Vocal/mixing studio in bedroom
When Wilco moved from Amsterdam to Baarn, that was the moment for him to finally furnish the home studio of his dreams. At least, Mutrox built the studio and advised and installed the acoustics and he furnished it further. Two things were important: first, that his roommates (his 2-year-old son and his girlfriend) would not be bothered by his singing in the studio and second, that the neighbors on both sides would not hear anything. Wilco: "It gives a bad feeling when you have the idea that people elsewhere are listening in with bent toes, so I wanted to avoid that." A rewarding job for Mutrox!
The question
Wilco approached us with the request to convert one of the bedrooms in his newly purchased house into a studio. For a long time, Wilco had wanted a room where he could mix and sing in the evening and at night without disturbing his child and girlfriend and without his neighbors hearing anything. His move from Amsterdam to Baarn was the perfect opportunity to realize such a space. So it had to be very quiet in order not to let sound out during singing and to eliminate sound inward during recordings. Of course, the acoustics would also have to be perfectly suited to the use of the space.
An additional requirement was that the studio would be built in two weeks: between the time Wilco would get the key to their house and move in, construction had to be accomplished. Mutrox made sure that Wilco got the space of his dreams within this allotted time and that the result would more than exceed his expectations.
The solution
By building a carefully decoupled "room in room" construction with a high insulation value of 40 dB, Mutrox created a sound-insulating shell that makes the space very quiet and blocks virtually all sound to the outside. We also ensured perfect acoustics in the space.
How did we go about it?
By choosing a heavy, bend-slack wall construction, we gain control over the energy produced in the room. By using a high-mass wall system, the resonant frequency in walls and ceiling is reduced, bringing the extinction frequency below the hearing range. The result is a high sound insulation value and a correct perception in the room when mixing and singing there. With low-resonators, an acoustically absorbent ceiling and the right amount of acoustically absorbent panels, the room acoustics were perfected.
What is special about Mutrox's entire approach is the thorough preparation: first the space is drawn out in detail and the building elements are prepared for assembly in the best possible way. This way, the construction time on site can be kept to a minimum.
- Dangerous Music 2Bus+ summing mixer
- Dangerous Music SOURCE Monitor system
- Flock Audio Patchbay
- Focal TRIO11BE Active Studio Monitor speakers
- LG 38WK95C-W LED - Ultrawide HDR IPS Monitor
- Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S88 MK2 USB/MIDI keyboard
- Native Instruments Maschine MK3
- Presonus FaderPort 16 DAW controller
- Softube Console 1 Mk 2, hardware controller
- Tegeler Audio Manufaktur Créme
- Tegeler Audio Manufaktur Raumzeitmaschine
- Tegeler Audio Manufaktur Schwerkraftmaschine
- Tube Tech SMC 2 B Multiband Compressor
- Universal Audio Apollo X16 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
- Universal Audio Apollo X6 Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface
- Marantz SR7015 4K/UHD immersive receiver
- Nintendo Switch
- Sony Playstation 4
- Sony VPL-VW290ES 4K HDR projector
- Screen Research 2.40:1 acoustic transparent screen 3.0 m wide
- Additional item list
- Additional item list
The result
Wilco is extremely pleased with the results. He can sing at full volume in the room without his roommates or neighbors hearing anything and without it being annoying for himself in the room, because of the excellent acoustics. Moreover, he can work in the space undisturbed in silence, an unprecedented added benefit! With great pride, Wilco always shows his studio during a tour of the house as the very last one, and visitors and friends, without exception, are impressed by the space. Mission accomplished!
Interview
After completing a project, we like to hear how our clients experienced the cooperation, and if they like the result.
This is what Wilco thought:
I found Mutrox online. I found several parties during my search, including cheaper ones or ones that could provide construction drawings to build myself, but I specifically wanted a partner who could not only draw out the studio, but also build it. That's how I ended up at Mutrox. I had an orientation meeting with Harm and that went very well. He gave good answers to all my questions and really thought along with me. I also visited Mutrox once and saw things and that's how we came to a plan and a choice.
Yes, I sit there a lot. In fact, it is also just my study. So the space has a dual function and I sit there even when I do my administration! During Corona's time I worked from home and spent an incredible amount of time there. That was wonderful: nice and quiet, nice acoustics and because it is a studio there are also very good speakers, so I could listen to music there very well. With perfect acoustics without disturbing or being disturbed by anyone. It's a very nice serene place where I like to spend a lot of time.
Because of the size, I opted for a 40 dB insulating shell. I was afraid it might not be enough, but 50 dB would be much more expensive and the space will be smaller. Now it feels roomy, but another 10-20 cm off and it does start to feel very small.
Mutrox offered a complete solution from drawing to construction and could promise that the construction could be done within a period of two weeks. But also the pleasant contact I had with Harm helped a lot.
Yes, that went very well. It was a hectic period, because we got this house on Friday and on Monday they were going to start building the studio. A radiator and a closet still had to come out, so Saturday I was demolishing cabinets and I found a plumber who was willing to take out a radiator and reroute pipes on Saturday. Monday morning at 7:30 I then had to provide parking in front of the door. But from then on everything went very smoothly. We had a period of two weeks between receiving the key and moving in, and during that time it had to be done. And it worked out perfectly.
Everyone who comes to visit is amazed by the studio which is really a showcase of the house. That's why I always save showing the studio until last. Everyone then stands in admiration of how it turned out. This is also because of the beautiful things in it and the interior work that is made of beautiful wood. The space really exudes something professional and something pleasant, but of course the physical space has a lot to do with that. My girlfriend is always very surprised how little she hears outside the studio. She goes to bed and then I'm singing and mixing at full volume and she just doesn't hear anything at all. That's what I was hoping how it would be. I also spoke to the neighbor at a street drink the other day and asked him if he had ever heard anything and he had never heard anything.
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