Swaziland studio thoughts

[mylesgm]

If you've been keeping up with my updates you'll know that the NGO I'm working for lost most of their donor funding before I arrived and so things have been a little difficult. Well I think that is not going to change as we have to move out of our current premises because of the cost of the lease. That in turn means that I need to cost the price of building a studio in the new premises and, in typical development work scenario we can't get the funding till we have costed it out and so we don't know what the new premises will be. To throw a further spanner in the works the building materials available to me are basic. There are some upsides though, the current studio is a poor design and even poorer implementation. It looks nice but the walls are some sort of masonite over styrofoam with squares of light quilting wadding for absorption. It has double doors covered in carpet that feel as heavy as cardboard and the aircon is not at all isolated acoustically so it is ripe for a rebuild.
There are some other pluses which include the level of noise reduction I'll have to achieve. There are basically no planes or helicopters and whilst there are some incredible thunderstorms we usually loose power during them so no recording will be happening then, there is of course plenty of road noise but thats usually low level too.
I expect to build inside an office block and to build a standard control room/recording booth style setup with both rooms being somewhere between 4-6 meters square with a false ceiling and a concrete floor. There will need to be a communication window which can be double panelled and angled but probably not double glazed. I have access to basic building tools and materials (2x4, mdf, glass, putty and insulation) so I'm after tips on how to do this best on the smallest budget. Most recording will be radio talkshows/dramas, maybe some singing but not likely to be drums etc.

Go!

[Junction]

Start with the most costly part of your construction, the walls. If you can find a building with low structure born noise, i.e. not too much renovation going on by other tenants, hammering, drilling into concrete etc, Pick the top floor so you dont have tenants walking with hard shoes on a hard floor above you (tock tock tock sounds all day) as long as the roof isn't metal and is a concrete roof otherwise rains drops will drive you tapping mad. Analyse the cost of wall construction, in many countries timber frame walls are not practical with lack of non cured timbers, white ant/termite infestation etc, often solid brick/block walls are cheaper to build and as well, labour can be cheap to do so. In Asia I found this the case, gypsum board rarely used and hence I just built solid block walls, but you need to analyse the load bearing capability of the floor your building on, coz you dont want to be moving downstairs in a rush. The sheer mass of block/brick work can provide great isolation but you gotta make sure they dont skimp on the mortar, and leave great holes and gaps, blocks are easier to control in this aspect coz you normally lay a thin skim of mortar across the full width, keeping mortar costs down. Dare I ask, is mud brick and option, maybe its not that rural an environment? Radio studios don't need the same level of isolation as recording studios, just make sure you use close working mics, generally dynamic mics, although the Rode Broadcaster condenser is designed for close working. For internal reverb control I have been using panels like picture frames with rockwool inside and fabric covered, splashed around covering the bulk of the wall surfaces. Instead of rockwool, maybe normal domestic insulation, but squash it flat, make it denser, pack more in there if possible.
Theres a start ... need to go to work

[Chinagraf]

edit saw Michael had mentioned it already.

[Drumstruck]

Perhaps and extra layer of (cheap) wall/ceiling and airspace?

Straw insulation?

A half-sized window double glazed instead of the full-sized single glazed?

You have a challenge there Myles

[mylesgm]

So of course it's a little difficult without knowing the end location but I doubt I'll be able to use bricks/blocks and mortar style construction. We have access to 2x4 stud framing and plywood though not sure about mdf or plasterboard. The chaps at the hardware store didn't know what I was talking about but I think that was because of the language barrier. Have access to glass but I don't think its double glazed though I can fake that through multiple layers.
We are in a city (about 80,000 pop.) and I think that mud brick or haybales are out. Though I have discovered that thatching is excellent for sound isolation especially for roofing and minimising rain sounds I doubt we'll be using that.
Has anybody used fibreboard or plywood in constructing studio walls or ceiling? How important will it be to build an internal floor?

The best outcome would be building something that can be relatively easily removed when the organisation needs to move again. It would be great to build the walls as modular and then seal them in such a way that the seal can be removed, the walls taken down and then setup somewhere else. Once I have walls and ceiling I will do absorption/diffusion panels and I can make these pretty easily.

[Chinagraf]

I would just say put functionality first rather than sweating it over the sort of details you would if your were building a high end place in Melbourne. I am the worst at being paralyzed by the fine details and sometimes end up getting nothing done because it might be 'less than perfect'. Keep in mind where you are and the fact that with your experience, even if you build something half asleep while tripping on juju beans it will still be of a high standard and a step up from where things have been. In my past life as an 'artist' I did a bunch of radio interviews, and was constantly amazed at the lack of treatment in radio stations compared to studios I was used to. Most of them looked like accountants offices. None of them had floating floors.
I have built small raised platforms that sit on rubber pads for isolation, about 2m square in the past.

[mylesgm]

So I've put together a basic quote of a two room studio (not just radio work will be done here and no 'live' radio work will be done) and it comes out at around $10,000au (thats 80,000 of the local currency) with local building materials and labour which is considerably less than the original studio cost (no idea how a studio built out of styrofoam and masonite can cost 50k+) but of course we have very little money. I'm probably going to be able to reduce that somewhat depending on location and bulk purchase of materials etc but I'm still wondering how to raise the cash.

Anybody here think a pozible campaign run in Australia would generate much interest in the music community to contribute towards a goal of 5-7k?

[Text_Edifice]

Pozible could be worth a shot, a project I was involved with in Aus raised 4.5k earlier in the year without too much trouble but I think the thing would be to offer rewards that are of value to an Aus audience rather than a 'straight' charitable sell. I also think the novelty is starting to wear off of crowd funding and, combined with donor fatigue, means you might want to do a bit of groundwork first.

I'd also (having worked similar development gigs) be cautious of a solution that relies on your personality / presence / contacts outside of the Swaziland to make the studio happen. I'm sure you've heard similar on the ground though.

What about corporate sponsorship?

[mylesgm]

Looking at a number of options right now including corporate sponsorship but crowd sourcing was one that has not been done here and there was interest. There is a real problem though of corporate donor fatigue and shrinking aid budgets in the developed world with the economic downturn. Any tips, leads or contacts would be greatly appreciated!

In terms of developing the studio based on my involvement is a danger and one that I hope to avoid by developing engineers and producers here. There are a number of people here that are keen to get involved and we'll be running training workshops both for beginners and those who have already developed some experience. Hopefully before I leave the studio will be taken over by the leader of a small team of content creators.

M

[Chinagraf]

Are there any international mining companies operating there? I would hit them up and present it as a great PR opportunity for them to be seen as giving something back to the community.
I'm doing some work with World Vision at the moment. I might see if I can get any ideas from them. I'll be with them again next week. If you could make it a tax deductible donation you would stand a better chance, but not sure of the mechanics.

[mylesgm]

We are approaching the multinationals that are active hear in swaziland, most of them have social responsibility budgets but there are issues with who are NGO can be supported by and of course, the market is tiny here so most multinationals are happy to come and get what they need and spend their development budgets in South Africa which has a much larger population. Any tips from WV would be great, what are you working with them on?

[The Tasmanian]

If anyone's going to pull off a sponsorship its going to be you Myles
In addition to local - what about AU sponsorship?
It could be problematic in the future getting involved with the mining world - I'd look at anyone who is not resource (environment /health /labour) based first.
Electronic companies should be on top of your list.
Apple/Sony/Phillips/Yamaha etc - all these guys would align well.
Speaking of AU guys - Rhode Mics, Tom Misner would be worth trying? ...( I might be dreaming)
The greatest plus for the project is your dedication to see the project come to fruition - and with your background there is a lot of leverage there.
Go for it Myles.

[Ender]

Hey Myles, you got a mention in Beat Magazine here in Melbourne this week (Pughouse's article)

[mylesgm]

Hey that's nice. Niko runs a lovely studio (and is a top fellow to boot), if you are looking for a smaller tracking studio with a pretty impressive outboard/mic selection you should head down there. Wish I had what he has over here.

[mylesgm]

ok, I've sourced funding for the studio build from an AusAid program and we've just received confirmation that we've received 120,000 Emalangeni (around $14,000au) which will clear as soon as we have found new rental premises. Cue the ongoing questions about how to build one with no skilled labour (we will have access to a few labourers but the only studios I've seen here are built out of STYROFOAM!) and basic building supplies (MDF, Plywood, wood glue, etc). Now I need to pursue some sponsorship opportunities to expand the equipment supply as we only have two microphones and no portable recording equipment suitable for broadcast quality location recordings.

Does anybody have a useful contact at Rode or similar manufacturers that might be interested in sponsoring/donating a few mics, portable recorders, etc?

[The Tasmanian]

And we think we are up against it all when we build a studio..
I really hope Rode come on board - they are an ethically good company IMO.
They didn't do the China thing when everyone else was.
Decided to take the risk and employ locals against the financial odd's - and succeeded
They treat their customers above the call of duty, especially with repairs - they are the best Ive ever encountered.
And above all - it would be a great move for a Aussie manufacturer up there on the world stage to help out.
good business karma.
Fingers crossed.
On ya Myles!

That's my letter of support

[Text_Edifice]

Awesome work Myles – just a thought but you might want to consider Lewitt as they're aggressively marketing their newish line of products right now and might jump at a good news story. No direct contacts but they're small-ish so probably not too difficult to find a phone number or email.

[gigpiglet]

i have a contact at blue who may be interested?
any help to you?

[mylesgm]

All contacts will be chased up so if you think there is a possibility for synergy please pm me details. thanks.