A soundstage is a large warehouse or hangar that is soundproof and used primarily for the production of film and television. The large space allows the production to setup stages, sets, lighting and equipment. Soundstages are often located on the lots of movie studios. Some can be thousands of feet in length. They must be soundproof as outside noise will interfere with the production.
Things You'll Need:
Things You Will Need
Find a structure to use. An abandoned warehouse, factory or hangar is an ideal soundstage. Remove all windows or cover them with boards. The size of the structure should be slightly larger than what the production team believes they will need.
Soundproof the structure. Industrial soundproofing insulation and padding should be used. Soundproofing rubber mats can be placed on the ground under the floor of the sound stage; this will help reduce echos. Soundproofing insulation can be glued to walls. For added protection apply soundproof panels on top of the insulation. This will ensure that the soundstage is almost completely soundproof. Remember to soundproof the ceiling as well. Nailing soundproof panels to ceiling rafters and shooting soundproof insulation behind the panels ensures the roof is soundproof as well.
Attach rigging equipment to the rafters. The lights, microphones and other production equipment will need to be hung from rigs. The rigging is a network of bars that hang from the ceiling that lights and equipment can be attached to. The rigging needs to support a lot of heavy lights, so fasten it to the roof beams directly. Larger soundstages may also include a catwalk. The catwalk runs parallel to the rigging and is used by lighting technicians to light the stage.
Hook up the electricity. This is something a licensed electrician must do, preferably one with experience with soundstages. The lights and equipment of the sound stage take up a tremendous amount of power when in full production. Several thousand-watt lights may all be running simultaneously, along with monitors, cameras, microphones and other equipment. The soundstage must be wired to handle that power load.