Studio Project: Walls and Ceiling

Here’s another quick update on the recording studio. All the walls are up and the ceiling has just started.

Control Panel Location

Two sheets of drywall are hung on every wall. Between each sheet is Green Glue noise proofing compound.

Green Glue

Green Glue by the bucket!

Sealing electrical

Every electrical box has to be sealed to prevent sound from escaping out of the room.

Finished Walls

The walls are all finished and sealed.

Ceiling

Work is starting on the ceiling. Another layer of drywall will cover the plywood.

 

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Studio Project: Electrical finishes up

Quick update for the studio project. Electrical is all finished and we’re moving in to building up the walls. More coming soon!

Main patch panel

Main Patch Panel

Sub panel for patching into the isolation booths

Sub-panel inside isolation booth

Sub-panel inside isolation booth

Conduit plans for patch panels

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Studio Project: Mechanical Rough-in

Part two in our studio project focuses on the HVAC duct rough in installation.

Duct work entering room

The HVAC contractor installed two 16-inch ducts for supply and return air. These large diameters help prevent mechanical sounds from entering the studio and acoustic sounds from getting back into the house.

Custom sheet metal duct made to reduce the HVAC supply and return.

Finished view of the HVAC

It might be hard to see in this photo but each HVAC register is installed with special isolation hardware to help further prevent acoustic energy from being transmitted from the register to the framing.

Each isolation closet will have it's own supply and return vent. This enables the air circulate through the room and keep the guitar amplifiers nice and cool. You can also see the isolation hardware a little better in this picture.

Another finished view of the duct work.

For a better idea of what is going on here's a view of the HVAC design. The blue lines supply fresh air and the red lines take the air back to the HVAC unit.

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Studio Project: Construction Begins

We’ve been pretty busy lately but not too busy to take a few snapshots of what we’ve been doing. This is the beginning of a recording studio we’re currently working on for a client. We’ll be updating with more images as the job progresses.

Studio - Before Demo

Before construction begain this room above the garage was a small jam room and fitness center. Now the entire space will be devoted to the recording studo.

Studio - Before Demo

For reference this is the room before much of the demo began. The wall you see in the center of the photo will become an isolation closet for guitar speaker cabinets.

Isolation Booth

This is the framing for one of the three isolations booths.

Floating Floor

Kinetics RIM floating floor assembly with QuietWood flooring

Floating Floor

Another view of the floating floor. The 1 1/8-inch QuietWood flooring rests on the green isolation pads.

QuietWood Flooring

QuietWood 631 1 1/8-inch flooring for the isolation closets.

Hardware used to isolate walls

Hardware used to isolate the two walls. When we are finished there will be a room built within a room.

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Radio Program

In case you missed it or were out of range of the signal here’s the WENG Tech Soup program from Monday. Apologies for the quality of the audio. Click the play button below to begin.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You can also see a few pictures on our Facebook Page!

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BrightSky on the Radio!

BrightSky’s Mike Thoma and Seth Johnson will be on WENG’s Tech Soup segment Monday morning at 11:00AM. You can listen live by visiting www.wengradio.com and clicking the Listen Live button in the upper right corner.

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Free iPad Offer!

That’s right! We’re giving away FREE Apple iPads when you purchase a qualified Ovation Theater System.

Complete packages start as low as $4,999 and include top quality components and current equipment models. This special offer only lasts until December 1, 2010.

Click here for the package list or call us at (941) 355-1220 for more information on this special deal!

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Go Green with Smart Lighting Control!

Control4 Wireless Zigbee Dimmer

If you’re building a new energy efficient home or just looking to cut monthly costs on your electric bill you might want to take a look at installing a lighting control system. Studies show that lighting your home can be from 12-15% of your total electric bill.  Of that amount 50% is waisted with inefficient lights or by just leaving the lights on in unoccupied rooms.

With a Control4 smart lighting control system installed by BrightSky you can automate your lights to come on when you need them and turn off when you don’t. BrightSky uses dimmers, timers, and occupancy sensors to reduce even more energy waste. By just dimming your lights 25% (hardly noticeable to the human eye) you can reduce your electricity consumption up to 20% and quadruple the life of your light bulbs!

Dimming the Lights this much Saves this much electricity Extends bulb life
10% 10% 2 times longer
25% 20% 4 times longer
50% 40% 20 times longer
75% 60% More than 20 times longer

Motion detector used for room occupancy detection

Outdoor lighting can also be controlled by motion senors only to come on when you need them, or programmed to come on at sunset for the safety and security of your home and family. Indoor lighting can use sensors to automatically turn off when no one is in the room. Ambient light sensors can be installed to allow automatic level adjustments to be made so you never use more light than you need, but always have enough.

Our lighting control packages can start as low as $399 and typically your entire home can be controlled for as little as $2-3 per square foot. To see our green lighting control system in action stop by our conveniently located Clark Road Showroom or call 941-355-1220 for more information.

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Bluray Giveaway!!


One lucky Facebook fan will win a Sony 1080p Bluray player just for liking our Facebook page.  We’ll do a random drawing when we reach 100 ‘Likes.’   This offer is only available to our Facebook followers so make sure you sign up today!

Click Here

It’s that easy!

“Official” Rules

  • You need to be 18 or older
  • You should be able to stop by our showroom on Clark Road to pick up the player
  • If you can’t make it here you’ll have to pay a few bucks for shipping
  • No purchase necessary
  • Can’t be combined with any other offer
  • We’ll notify the winner via Facebook within 24 hours of us getting to 100 likes
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Wireless Whole House Audio


Sonos Multi-Room Audio Systems

Sonos Multi-Room Audio Systems

One of the products we use for whole house audio is the Sonos Multi-Room Audio System.  Sonos has developed an amazing product that is very advanced but extremely simple to use.  The Sonos ZonePlayer is a networked device that connects to a broadband internet connection.  With an internet connection the ZonePlayer has access to millions of online music services such as Rhapsody, Pandora, Last.FM and many, many more.

FM Radio – With a Sonos ZonePlayer you can listen to static-free local radio stations from anywhere in the world.  Many of our seasonal clients use the Sonos system to listen to their favorite radio stations from back home. Whether that home is in Chicago or London it doesn’t matter. They get the same static-free station anytime they want to listen.

Your Music – Sonos has the ability to sync directly with an existing music collection giving full access to albums and songs.

Online Music Services – Perhaps the best feature of the Sonos system is the access it has to literally millions of songs from online music services. There are options for both free and paid services as well as free trial period offers for new Sonos purchases.

Wireless – All Sonos ZonePlayers are wireless devices that setup their own secure wireless network automatically.  To expand a existing system into another area of the home all that is needed is another ZonePlayer.

Free Automatic Updates – Unlike most electronic devices the Sonos system keeps getting better after you buy it.  The latest and greatest music services and new features can be installed with the press of a button.

A Sonos wireless system starts around $349 plus installation for a single zone or room of audio.  There are many ways we can integrate the Sonos system into an existing whole house audio system that could save money and still be easy to use.

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