The USC Thornton School of Music wished to convert an area of small, prefabricated practice rooms into a permanent, contemporary music suite for ensemble music rehearsal and informal recordings. These two studios house standard rock/pop backline instruments and vocal/audio amplification.

A primary concern was to provide excellent sound isolation between this ground-floor suite and the multi-story apartments immediately above. Sound isolation measurements and mock music rehearsal testing demonstrated that fully isolated rooms, or “box-in-box construction”, would be required.

Quiet HVAC allows for high-quality recordings and full dynamic range. This required careful analysis for system noise and vibration control, and coordination with existing building services, while maintaining sound-isolation integrity of the walls and ceilings.

Finish treatments were refined for overall room shaping, and for integration of diffusion, reflection, and absorption. The rooms are provided with some treatment variability, making it easy for users to adjust for specific music styles. The overall result is very smooth distribution of sounds throughout the rooms in a carefully controlled, musical manner.