small studio space in the icelandic nature

[buzby]

hi

i recently posted a thread about building studio resources http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=134247

me and a friend are planning to have a go at setting up small studio places in various countries where people can go and mix/compose their music, preferably out in the countryside

at the moment we are looking to get an old icelandic summer house - a bit like these ..

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/ ... ottage.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/v3/27/554527/1/46405 ... rHouse.jpg

.. and sound proofing them etc, providing some sleeping area, compost toilet etc etc and whatever is needed to be out in the countryside for a while

my friend has some land in this area and this is where will hopefully be putting the first studio space http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RHWKpWLULeI/S ... CT4279.JPG

i know there will be a lot of info in the replies to my original thread but can anyone offer immediate advice on what the most important things will be to consider when converting a pretty basic summer house into a small studio - weather proofing, ventilation, minimum room dimensions - etc .. i dont know, this is completely new to me

the studio will be aimed at just a place to mix music - there will be no recording space for bands but if we can make it in a way that there could be a small booth for recording samples then fine, but mostly it is aimed at people who want to sit in the countryside and just mix/compose their music

at the moment we 're looking at it being used by friends but if it is good enough to do a half decent mixing job then we re hoping to offer it to other people who want to use it - either renting it to them or trading something - my friend has a house that always needs some work on and is involved with a variety of projects - some maybe someone has some skills to trade for his other creative projects

saying that - this is all in the very early stages

anyways - any suggestions/advice will be really appreciated

thanks

[MacGuffin]

Seems like a nice project. Beautiful setting too!

[Shillelagh Law]

make a wood burning stove...
there's quite a few tutorials out there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6goe4o4ItTk

[mikemc]

This sounds really nice.

Is the idea to provide a simple room with good mixing acoustics in a pleasant setting, where you move equipment in and out each time, or are you going to leave equipment in there, or will you take it out each season?

What vocal or drum/instrument rooms do you plan on?

I live in a farmhouse, so I can maybe give you some insight on that general situation:

First off, in terms of insulating for weather you want to find out the recommended "R" rating for insulation in that region. The ventilation/moisture barrier aspect is very important, it is specific to the building, but in a small building you'd want vents you can adjust/close completely.

Big windows, sliding glass doors, etc. are nice for a summer house but not so much for a studio, unless you have some acoustic foam type panels to place over them.

Humidity need to avoid any condensation buildup, so you may also need a dehumidifier.

Not sure of the situation in Iceland, but generally if you live in the country, vermin can be an issue. Talk to someone local about the possibility and the best (least toxic) countermeasures.

The composting toilet may require a steady, uh, feed of material to be effective. A friend who had gotten one for a summer house mentioned this to me, that the one they had didn't get enough use and so there were issues. You might want to ask: this info comes from a while ago, so the technology may have gotten past that.

Wood stove is nice... not sure how much wood there is to burn in Iceland, tho' .

[ciw]

Great idea. I do this in my campervan, when the leisure batteries work that is

[buzby]

thanks for the replies - the picture of the location does nt do it justice - my friend is about 25 km into the mountains that are in the picture - but its going to be a very nice project we hope

Is the idea to provide a simple room with good mixing acoustics in a pleasant setting, where you move equipment in and out each time, or are you going to leave equipment in there, or will you take it out each season?

the idea at the moment is to provide a working space where people can bring their own equipment but also looking into having some equipment up there for people who dont have things like monitors etc - my friends house will be pretty close by to the working space so we can store stuff there if need be

What vocal or drum/instrument rooms do you plan on?

it will depend on the size of the summer house - at the moment im only thinking of it being a place where people can come with their recorded material so they can work on it - however, if there is room to make a small recording booth (vocals/samples etc) then we will try to fit it in - but as a starter project we are gonna keep it as simple as possible

I live in a farmhouse, so I can maybe give you some insight on that general situation:

First off, in terms of insulating for weather you want to find out the recommended "R" rating for insulation in that region. The ventilation/moisture barrier aspect is very important, it is specific to the building, but in a small building you'd want vents you can adjust/close completely.

Big windows, sliding glass doors, etc. are nice for a summer house but not so much for a studio, unless you have some acoustic foam type panels to place over them.

Humidity need to avoid any condensation buildup, so you may also need a dehumidifier.

Not sure of the situation in Iceland, but generally if you live in the country, vermin can be an issue. Talk to someone local about the possibility and the best (least toxic) countermeasures.

The composting toilet may require a steady, uh, feed of material to be effective. A friend who had gotten one for a summer house mentioned this to me, that the one they had didn't get enough use and so there were issues. You might want to ask: this info comes from a while ago, so the technology may have gotten past that.

Wood stove is nice... not sure how much wood there is to burn in Iceland, tho' .

thanks mike - im gonna keep a record of all advice etc - im hoping i can bum a lot of excess materials from some friends in reykjavik who are just putting up pretty big studio space there - hoping to bum left over rock wool for wall insulation - plasterboard for the inside and sound buffers that they have left lieing around

there are mice out there but my friends house is nt too far from where the work space will be and he has cat .. say no more .. not much wood to burn, hardly any trees on the whole island

[UKRuss]

Let me know when it's ready. I'm booking a weeks hols to indulge in some Iceland music retreat! w00t!

[mikemc]

there are mice out there but my friends house is nt too far from where the work space will be and he has cat .. say no more ..

sounds good! teach the cat to use the composting potty and you're golden

btw, here is my (hopefully somewhat humorous) musical nod to Iceland:

http://www.last.fm/music/Utenzil/_/big+ ... ?autostart

[buzby]

hey mike

thanks for the link - have nt been able to check it out yet as im a bt fon spot and the connection is shocking - (if you re ever thinking of using one then be prepared if something goes wrong - cos i found yesterday that they do not have a telephone support line.. you have to email them .. bit tricky when you cant get on the net)

anyways - anyone else ?

thanks

[buzby]

... deleted this post cos the one above appeared twice

[3phase]

sounds nice.. would love to have such a work holyday.. out of the berlin party terror.. yeah )

[buzby]

well - im kinda hoping that most of this will get done this year so maybe next year you can escape

[eisnein]

beautiful!

[stjohn]

I would recommend having a look at the John L Sayers forum. there is soooo much info there. make sure to read everything before asking questios, because alot of the stuff has been answered before. But in general they are ptty knowledgeable and friendly. Good luck with the project, it looks beautiful.

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php

[djsynchro]

Is Bjork gonna drop by?