Broadcast and Recording Studio Construction

and Technical Considerations

By Jesse Role, Ph. D. TM - Electronics

Chairman, Department of TechnologyUniversity of Eastern Africa, Baraton

Topics Covered

• Studio design and size• Internal and external environment• Lighting consideration• sound acoustics material considerations• Room temperature • Furniture and fixture• Maximum and minimum expected performers• Inventory• Safety measures

Technology Considerations

• Number of desired studios• Acoustic treatment• Choice of acoustic material• Choice of studio equipment• Choice of transmitting equipment

Studio Design and Size• Studio can come in various shapes,

sometimes based on available space.• Types of studio

– Main studio or broadcast studio– Remote studio- studio for performers who

cannot control the mixing control.– Backup studio-can be used as emergency studio

in case other studio cannot be used.• Availability of funds

ROOM SIZES AND SHAPES

The size and shape of a room determine its natural resonances - often called room modes.

There are a few "ideal" ratios of room height, width, and length that professional studio designers agree should be used if possible. Three of these ratios, developed by L.W. Sepmeyer, are shown in the Table .

Height Width Length

1.00 1.14 1.39

1.00 1.28 1.54

1.00 1.60 2.33

ROOM SIZE

• Example: • 2.50 m height; 2.85 m width; 3.50 m length• 2.50 m height; 3.20 m width; 3.85 m length• 2.50 m height; 4.00 m width; 5.80 m length

•

Recording areas

• Recording control booth– Editing area – Dubbing

• Performance area– Live broadcast– Pre-recording – Dubbing

ROOM SYMMETRY

Symmetry matters! In a typical stereo mixing room, the loudspeakers are spaced equally from the walls and corners, and form an equilateral triangle at the mix position. The arrangement shown on the left is better than the one on the right because it's more symmetrical within the room. The layout on the right also suffers from a focusing effect caused by the wall-wall junction behind the listener.

Recording Control Booth

Internal and External Environment

• Wind factor (considering wind flow)• Sun orientation• Room location• Noise factor• Possible vibrations

Lighting Consideration

• Lighting height• Lighting lumens • Lighting color• Types of light• Lighting control

Room temperature

• Constant temperature (22-25 degrees Celsius )• Recommended Air-conditioning• Recommended blower fans

Furniture and Fixture

• Types of furniture• Use of acoustic friendly furniture• Minimizing un-necessary object in the studio

Please understand that acoustic treatment as

described in this lecture is designed to control the

sound quality within a room.

ACOUSTIC TREATMENTThere are four primary goals of acoustic treatment: 1) To prevent standing waves and acoustic interference

from affecting the frequency response of recording studios and listening rooms;

2) to reduce modal ringing in small rooms and lower the reverb time in larger studios, churches, and auditoriums;

3) to absorb or diffuse sound in the room to avoid ringing and flutter echoes, and improve stereo imaging; and

4) to keep sound from leaking into or out of a room. That is, to prevent your music from disturbing the neighbors, and to keep the sound of passing trucks from getting into your microphones.

Acoustics material mountings

• Wall acoustics mountings• Ceiling acoustics mounting • Floor insulation mounting

Choice of Acoustic Material

• Affordable• Available • Replaceable• Color• Type of material

DIFFUSERS AND ABSORBERS

The simplest type of diffuser is one or more sheets of plywood attached to a wall at a slight angle, to prevent sound from bouncing repeatedly between the same two walls. Alternatively, the plywood can be bent into a curved shape, though that is more difficult to install. In truth, this is really a deflector, not a diffuser, as described in more detail below. However, a deflector is sufficient to avoid flutter echoes between parallel surfaces.

The higher frequencies (top) are absorbed well because their velocity peaks fall within the material thickness. The lower frequency at the bottom does not achieve as much velocity so it's absorbed less.

FOAM'S ABSORPTION AT HIGHER FREQUENCIES

Material 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 Hz 1000 Hz 2000 Hz 4000 Hz NRC

Owens-Corning 703 0.17 0.86 1.14 1.07 1.02 0.98 1.00

Owens-Corning 705-

FRK0.60 0.50 0.63 0.82 0.45 0.34 0.60

Typical sculpted

acoustic foam0.11 0.30 0.91 1.05 0.99 1.00 0.80

rigid fiberglass that is two inches thick has an absorption coefficient of 0.17 at 125 Hz

NOISE CONTROL

Possible factors creating noise1. Electrical distortion2. Frequency interference3. Wind factors4. Computer fans or cooling system5. Defective equipment6. Defective microphones7. Wrong equipment adjustments

Typical Studio Arrangement

Safety Measures Checklist

• Fire extinguishers• Main switches, must be soft touch• Switches location and mounting- it must be in

a non fire hazard place.• Fire exit signs, etc• Evacuation plan layout• Emergency Tel. Number

Inventory

• Equipment• Furniture• Tools• Supplies

Inventory Tag Sample

MIC-BAFM-STU2-002

Equipment Code

Ownership

Location

Item

Equipment Record

• Name of the equipment• Description • Brand • Date purchase• Manufacturer • Cost of purchase• Condition remarks • Date repaired• Date disposed

Possible dangers for transmitters

• Heat and Dust• Power fluctuations• RF reflection – Mismatch due to– improper antenna– improper tuning of the antenna– loose connections between the transmitter and

antenna– Moisture– Inbuilt protection (fold back)• Lightning – lightning arrester– low resistance earth pit

A Clean and Organized Studio is

Encouraging and Good to the Eye.

www.roletech.net

• Email:drjrole@yahoo.com

Thank you!