Page One Before the Build
Welcome to Page One of the brick & mortar build of Quintessence Studio - The Workplace of Higher Being. Follow along as we go - meeting goals with planning and research, facing challenges, solving problems and doing our cooperative best to transform this residential garage to a project recording studio that will offer high resolution recording and DSD format production. Meet the team I've put together to help me see this dream come into being.
For decades I have been a solo artist, composer, singer-songwriter, arranger and producer, I am also a teacher and mentor. I create the kind of sound and music that penetrates and captivates, to bring back the felt experience of sound, beyond what our ears receive.
As a creative growth specialist, my process asks for and welcomes the deepest best from the soul. I welcome what is in you, at any age and stage where you're at, we can bring your project to life, from conception through to completion. Work with me to let your dreams and voice be both heard and felt by listeners. I can guide you without judgment to express yourself without fear, if you might be nervous in a recording studio, if you need to tell your story, if you want to sound authentically yourself, or to learn how to produce your own project. I provide vocal expression lessons unique to Quintessence Studio, of the Italian-Swedish lineage of voice training that promotes clarity, power, ease and agility for how you naturally sing.
Watch the creation of a solo creative artist's professional music studio unfold, to become an intimate, warm, comfortable place that can accommodate a small group. Surrounded by quiet nature, Quintessence Studio sits on sacred Mohawk meadow land bordering Lake Ontario. CONTACT ME
The Right Approach
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This project focuses on a homeowner-residential approach to modern studio building ($100 to $500 per sf) which is very different from commercial, professional, large scale studio building ($500 to $2000 per sf). A successful studio build in-home or on your property needs the following: acoustic-based design (blueprints) for the space and purpose, renovation or construction permit, the right tradespeople to help or do your build, and also peers, colleagues and others to bounce ideas off of and brainstorm with.
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The amount of freedom in design and construction when integrating a studio in your home depends on how much change can be made to your existing home, within reason. Consider zoning, site situation, budget and purpose (how you actually work, what you create). Unless you work exclusively with headphones "in the box" (line-in to computer) and you don't sing or play an acoustic or wind instrument, assume little to nothing as automatically okay, do your homework on how loud you can get, what your existing build is because that will determine how much more your walls, ceiling and floors can take.
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At the homeowner-residential modern studio level and price-point, expect your dream-vision to be constrained by existing structural conditions and choose materials appropriately, because home inspectors will not permit fancy materials that are atypical to residential structures if you're making changes at structural level. Typical options for in-home private studio include: adjusting an extra bedroom, creating a dedicated space in your basement, or in our case, converting an attached 2 car garage, you may even choose to build a separate "outbuilding" from scratch on your property. Any outbuilding greater than 160sf in our province of Ontario requires a permit. Any changes to your existing home that affects structural/load, you need a permit.
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A homeowner is allowed to file for a permit, if they already have stamped designs to include. Otherwise, a general contractor can look after all that for you, including coordinating the sub trades needed for your project. Because construction for sound can be very different than standard residential construction in specific aspects, it is imperative that your builder-contractor understand the exact differences in methods and materials from your studio designer (acoustician), because the GC will need to communicate the same to the subtrades ie the right kind of wire and grounding your electrician needs to know about, how your drywallers need to do double drywall for soundproofing etc...
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Prior to taking out your frustrations with a sledgehammer, be open to seeking out the professional advice of a studio designer, they offer consulting to folks like us at a reasonable fee. Do your research ahead of time on what's possible, determine what you require in your site situation, get clarity on how you see yourself working, being open to utilizing larger, louder existing studios when you need to. Then you will get the most out of your studio design consulting session. Let them know you need a homeowner/residential build, so that your design conforms to residential code, and will satisfy all permits and pass all inspections.
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Secure a well-reputed, established builder/contractor, especially if your project requires changes to load bearing walls, moving plumbing or additional electrical. Use only licensed professionals such as architects and structural engineers who can sign off on your designs, ESA licensed electricians - because if anything goes wrong and you need to file an insurance claim, your insurer will deny your claim citing "unlicensed work, not conducted by a professional".
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In this project, I have taken on the role of "sound in space" designer, knowing my own background, having sought out experienced acoustic engineers and studio designers to help me create the layout for Quintessence Studio, and I work hand in hand with our structural engineer and GC at every stage for materials, build methods, soundproofing etc... whatever are your gifts and abilities, put them to use. Go to The Q Team, and see the other sections to meet everyone on board.
Captain Bill Hyndman checks levels - everything of his in-build is spot on. The fun part was comparing to the garage existing walls. (kudos to Mike Vance and Gord Moore - great job!!)
Perspective
BUILDING THE GOAL: Navigating the Complexities of Modern Studio Design and Acoustics
October 22, 2024 Audio Engineering Society Meeting Toronto
Hosted by yours truly, pictured: Martin Pilchner presenting, Terry Medwedyk seated next to me.
This summary provides considerations on how to approach your modern studio build, from a homeowner/residential perspective. I've included my ideas and suggestions.
BIG IDEAS, SMALL SPACES: Implement scaled-down versions of high-end acoustic solutions within smaller studio environments.
AESTHETICS & PERFORMANCE: Design your studio for you so that it looks and feels as good as it sounds.
Start where you are, work with what you have first. Then design incrementally up from there. Quintessence Studio will have a lot of my parents' energy in it, a reminder of their support, love and passions that influenced me. My dad was a gadget techy kinda guy and my mom taught me that making music was a spiritual connection. I saved all her silk sarees that had gold and silver woven into them, and I plan to use them for surface treatments and decor.
PLANNING & GOAL SETTING: Clarify and contain the purpose of the studio—whether for mixing, recording, or both— take an incremental approach that allows long-term scalability.
Dreams matter, and they often come without any regard to monetary constraints. Harness your dream's core elements to a scope that embraces and contains to your immediate purpose, knowing that you can grow your dream in time. This studio is for me first, to create the kind of healing music I committed to doing over a decade ago: acoustic, natural, with some digital enhancements, all to be recorded at high res/DSD to capture that transcendental, deeply felt experience. Then it can be for others who wish to come, all the while, I'll be teaching and mentoring out of this space.
ACOUSTICS & SOUNDPROOFING: Affordable material selections to achieve the ideal sound and meet your goal.
This build is based on first principles of quality residential construction combined with laws of sound physics and research in materials science. All our intuition and equations combined allowed us to use stock materials you can get at Home Depot or Rona, safe, low VOC, ASTM etc... you will see a lot of wood, mineral wool, high density drywall and resilient channel on this page. Nothing gimmicky. It's how you combine these materials that matter. Space consideration when building a room within a room was given first attention because all wall systems have an air gap that does the greatest work for soundproofing. It's a zen paradox concept put into perfect practice at a homeowner residential level. Air gaps are free. The world's top studios know the secret of air gaps. Surface treatments will come knowing the essential design has good "sound in space" bones.
BUDGET REALITIES: Be aware of rising costs in studio builds and how to align dreams with achievable goals.
The first and smartest thing I did was separate out the audio equipment and music production budget from the build budget. Structural changes to your existing location is the biggest wildcard, budget-wise, because you won't find out that your idea will not work until you've seen what's currently there by removing drywall. Next big budget item you cannot scrimp on is electrical, if you need to make changes. The price of copper has more than doubled. Consider carefully how you can get your in-studio work done, many homeowner musical producers have switched to mixing with headphones and adjusting how they do high dB monitor/testing. Nothing tests your flexibility and creativity better than a budget. But monetary constraints never spell the death of your dream. Ever. So improve your situation in the best way, however you can, even if it means building toward your goal.
MECHANICAL SYSTEMS: Heating, cooling and humidity, electrical, and lighting designs for a high-performance, quiet studios.
Figure out the existing systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) in your intended location, because in most cases, you might not be able to alter them, so you will have to work with and around them. Converting our attached 2 car garage, the heat loss assessor informed us right away that no HVAC systems from the house should connect in our build. The garage would now become a "liveable space" that had to meet certain insulating Rvalues (and require a secondary heating source), therefore, I had to design the acoustic soundproofing values accordingly. Dimmers on lighting circuits introduce noise, so no standard household dimmers. One mini-split/heat pump looks after heating, cooling and humidity control and is low sone (near silent). I have a standalone humidifier that I know I need to run at off-times for 3 weeks in January-February for the piano, so this is controllable. A gas fireplace was originally dreamed of, but with CO2 emissions, I'd need an air exchanger which would introduce the complications of background noise from motors & fans and soundproofing weak links with ductwork. If I need fresh air, I'll open the triple paned patio door or casement window we're installing.
CONSULTANTS & SPECIALISTS: Work with professionals, industry experts like acousticians, builders, and electrical engineers.
Never work in isolation or uncertainty (ie off youtube alone), there's no need to. Know your own skills and gifts, and use them cooperatively with experts who can advise to your site situation directly. Ask loads of questions to your peers, colleagues and online groups before putting a call in to a studio designer or other pro. Know as much as you can ahead of time so your consultation will totally pay off. Seek out quotes from a few well-reputed, established builder-contractors - trust and experience matters, because you don't want your home's value to diminish as a result of your experiment. For me, long before delving into the electrical, through AES, Terry and Paul McGowan of PS Audio back home in Colorado, I learned about isolation transformers, technical grounding (star ground), keeping your utility circuits separate from your instrument/line circuits and so much more. I've included a list of free resources below to help you get started, everything to make your approach solid.
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS: Navigate the inconvenience of change, and avert disappointment
Value what you do, let your studio reflect your worth. Build your studio in harmony with your environment. Value those working with you on your project build, respect their worth. Keep communication in regular flow. Remind frequently that inconveniences are temporary, honour your compromises, because you know what you can be flexible on. Don't be surprised if undertaking this journey freaks you out, often. This journey has clarified many truths inside me: my passion and purpose as a musical artist & producer, that I consistently handle uncertainty with strengthened intuition rather than with former default mode worry, I'm still a scientist willing to experiment and test my hypotheses, and that while I'm never totally sure on outcomes, I'm ready and open for magic, miracles and I am excited to have this chance to spread love and strength through music, from a new Quintessence Studio.
In my first concept, which I've mostly stuck with, I divided my space into zones: the mixing/producing and live zones are fixed, the lounge and creative workspace zones are more flexible with moveable furniture in case we have more musicians. This side of the studio has lower ceiling at 9ft whereas the mixing and live space has full height up to 15ft. The vestibule area can also be a zone, if used as a vocal booth.
I based this prelim design off of how I work already, so the flow from analog/mics signals in the live area, with digital signals from the workstation space end up at the DSD hub in the mixing area.
Research
Quintessence Studio "brick and mortar" will take up residence inside the 2 car garage attached to the Mothership (main house). I qualify this build as a budgeted residential project studio, a semi-professional venture for recording traditional and hi-resolution DSD (direct stream digital) music projects. We have gutted the garage to its shell, and a heat loss assessment has been conducted. Sound isolation goals are based on our pleasant (ie quiet) situation in the country on a 140 acre property, and that there is a common wall to the main residence. We have complete control on building the room-within-a-room construction within budget, so now the research game is on as to how to achieve STC50 for perimeter walls and STC 65 for the common wall. While I have a background in physics and engineering, I'm not an acoustic engineer. Thankfully, I do have Warren Beck and colleagues at Audio Engineering Society to call upon. Following best practices and first principles of construction for soundproofing, let's see what we can create from a homeowner's perspective, using materials and methods available everywhere. All materials chosen have been thoroughly researched as safe, ASTM, low VOC etc... and are industry standard...at minimum.
SITE SITUATION: the road is about 1000 ft away from the outer corner of the Mothership (along the top edge of the diagram). Windows permit the greatest sound transmission compared to the rest of the exterior elevation structure. I designed for the most glass to be the furthest away from ambient noise, sheltered inside the inner nook of the L. This direction faces south so there will be afternoon light, hence a 72x80" patio door and 62x48"casement window. The other two perimeter sides have narrow slit fixed windows 21x48". All lites are triple-paned with an STC rating of 29.
SOUND IN SPACE: This brings us to aliveness - atmospheric sound quality of the studio. There will be surface treatments after the basic build. And in odd shaped spaces, it's difficult to predict how irregular room modes will interact. In this project studio, designed for solo-work primarily, there is no separation of control/mixing space and live space, it's open throughout, even to the lounge area. With variation in ceiling height and room shape, parallel wall differing construction and surface treatments, and an operating SPL between 80 to 90dB, no single region of the space will be fully live or fully dead. The mixing area will be more controlled, treatment wise. The goal is to post-address the worst frequency offenders in a targeted way, pragmatically with surface treatments and natural diffusion from room setup/decor. For example, one corner will have a kitchenette (wall mounted cabinetry), another section will have wall shelving etc.. Primary axial and tangential modes exist in the upper 5ft of the 12'x21 mix-live space, where the greatest parallel wall/boundaries are. I rely on Carl Tatz's axial mode calculator and Amcoustics AMROC room mode calculator. Overall there is variation of axial and tangential room modes, giving rise to greater oblique mixing - the effects of this space will have to show themselves in reality because the only boxlike space that exists in this studio to permit standing waves is up high 8 to 15ft, and the box doesn't really have a floor boundary at 8ft. Surface absorption, deflection and diffusion will also have to be assessed post build. Reverb time is about 0.3 seconds for the dimensions specified. Loads of experiments to come re: how to mic the room, address bass buildup and dropout nodes down the line and build treatments to match. Then we go for gobos, ARC or Sonarworks, room EQ etc...featured voices and instruments will be close mic'd, no matter what.
MATERIALS & METHODS: I have begun researching material resonance, sound transmission, absorption and reflection qualities of gypsum board, 5/8" FR drywall (reg and type X), mineral wool, sprayfoam and cellulose insulation, and staggered stud wall assemblies, both wood and metal systems, and materials such as latex caulking (absorptive, non hardening), isolation clips, resilient channel, low expansion foam and more. Thanks to everyone who is helping, Bill and I are learning how best to put it all together without any buzz, leakage/air gaps or coupling to adjacent structures based on the methods of those who've done it, companies who advertise their methods and materials - one learns from those who confessed what didn't work when they tried. As the build captain, Bill will have to convey clearly the methods we decide on - to the subcontracted window/doors installers, the electrician, the drywallers, plumbers, and to Mike and Gord. After all, this is the first time building a recording studio, for all of us. A labour of love, and a testament to solid relationship.
When we closed on the property in 2020, it was decided that the recording studio would be built in the existing 2 car garage space, attached to the Mothership (the main house). Due to the non-standard layout of the garage, only one vehicle could ever really be parked in there because the mudroom entry to the lower level of the house significantly shortened the 2nd space. The Mothership is set back almost 1000ft from the road and is situated on 140 acres of sacred land of the Mohawk. Just across the main road is Lake Ontario. Needless to say environmental noise is not a concern for this location - only sound transmission through common wall to the main house is. Thank goodness, nothing of what I do participates in the loudness wars of today's commercially marketed music.
Above the 23' x 24' garage was a finished attic space known as the Squat Room - the centre support beam was weak, so the floor sagged down in the centre. If you were 5'3 or shorter, you could stand upright in the middle of the space and not hit the ceiling. Together with our build team, we decided this floor was going to go, and the combined mixing and live space of the recording studio would be 1.5x height. The studio space nearest the house would have a new 9' high soundproofed ceiling, and we could still have a portion of the "squat room" as storage space above.
The objective is to make the best use of existing structure, admittedly questionable in places, and come up with a design where the build would be a specified purpose project studio under a residential space conversion. Studio build budget is assigned to construct a room within a room. Equipment budget is separate. Any structural improvements that the existing-garage requires once we gut the space would be funded separately, and we expect to find original build issues that need remediation once drywall comes down. Because a new LVL support beam is going in, a build permit is required for converting this garage into what the county considers "livable space".
You need to know why you are building a studio, and how it will be used. As a solo project artist and creator, putting my own musical, audio engineering and architecture training, skills and creativity to work, I designed a layout for this 'low to mid volume' project studio to fulfill its (experimental) higher purpose: to produce Hi Res and DSD (Direct Stream Digital) live artist recording so that the subtle felt experience of sound can be captured to reproduce at minimum the same inexplicable fullness of analog recording or a live environment, to beyond auditory sense...to produce recordings that allows the listener a deeper, transcendental experience. Since its inception, Quintessence Studio has always been The Workplace of Higher Being. Here is where that music will be recorded. And there is plenty of room and production capability for other artists to get their projects done.
The planning stage has me researching Sound Transmission Classifications (STC ratings) for various types of wall assemblies, so that I can estimate how the exterior perimeter walls (existing from garage already) with an air gap to interior in-framing will rate for overall soundproofing. This studio will not be for recording full orchestra, but maybe chamber music; not for rock band recording of marshall stacks, more for solo guitars; no standard drum kit on site, but there will be djembe and cajon...you get the picture. Now that we can see what's there following demolition, I'm aiming for double wall (decoupled) combined STC-65 (common to the house) as highest priority (R40). Then the perimeter walls (exterior) overall STC rating of the in-framed studio (with air gap) once insulated to R22 can be devised. Specific materials being researched for studio build include fire-rated gypsum/drywall, acoustic plywood, mineral wool insulation, resilient channel and iso sound clips, latex caulk and more, only if necessary. The walls of the room within a room will be 2x6 staggered stud framing 24"oc for walls allowing an air gap to exterior existing walls. No two parallel walls will be constructed the same way, and each wall assembly will be designed as required.
The south elevation will be mostly rebuilt replacing the two garage doors with a patio door and casement window. The Medallion Logo will be mounted in the upper inset. Since we can no longer get an exact match to the siding, we will use existing siding to patch and go with a new look of vertical board & batten in white. Then it won't look like we tried to match and failed. LOL
Meet Krista Mercier, our HVAC specialist and heat loss assessor. Quintessence Studio GC, Bill Hyndman knows everyone round these parts. I want to see this studio bring people together, like a barn raising brings a community into harmony for a purpose. Converting a garage attached your house to be what they consider a livable space here in Prince Edward County Ontario, means that basic "living conditions" need to be met. Primary heat source plus secondary heat source, ventilation, everything to code re: plumbing and electrical. Just what you'd expect. It changes the useable square footage of your home, and luckily, our property is zoned RU3 which means the main dwelling can be a B&B, the land can be for farming or winery/vineyard, and you can run a business from your main dwelling.
Planning
Q Team
besides me and Stevie
WILLIAM J. HYNDMAN, Owner and General Contractor
Hyndman Contracting Ltd, Belleville Ontario
The Captain who has done it all, government, corporate and private, commercial & residential, and more. And now add to his impressive portfolio amassed over 35 years, a project recording studio for a homeowner. He and everyone he subcontracts is fully credentialed and licensed and vetted by him.
I was beyond lucky to have found Bill about a year before we moved out of Colorado, while still there, when I discovered we'd been defrauded by the builder-contractor we hired in 2021 for mothership work. The Hyndman team, including Mike Vance and Gord Moore, picked up from the mess we'd been left in and we haven't looked back. A master builder, Bill knows residential & commercial code, has worked with all agencies and people from a place of integrity and expertise. He has experience and knows how to seamlessly harmonize minute details with the bigger picture. Bill is a genius problem solver when it comes to working with and around realistic limitations of existing structure. He was willing to work with me and that's the beyond lucky part (for me). He knew what this project studio would require before I did. And admits that our barn was *not* the sketchiest place he'd ever tackled. And he knows exactly who to call, and when, in these last 3+ years, everything that has succeeded here at mothership has been because of him (infrastructure, interior, outbuildings and more...)
WARREN BECK, Midtown Media Toronto
SC Media Broadcast Specialist, Audio Engineer
Warren rescued me when I arrived back in Canada having to start completely from scratch. It's because of him that I even have the DSD recording studio equipment I needed for bringing the felt experience back when listening to music. In him, I have a brother, a colleague with experience and connections in every avenue of music production in Canada, a mentor, audio equipment repair specialist and microphone expert. Warren knows my soul as a musical artist and vocalist. He gets what I'm trying to do, and he hasn't said no to what we're trying to get done either. Like Bill Hyndman, Warren knows who to contact and what to research. So with both Bill and Warren, I get to learn what a project studio for DSD recording requires at bare minimum, from engineering and construction first principles - from the very physical 'materials and methods' perspective, to the nuanced considerations of sound in space that only an acoustic engineer experienced working at various budget levels would know about. He knows what will get these acoustic goals met.
GUS SKINAS, SuperAudio Center, Octave Records Colorado
Mastering Engineer, Sony Phillips Developer of Sonoma DSD
'In his great career, Gus has worked on projects for Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Al Kooper, George Harrison, Queen, Joni Mitchell, Chick Corea, Frank Zappa, and The Police (to mention a few). Octave Records (est. 2020) records on the Sonoma and Pyramix multi-track workstations which both use pure one-bit Direct Stream Digital® (DSD) technology.' The whole reason I'm even doing any of this is because Gus saw (and heard?) something in/of me. Gleaned from what I consider to be quite little evidence, it is his unwavering confidence, which he has instilled back in me, that has put this spiritual path and purpose into motion...in me, and through this studio, it shall be heard and felt. He has witnessed my piano ambient sonic effect and he advised me to give stereo (left/right
channel) DSD a chance since he insists no one has used it to its fullest potential - yet. At his home in Longmont Colorado, we listened to NeuroSound that I created and he said it was as powerful and engaging as Pink Floyd he'd mixed and mastered in the 70s. And if people could feel the effects of this kind of sound healing at levels as full as analog, via DSD, we'd be on a very different plane of healing experience. During my time with him working in both studios, at home, he showed me what this technology has the capability to do, and at Octave studios how simple build and treatments lets sound move in an ideal organic, semi-live space and with his help, we intend for this little recording studio to be optimized to surprise!
TERRY MEDWEDYK
Group One Acoustics Inc., Mississauga Ontario
Founded in 1983, Terry heads up Group One Acoustics Inc. a design firm specializing in architectural acoustics. His fingerprints is upon myriad locations across Canada, including professional recording studios, radio and TV broadcast, Film Mix, Post Audio, home theatres and private home studios for many of Canada's top recording and performing artists. From consulting through to design and creation, projects vary in complexity from remedial work of individual spaces, to designing multi- room facilities, to concert hall finessing.
Clients include: CBC, Corus Entertainment, Bell Media, Noble Street Studios, Footsteps Post Production, Technicolor Inc., Canadore College, Sheridan College, Kwanlin Dunn Cultural Centre, Metalworks Studios, Culture Link Halifax, Vapor Music, Pirate Radio Studios. Current projects: McMaster University, (3) private home studios, Black Box Music, Eggplant Studios, Strategic Coach, Grayson Music.
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