Doctor Mix – Music Studio Project
IAC Acoustics has extensive experience and quality of reputation when it comes to delivering high quality acoustic solutions for music studios.
Widely recognised as the world’s leading acoustic door manufacturer, IAC was approached to provide product specification support and design ideas for a ground floor studio development in a mixed use commercial space in Stratford, London. Doctor Mix, the studio owner/developer and producer, had a very clear design requirement and concept for his studio – this facility was a major investment and commitment in finally developing his own recording space.
The studio configuration consisted of two live studio rooms with 1 control room. High performance acoustics and noise control were required not only for creating and managing the correct sound recording quality for the studio, but also to prevent unwanted noise and vibrations for fellow building users both above and adjacent to the new studio space. Beyond acoustics, a very important element of the specification was to match the highest level of fire safety performance to comply with planning consent and building regulations.
The studio space was subdivided with twin wall plasterboard insulated construction with isolation layers between the walls, floor, and ceiling. In order to meet the requirements of high performance acoustics and fire rating to Europe/ISO standards, IAC specified their newly developed and certified ND-50 acoustic doors (Rw50dB with EI60 fire performance to EN 1634-1 standard), fitted as the main doors into each studio space and the control room. The ND-50 combines 60 minutes integrity and insulation performance for fire safety, with laboratory certified Rw50dB acoustics. A further single non fire rated standard D-50 acoustic door provides access to the small storage area.
Between control and live rooms, matching acoustic windows were specified to provide visual communication cues and a source of natural light, improving the comfort of the studios for artists. IAC’s W-50 acoustic window (EI30 fire performance) met the client brief without compromising on acoustic integrity or fire safety and performance.
Doctor Mix was invited to witness supplementary testing of the new ND-50 fire door at one of IAC’s certified laboratory partners. You can view parts of that fire test here. The propane gas furnace produces temperatures up to 1200 degrees Celsius – thermo-couples are attached to multiple sections of the doors and the furnace itself to monitor temperatures and structural performance of the doorset throughout the test cycle. Incredibly, the new acoustic steel door design ensures that both integrity [structural door performance] and insulation [restriction of heat transfer through the door] are delivered to a minimum of 60 minutes of protection. During testing the outside of the door is relatively cool to the touch despite the 1200 degree Celsius temperature that the inside of the door is subjected to!
You can revisit the whole studio build process through Doctor Mix’s diary of the build here. IAC Acoustics is delighted that we have another very satisfied customer with a high performance music studio that delivers on both acoustic performance and the most stringent of fire safety standards.
If you would like to discuss how we can help support you in the design, planning or build phase of your new studio, please get in touch.
Paul Gilbert
Sales Manager – Architectural Products
+44 (0) 1962 873144