Hi to all,

I currently have a small home studio in my loft. I am planning to move this facility to a new-build Pine Log cabin in the garden. The Pine Log Cabin will double as a Photographic studio for my wife.

We are planning the Pine Log cabin to be in the order of 4m x 7m & it will be supplied with manufacturer designed cavity wall insulation system will also incorporate a damp proof membrane, a vapor control barrier and an air gap.

The supplied walls comprise (working from outside to inside): a 45mm outer pine wall, a breathable membrane, a 10mm air gap, Kingspan TP10-70mm foil back sheet insulation, a vapor control barrier & a 28mm inner pine wall. There will also be a number of windows a double entrance door.

The question I have is how much sound insulation this will give me & what additional work would I need to do to the walls, windows & doors to improve the sound insulation down to a very low leakage level. I will be recording live instruments (guitars, vocals, etc) & very occasionally I would need to record drums.

All advice welcomed.

kingspan is a rigid closed cell foam , lightweight, and thermally very effective...

acoustically, it' a chocolate fireguard on all fronts. it neither absorbs, nor does it stop.... it's utterly useless for sound proofing or for acoustic treatment/bass trapping.

high density rockwool would be better... (by high density , i mean more than 80kg/m3 , preferably more than 100Kgm3)




the pine inner wall lacks mass and density ,

what it needs to be is about 46mm of acoustic plasterboard and green glue sandwich (19,gg,12,gg,15), mounted on resilient channel , or an independent framework, separate from the external walls.

the inner wall will need glazing separately from the outer wall.

and a host of other measures,.

I was thinking about a pine log cabin for my studio until I walked in to Steve Hill's which is about the same size as your proposed cabin and finished in the same way.

As Max says, the soundproofing is virtually zero.

My wife now has a similar cabin for her ceramic studio. It is fine for this use but there is no way that you should consider one for a sound studio.

Cheers

James.

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

I've just had my new studio/garden lodge completed by Homestead Timber buildings.
Their buildings are claimed to be all year round use, insulated to a high level. They seemed to understand my needs for a thermally and acoustically well insulated building. They provided an 'extra layer' on the normal spec, and I chose a design with few (double glazed) windows.
I'm very pleased, but the sonic insulation is not quite as good as a 'real' house. My location means this isn't a problem in terms of causing noise nuisance to neighbours. From 30ft away, you won't be able to hear much at all.
You've obviously looked into various options, but do check that the building is thermally insulated to a very high standard, and find a company that understands your needs for acoustic insulation. Homestead understood my requirements and knew that an extra layer to walls, ceiling, and floor would be necessary. When I did my research, there were firms who claimed their buildings were completely soundproof, but for various reasons I made my choice.
Obviously, this all costs money, but with these garden lodges I think it's very much a case of 'you get what you pay for'.

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Excelling at mediocrity for 58 years.