Ash's new band

[ELVIS]

My new neighbor is a good all around musician who wants to start jamming...

He's impressed with my newly built mancave studio and my equipment...

I've heard a pretty good demo he made. He hasn't heard me yet...

I'm getting interested. Just been major busy lately...

[Seshmeister]

Mark I got the old band back together a few months ago after 18 years and we're having a blast. I'm really hoping to get an album done at the summer.

A lot less ego these days but the logistics of getting 4 people in their early 40s with various kids, families and careers in a room even once a fortnight are not easy.

[Panamark]

Takes time when you get to be our age, Mark!

It's a bitch but just take baby steps to get there......your fingers and hands will thank-you later

You also have to have the passion, Im feeling that again, first time, long time since all this new
Van Halen stuff is emerging.

Hey what do you know about sound proofing,
In Australia if you own acreage you are restricted
to usually one house on the property. We are lucky
as the last owners built two houses and joined
them with decking (a council loophole).
But you are not restricted to the amount of sheds
you put on the property. Ive seen sheds put up
with proper wooden frames and dry wall, looks like
an old shed on the outside, beutiful new room inside.
In fact one of our neighbours is an architect and built
a modern contempary 5 bedroom home that is awesome,
but looks like this big old farm shed outside.

Im thinking of doing this and putting my studio in there,
Im just wondering if there is a good sound proofing
product I can put in the walls so the farmers in the
valley dont all shoot me when Im playing too loud
or having some fun on a kit. Do you know of something
that might work in that type of setup ?

[Seshmeister]

I would guess that it's easy to cut the noise by the first 50% with carpets and insulation but it will be a law of diminishing returns after that.

I have a pretty big garage outbuilding and although I'm in the suburbs have got away with a lot just by using an electronic kit and by not playing too late. Drums are the problem and the drive everything up but with one of the Roland kits going through the PA you can set it at a loudish level but one you can shout loudly over.

[kwame k]

Yeah, that'll work too, Sesh.

The last studio I built had isolation rooms from the drums and guitars......an open main room for jamming and the recording console. Only the drum room and amp pits had double walls.

Depending on the size of the shed you want to build will determine if that's feasible, Mark!

If you want one big room I'd suggest building a room inside a room, so to speak. The outer wall will have dead air space between the inner wall, an inch or so . Stagger all drywall seams so there's no two walls with a seam running the same way! Insulate both walls with a heavy R insulation.

Use a sound absorption cork boards where you put the drums and buy the egg shell panels to absorb the highs.....baffles for the corners for the lows and you should be able to rock out till the cows come home.

[ELVIS]

Ive seen sheds put up
with proper wooden frames and dry wall, looks like
an old shed on the outside, beutiful new room inside.

You just described the two story workshop and jam room I have...

[ashstralia]

there's a guy up here that did as kwame said; but put straw bales in between the 2 rooms.

[Seshmeister]

Yeah, that'll work too, Sesh.

That said after a few years of jamming with my best pal drummer in there a couple of weeks ago we hired a proper rehearsal room for a few hours with an acoustic kit and a Marshall stack and it was awesome.

The plan now is to rehearse there every second time but I guess that's not an option out in the Outback.

[Panamark]

Hey thanks guys, some food for thought there the room within the room concept
makes a lot of sense and would I imagine give the best results. The other issue
being where I am is its sub tropical and gets bloody hot ! Im guessing any
air conditioning is going to undo all the good soundproofing work ?

Congrats Sesh on your reunion, I loved that snippet you gave to me over a year
ago, "Operation Seshcrime !"
Cant wait to hear your whole album.
Same deal with anything Elvis might come up with in a band.
You too Kwame, bunch of talented guys you all are, thats not
kissing arse, thats the fucking truth !

[kwame k]

Thanks, bro

Remember this Mark....the more you insulate the easier it is to heat and cool.

If you put a window type AC unit in, the leakage wouldn't be that bad, I'd imagine.....

The win win would be doing it in a basement, though!

[kwame k]

there's a guy up here that did as kwame said; but put straw bales in between the 2 rooms.

Fucking brilliant......old school insulation!

[ashstralia]

Fucking brilliant......old school insulation!

yeah and he runs it as a professional studio; in a situation very similar to mark's. the guy himself rehearses his black metal band there so it obviously works!!!

[Seshmeister]

I admire both of you, I don't think I would be able to play at all upside down.

[Panamark]

lol@sesh, thats why we drink so much, it counteracts that low blood pressure
shit that makes you pass out...

Theres no shortage of strawbales around these parts !
I wish I could click my fingers and have it all finished, I have a feeling
pending new baby will get in the way of this project for a little while....

[Panamark]

On those electronic drum kits, I just cant seem to get into it... lol
Im waiting for a devo song to come out of a midi sequencer
just sitting behind one. Im not a drummer, but I love smashing the
crap out of real drums, real skins. The rubber pads dont feel right at
all to me...