once you find the right building or plot of land?

#3

i think your last drawing is the better option - keeps things separated for isolation and privacy.

#4

The last drawing is the one we would consider if a build from the ground up....the rest were just other possibilities of properties we have since passed on....

However we are considering a property ....with 27 to 28 ft ceiling in main space with a large balcony....and the main floor has rooms with 10 ft ceilings that could allow for immersive production spaces (as well as in control room)....only 8.5 to 10 ft height in basement....possible layout could be this:

#5

really a matter of finding a building with sufficient space - e.g. a warehouse.

#6

After much debate....and searching for ideal property to renovate including various church properties....we finally decided to build from ground up....with three studio spaces:

Studio A
Control Room 550 sq. ft.
Live Room 2000 sq. ft

Studio B
Control Room 500 sq. ft.
Live Room 1500 sq. ft.

Studio C
Control Room 600 sq. ft.
Live Room 2500 sq. ft.

Lounge including rest room/kitchen
A 900 sq. ft.
B 800 sq. ft.
C 1000 sq. ft.

Central Mechanical Room 750 sq. ft.

Video Room 850 sq. ft.

Storage etc. 1000 sq. ft.

Hall 300 sq. ft.

Additional space including Air Conditioned Rooms in Studios plus Iso Booths 550 sq. ft.

TOTAL 13,550 sq. ft.

Rough Dimensions 130 ft. X 100 ft. (with extra 550 sq. ft. for lounge space for Studio C....but not including terrace)

Main Building Ground Level 13,000 sq. ft.
Second Level 13,000 sq. ft. (includes offices plus 3-4 production suites plus immersive mastering suite)

TOTAL SQ. FT.: 26,000

Warehouse to be demolished roughly 210 ft. X 175 ft (36,750 sq. ft.)....so we are looking at rebuilding just a bit more than 1/3 of existing space....so will permit for landscaped space completely around music production complex....no longer abutting up against neighbouring building.

Anybody good with Sketchup? Or anything similar? Would like to see what might look like in 3D but still struggling to master that program.

#7

i'm excellent with SU. do you have the original DWG (etc) formatted file?

i'd swap the mech room and mic locker to get the mech room as far away from the live rooms as possible. also, having people moving around and doing stuff over the live rooms would likely become problematic as well. you're likely better going with a larger single floor plan and create a post-prod and master suites section of the building to avoid noise into the live rooms.

#8

gullfo wrote:Source of the post i'm excellent with SU. do you have the original DWG (etc) formatted file?

i'd swap the mech room and mic locker to get the mech room as far away from the live rooms as possible. also, having people moving around and doing stuff over the live rooms would likely become problematic as well. you're likely better going with a larger single floor plan and create a post-prod and master suites section of the building to avoid noise into the live rooms.

This is a rough drawing....no formatted file....not good at SU....just trying to see what would look like visually....we are meeting with a studio designer and architect in New Year....but I like to have an idea of what would be like before meeting with him....as said a visual person....layout seems ok but curious about overall look in 3D if could figure out how to use SU

What would you suggest if going with larger single floor plan? Adding on at least three production suites and one mastering suite for immersive? Central mechanical room would be sound isolated (at least live rooms would be)....so not sure why need to relocate?

Due to height in live rooms of at least 20 to 25 ft. not planning production suites/mastering suite/offices over live rooms

#9

the mech rooms tend to be noisy and regardless of isolation efforts, it's just best to keep the stuff as far away as possible from places where you might have sensitive mics picking it up. same for any potential noise sources adjacent to the live rooms - lounges, bathrooms, etc.

having proper egress routes will be critical so maybe a pair of hallways separating the lounges, mech room, bathrooms etc. could add the isolation, load-in/out, and so on needed with multiple parties using the facilities. not sure if you're planning on major acts using this space, but they would generally like their roadies to be able to get their equipment into the space (and back out) so planning for moving bulk equipment from weather protected (and secured) loading docks would be a consideration.

as it is now, you only have 2 doors for exiting the building... :cop:

from my perspective, on the second floor question -- if you have the real estate for everything on the one level, it will just make things easier to get around (this being a commercial facility means ADA compliance all around including the elevators, ramps, safety, accommodation in restrooms, etc)

#10

i was thinking more along these lines... maybe put the mech between the lounges to accommodate hvac + venting + plumbing etc

#11

A more realistic setup than my first layout might be:

Studio A
Control Room 550 sq. ft.
Live Room 1000 sq. ft

Studio B
Control Room 500 sq. ft.
Live Room 1250 sq. ft.

Studio C
Control Room 600 sq. ft.
Live Room 2000 sq. ft.

Lounge including rest room/kitchen
A 900 sq. ft.
B 800 sq. ft.
C 1000 sq. ft.

Central Mechanical Room 750 sq. ft.

Video Room 850 sq. ft.

Storage etc. 1000 sq. ft.

Immersive Production Suite 800 sq. ft.

Hall 300 sq. ft.

Additional space including Air Conditioned Rooms in Studios plus Iso Booths 700 sq. ft.

TOTAL 13,550 sq. ft. (NOTE: Rough Dimensions 130 ft. X 100 ft.- with extra 550 sq. ft. for lounge space for Studio C....but not including terrace)

Main Building
Ground Level 13,000 sq. ft.
Second Level 13,000 sq. ft. (includes offices plus 3-4 production suites)

TOTAL SQ. FT.: 26,000

#12

gullfo wrote:Source of the post i was thinking more along these lines... maybe put the mech between the lounges to accommodate hvac + venting + plumbing etc

Interesting concept....worth considering

#13

i figure you could scale it down, but it depends on your overall business model. something like your plan (or mine) is several million dollars for the building and then another couple for all the treatments and gear, audio wiring etc. one other thought is having a CR on either end of the smaller studios so they could share the live room - thus enabling more projects to rent time. and when neither is using the live room, it could be rented as rehearsal space or for video projects etc. with conveniently located post-prod rooms... :-)

lastly, you should also plan space for maintenance activities like equipment repairs, etc so you don't always have to have your gear go offsite for repair or when something needs a quick fix during a session.

#14

here's a nice build thread on GS -- https://gearspace.com/board/photo-diari ... hread.html

one note: the studio was acquired after about 1 year (hopefully the owner got a good return on it). i had designed a studio in Los Angeles CA many years ago and unfortunately the owner didn't have a proper lease and so after a few months the landlord claimed ownership to lease to a friend. needless to say we quickly stripped it all out and use the materials for another location... but if you're only leasing the land, be aware of things like termination clauses, environment remediation (e.g. you find oil tanks in the ground - make sure the owner is on the hook to rapidly remediate otherwise it can be big $$$ and of course they're not likely inclined to remediate it any time soon, meanwhile your assets engaged are then tied up...)

#15

I looked at your suggestion and incorporated something along that line:

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