How to Renovate a Soundbooth Cheap

find a soundbooth in serious need of help

i opted to have the redesign of the console desk be such that it is floating off the floor,, i will intend to replace the carpet later so all equempment should be elevated.. this also helps keep the equipment cool and mitigates the collection of dust..

the main amplifier bank has loud noisy fans located inside of the amplifiers. it would help mitigate noise if the rear end of the amplifiers are located within another adjacent room..

so find a place and make a hole..

i went downstairs to the movers and asked if they by pure chance had a computer server rack that someone had excessed.

OMG.. Skore!
they actually had a half rack that someone had just excessed the day before...
(i love that cool purple dinosaur) ((for the younger crowd, he was in a childrens book and his name was Serendipity)

with the half rack, i framed out a stand then inserted in the wall...
perfect fit!

get them off the floor!
they have a new home now,

i was going to have contractors do this but 40 years of throwing cables over to make adhoc connections proved to be to much for the ceiling, as soon as i started poaking around, the mass of cables started to shift and the ceiling started to collapse..

so i started to pull out miles of old microphone cable and got to the real signal cabeling that connected the rest of the building to the soundbooth. the verified cables should be marked then coil up the leads and push them to the wall..

seeing th damage to the old drop acoustic ceiling, i decided to remove it myself and not wait for the contractors... it was a safety issue to start, then i realized i just save some money...
hmmmm...

they pulled them out and cut them to the walls then added a grate..

soooo many cables!
spend the next few days figguring out what connections you need and eliminate the rest.
in this case, i left the 40 or so balanced line cables that ran to the stage and other places in the theater space.
the old translation signal cables were no longer used so they had to go...
al in all, i removed about 2 miles worth of cable...

i was very sore afterwords...

there has to be a way to path signal cables to the console desk and the main patch panel..

i zipped down to the plumbers shop and got myself a couple of 8 foot 3 inch PVC..

when you cut it in half, i figgured it would make a perfect cable race.. so i tried it on the console desk

i like it

save the other pieces for the other races you need.
if the 8 foot length is short, simply use a coupler and cement two PVC pipes together then cut it in half..
i used a plug in circular saw..

it is easy to make a straight line on the PVC by placing it up aginst a door jam in the corner upright and drawing a line using the doorjam as a straight edge..

i hate painting.. the painters can do this job..


dark walls light ceiling...

nuff said..

i had carpet comming in on friday and i still hadend even gotten the materials from the carpenters.. it was tuesday!
ugggg!

so i had my director buy the materials and i went in my car to pick them up...
Booo!

the next day i started to frame like a madman!

start by anchoring your anchor boards to the wall with toggle anchors (the walls are masonary)
i tried to get one in every 16 inches or so
when i was sure i had my anchor boards secured well to the wall, i started the build.

yea! carpet!

contractors again..

before the carpet, i hit the under side of the console desk with black spraypaint and i had to reset my table legs (3 inch PVC again) because the carpet people removed them to lay the carpet..

i ended up having to cut them a tad bit shorter to make them fit again...

then some touch up black again...

i made a seperate instructable for this one..

i need a break!

thanks