I know the conventional wisdom is against doing it. However, given my circumstances, I dont really have any choice.

Main points:

Room, 4x3 metres. Pent roof, log cabin. One door, one small window. Twin skinned. 1-015 meteres away from host building and neughbours, garages on one side, fencing/trees/shrubs on the other.

Will be used for demo tracking and mixing although the majority of the work will be done over cans (HD650's). Only vox and occasional mic'd up acoustic will be tracked using methods other than DI or vst.

Already have plenty of readybags and foam to treat the room, can get hold of more, no problem. Happy making my own traps, including superchunks, etc. Think I know what needs to be done there. Already have IK's ARC1 as well.

Thing is, with the internal walls being a series of stacked logs, including the roof... although I'm pretty much on a hiding to nothing with soundproofing, is it even worth considering paying lipservice to any sort of soundproofing (even acoustic plasterboard around the walls) before acoustically treating the room? Is the fact that the internal walls are logs as opposed to a smooth surface like plasterboard going to make the job of treating the room more difficult?

Or should I just concentrate on treating the room and have done with it?

Any hints and tips from anyone else who has gone down this particular path using logcabins as recording/tracking facilities?

All wisdom gratefully appreciated.

Thanks guys.

I'd be interested also.

Hopefully there is some way of making this work, although I agree its not an ideal environment.
For those of us that live in conservation areas for example putting up a brick built building is very unlikely, so wooden ones do have their attractions, as planners tend to be a little easier on something that could conceivably be removed if required.

My concern aside from the acoustic soundproofing considerations would be moisture build up, as it is effectively a shed...

There seems to be 2 ways to go from what I can see
Something like this:

http://dunsterhouse.co.uk/log-cabins/75m-x-35m-lanterasup-sup-350-grande

which is really cheap, and you can get insulated between 2 skins of wood, double glazed

or this:

http://www.oecogardenrooms.co.uk/soundproof-music-rooms.html

which seems to be hugely expensive, and claims to have soundproofing and acoustic properties, but when you look at the construction doesn't seem to offer much more than the above aside from nicer finishes and doors/windows..?

We now have 2 log cabins in our garden as well as a block built studio in a quiet neighbourhood. While I haven't attempted to soundproof the log cabins, I've just finished building a soundproof inner structure in the studio which is similar to what you would need for the log cabin.

Think of the log cabin as an outer weatherproof shell with virtually no soundproofing properties. If you have a suitably substantial floor you can then build a separate room within the log cabin for soundproofing. If you only have the standard wooden floor then it would be best to dismantle the log cabin, build a damp proof concrete base and then re-erect the log cabin before building the inner room.

You will need a substantial floor because the inner room will have 2 or 3 layers of acoustic plasterboard (a 19mm/12mm/15mm sandwich with green glue between layers is ideal) and you will also need a roof of similar construction.

I probably wouldn't want to use loud drums in there unless you have sympathetic neighbours but vocals and guitar should be fine at any time of the day or night with that sort of construction.

James.

PS - I just wanted to add that we don't find moisture build up to be a problem although the bigger cabin has a heater set very low most of the time in the winter.

--------------------
JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Edited by James Perrett (09/11/12 10:35 AM)

Interestingly the contractor providing the installation has agreed to add a layer of rockwool all the way round in the appropriate twin skin cavities, walls, floor and ceiling... so although it cant be the true room within a room scenario, I think this is the kind of lip service to soundproofing that may help, just a tad... Im afraid James that the concrete base is a non starter.

Hi there... I finished a garden room we use as an art studio this year and I added 4" rock wool insulation all around, and I can confirm that as a soundproofing mechanism this is all but useless (I was doing it so the room was usable in the winter.

As I understand it, to stop those pesky sound-waves you need a big decoupled mass to absorb them. Hence the room-in-a-room concept widely adopted.

--------------------
New album 'Fantasy Bridge' available now!
Making of Fantasy Bridge Diary

Yep... I think it is going to be a similar thing.. think the answer is going to be to concentrate on the acoustic treatment more than anything else....