Fine tuning my garage studio.

[Chris Sgaraglino]

I shoot a lot of How-To and Review Videos in my garage that I have a setup where I can quickly go from garage/workshop to studio.

I have two issues I would like some input with.
Overall tonal quality.
A/C Unit in the corner.

Space is a 20x20 2-car garage, and this is things I have already done:
finished the walls and ceiling
added a 10x10 rug directly under my recording area
added 1" foam to the overhead door sections
This has helped quite a bit with the tonal quality, but it is still a little echoey, and I need to figure out how to tweak it more.

As for the A/C unit in the far corner, I typically shut it down during shooting, but here in Florida, I can only shut it down for very short periods, or the house will get so hot that it can't catch up for the rest of the day.

While shooting in the winter is better, I am limited to 10-15 minute shoots then have to break for 30-45 to let the A/C catch back up. Side note: the A/C system was replaced this past summer, which helps, but still is a problem.

I want some suggestions for dampening the sound. It is loud raw, but it's steady and relatively easy to remove in post. I would, however, like to knock it down some so that it's not as distracting.

[Jim Michael]

Install some rock wool panels. GIK Acoustics is one source or you can construct your own. I’ve seen a comprehensive guide to room treatment on one of the Gearslutz subforums that may be of interest.

[Paul R Johnson]

Can we hear it? 'Echoey' could mean many things, and of course, none of them are echo.

The usual issues are parallel walls, so you get standing waves, and that characteristic 'boxy' sound. That said, 20x20 is a decent enough space, so maybe you just need to look at your mic placement, if you've taken some steps to damped things. Your description suggests that maybe you've tamed the HF end, but now have a woolly - muffled bass kind of response left? Is there a link to one of the videos we could then have a listen to?

In the pictures there's no trace of a microphone, so one very simple thing to do is just pop a clip on mic onto your front and that will make a difference straight away.

[Rick Reineke]

A lavaliere or headset mic is your best friend in reverberant environments.. assuming that's what Chris means. If extraneous noise is getting into the 'studio' from outside, that is another issue entirely.which typically requires structural modifications..aka, a-room-within-a-room.

[Paul R Johnson]

Barriers are good too - so you have a noisy aircon unit? Stop the noise having a direct path to the mic. Remember the inverse square law. Move a mic in closer to the sound source and the background drops very quickly. Distant mics means lots of room sound.

[Don Palomaki]

As noted above, if not doing it already, using a microphone positioned a few inches from your mouth will make a world of difference - you can do this with a lav. Once the mic is more than a foot or two from the speaker the room acoustics will become more apparent, even with a shotgun mic.

Some A/C units might allow a lower fan speed, which generally will not be as noisy. If the main source of sound is the air intake and/or discharge you might be able to build a baffle to silence it a bit.

In extreme cases you could overdub the voice in a more studio-like environment as part of the editing process.

[Andrew Smith]

Chris,

We really need a link to your YouTube channel etc so we can hear the issue for ourselves.

Andrew

[Don Palomaki]

Chris' material is on his web site; e.g.:

https://www.widowcreek.com/dual-lav-...for-your-dslr/
https://www.widowcreek.com/shooting-...rt-i-the-gear/
(Noise is not apparent in the above linked videos, probably because it is off.)

His kit is detailed:
https://www.widowcreek.com/gear/

He appears to have a lav under his T-shirt, and makes reference to a shotgun out of the frame. But not clear which he is using, I didn't watch the whole videos (they run over 20 minutes each). IMO they are much better video than most stuff on youtube (but might be better if served in smaller chunks). In any case he pretty much has the gear to accomplish what can be with mic placement.

Using noise filtering in audio editing software or an NLE plugin might help somewhat, but will not get it to studio quality sound. Because his web page serves a marketing purpose for his photo/video business the sound needs to be pristine.

A solution would include:
- Building a double-wall utility closet around the HVAC and use sound proofed duct work to feed the main space.
- If practicable use lower speed blower (faster air movement means more noise)

https://www.soundproofcow.com/
can provide some more ideas.

[Jerry Mennenga]

This isn’t a perfect solution, but it could dampen sound in specific areas and not overly pricey.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801

Jerry Mennenga

[John Nantz]

It would be helpful to know more about the HVAC system. There are no air ducts shown. Is it, or the water heater (?) next to the HVAC, gas fired?

Originally Posted by Don Palomaki

A solution would include:
- Building a double-wall utility closet around the HVAC and use sound proofed duct work to feed the main space.
- If practicable use lower speed blower (faster air movement means more noise)

https://www.soundproofcow.com/
can provide some more ideas.

The suggestion about walling off the noise culprits is a good one and would be worth pursuing. One way to investigate the ins-and-outs of putting a wall around the units would be to talk to a few HVAC businesses about how that can be done, and at the same time find out about any building code issues. With regard to building codes, the cite such as which Code (NEC, NFPA, UBC, etc) and, if possible, the sections, would be very helpful. At that point, though, they would probably suggest talking with an architect ($).

The local building department jurisdiction would have a permit fee schedule on-line.

If air vents are required, such as for a gas system, then they could be baffled or the air supply vented to the outside through the wall or ceiling.

A wall would be more work and expensive than mic placement but if the latter isn't enough then it's an alternative worth investigating.

[Jim Michael]

If you decide to wall off a noise source there is an adhesive for sheetrock that helps minimize sound transmission. If nailed to studs the noise is transmitted through the studs. Insulation also helps. This is the article referred to earlier. https://www.gearslutz.com/board/stud...look-here.html

[Don Palomaki]

If nailed to studs the noise is transmitted through the studs.

The typical technique is to use staggered studs one set for the inside wall, the other set offset a bit for the outside wall so the motion of one wall is not is not coupled to the other though a common stud. And insulate the dead space between the walls. Adds a few dollars and an inch or two to wall thickness but is effective.

It looks like an electric hot water heater, and a Rudd heat pump (with 5KW electric coil booster heat) - very common configuration in FL.. The main noise would likely be the blower and perhaps the heat pump outside the garage.

[Justin Kuhn]

hanging blankets would be a customizable and cost-effective (if you use moving blankets) way to improve your accoustics somewhat. Doubling up and leaving an inch of empty space between blankets even more. If it works to do so, walling off your shooting area with double blanket baffles and doing the HVAC with insulated walls would probably give you the best results. If cost is no object, I've heard that Producer's Choice accoustic blankets are the way to go.

GIANT DIY Sound Blanket Panels For Better Audio and Lighting! - YouTube