sound proofing

09-05-2007, 05:22 PM

on saturday my rich guitarist friend's dad will be giving me some old recording studio stuff from the 80's and an old pearl export (i think).

anyways what's the easiest/most cost effective way of sound proofing (or at least reduce volume) in a drywalled room. i'm not a drummer, but i'm just wondering how to make the neighbors happy/keep the cops at bay.

there's probably a thread like this somewhere, but the search bar isn't working.

crazyguy832 · 09-05-2007, 05:26 PM

Fake wall.

Otherwise you gotta basically rebuild that room.

Google soundproofing, you should find sites on building fake walls.

Oh, all those myths about blankets, matresses, egg containers, etc.... they're all lies.

09-05-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyguy832

Fake wall.

Otherwise you gotta basically rebuild that room.

Google soundproofing, you should find sites on building fake walls.

Oh, all those myths about blankets, matresses, egg containers, etc.... they're all lies.

the bassist for my band is getting rid of carpet. would that work? and i have some styrofoam boards.

Chippy569 · 09-05-2007, 06:15 PM

you need one of two things to isolate sound:
1. LOTS of mass
2. ABSOLUTELY no mass.

because sound, as you know, is vibrations transmitted through a medium (usually air, but also solids such as wood. put your ear on the desk, tap the desk with your finger away from your ear... exactly.)

so those are your two choices. You either have to, essentially, build a "floating" room-inside-a-room, or you have to get a LOT of mass between you and the complaint.

most people find the 2nd option a lot easier -- hang twice the drywall, in the heaviest/densest form you can find, add lots of heavy furnishings (big drapes, thick carpet, etc), and you might be able to reduce the volume.

true sound isolation is $$$.

PandaDrummer · 09-05-2007, 06:46 PM

agreed, multiple layers of drywall with floating rooms with an air gap is good.

crazyguy832 · 09-05-2007, 07:05 PM

Carpet's a bad idea. It'll get wet, not dry properly, and stink.

BummerJonny · 09-06-2007, 02:39 AM

basically, if you look at it and can see any way for sound to get through, it will.

there are no magic tricks, the only true soundproofing comes with foot-thick fake walls

Jublian · 09-06-2007, 05:35 AM

i was gonna chime in with my experience soundproofing, only to be shown its been said before.

the best way to to it on a budget is to seal all the air gaps and place heavy objects in front of walls

DxRocker · 09-06-2007, 06:58 AM

The cheapest way (in my experience) is the way we did it...

Fake wall, fake ceiling, fake floor.

The walls are basicly:

(real) brick wall - 15" air gap - thick wood - rockwool - thick wood - thick curtain. And off course, make sure to seal EVERYTHING. Your room is only soundproofed as much as it's weakest point. So having 3 walls with 15.000$ material and one wall with 50$ foam boards will have the same effect as an entire room made up of foam boards...

Keep in mind that the curtain does NOT isolate. It only helps for the acoustics inside the fake room. If you plan on recording in there, acoustics play a big role in quality of the sound.

You don't want the sound to rebound into the mic a couple of dozen times. So, you treat the room for acoustics, so that the sound waves don't rebound of the walls.

Costed us about 500 dollars for the entire room. Is it completely soundproof? Absolutely not, but it's more then enough to keep the cops at bay.

Outside, it sounds like a loud radio at most. When inside the neighbours house, it's practically not hearable.

Seafroggys · 09-06-2007, 11:37 AM

Windows and doors are the worst. Take care of them first, that'll actually solve most of your sound issues.

Ollie The Drumming Legend · 09-06-2007, 03:42 PM

Carpets or similar soft things on the walls, and especially over the doors and windows as that's where most sound escapes. Won't be sound proof, but defo quieter than before. Also soft furnishings

crazyguy832 · 09-06-2007, 03:50 PM

^^^
Myth!!!

Seafroggys · 09-06-2007, 04:22 PM

Maybe, maybe not.

Carpets on the wall will cut back on reflections, maybe even actually absorb some of the sound, so it will appear quieter to you. It also adds some mass to the wall, which will make it *slightly* quieter to the outside world, but only very slightly.

Chippy569 · 09-06-2007, 06:17 PM

well, the idea with soft things is that they stop the air. however, using some fancy formulas, one can figure out at what frequency some form of soft object blocks (and i claim not to know it), but it states that denser, larger objects stop lower freqs whereas lighter, fluffier objects stop higher freqs. Low freqs go right on through.

Seafroggys · 09-06-2007, 07:30 PM

I have a chart which has some sort of coefficient value for different items at different frequncies. Carpet is good for blocking out highs, plywood is good for blocking out lows. Combination of the two would work wonders.

DxRocker · 09-10-2007, 02:43 AM

I have a chart which has some sort of coefficient value for different items at different frequncies

Please post scans or pix or quotes or whatever

09-05-2007, 05:22 PM	#1
myassitches Guest Posts: n/a	sound proofing on saturday my rich guitarist friend's dad will be giving me some old recording studio stuff from the 80's and an old pearl export (i think). anyways what's the easiest/most cost effective way of sound proofing (or at least reduce volume) in a drywalled room. i'm not a drummer, but i'm just wondering how to make the neighbors happy/keep the cops at bay. there's probably a thread like this somewhere, but the search bar isn't working.

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09-05-2007, 05:26 PM	#2
crazyguy832 He Who Knows More Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Than He Can Play... AWAY!!! Posts: 5,959	Fake wall. Otherwise you gotta basically rebuild that room. Google soundproofing, you should find sites on building fake walls. Oh, all those myths about blankets, matresses, egg containers, etc.... they're all lies.

09-05-2007, 06:15 PM	#4
Chippy569 MXDP: The New Pit Join Date: May 2004 Location: Houghton, MI, US Posts: 13,478	you need one of two things to isolate sound: 1. LOTS of mass 2. ABSOLUTELY no mass. because sound, as you know, is vibrations transmitted through a medium (usually air, but also solids such as wood. put your ear on the desk, tap the desk with your finger away from your ear... exactly.) so those are your two choices. You either have to, essentially, build a "floating" room-inside-a-room, or you have to get a LOT of mass between you and the complaint. most people find the 2nd option a lot easier -- hang twice the drywall, in the heaviest/densest form you can find, add lots of heavy furnishings (big drapes, thick carpet, etc), and you might be able to reduce the volume. true sound isolation is $$$.

09-05-2007, 06:46 PM	#5
PandaDrummer back Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,522	agreed, multiple layers of drywall with floating rooms with an air gap is good.

09-05-2007, 07:05 PM	#6
crazyguy832 He Who Knows More Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Than He Can Play... AWAY!!! Posts: 5,959	Carpet's a bad idea. It'll get wet, not dry properly, and stink.

09-06-2007, 02:39 AM	#7
BummerJonny got b& again... Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,830	basically, if you look at it and can see any way for sound to get through, it will. there are no magic tricks, the only true soundproofing comes with foot-thick fake walls

09-06-2007, 05:35 AM	#8
Jublian myspace.com/drmilk Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Posts: 1,111	i was gonna chime in with my experience soundproofing, only to be shown its been said before. the best way to to it on a budget is to seal all the air gaps and place heavy objects in front of walls

09-06-2007, 06:58 AM	#9
DxRocker Istanbul Ambassador Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: planet earth Posts: 5,596	The cheapest way (in my experience) is the way we did it... Fake wall, fake ceiling, fake floor. The walls are basicly: (real) brick wall - 15" air gap - thick wood - rockwool - thick wood - thick curtain. And off course, make sure to seal EVERYTHING. Your room is only soundproofed as much as it's weakest point. So having 3 walls with 15.000$ material and one wall with 50$ foam boards will have the same effect as an entire room made up of foam boards... Keep in mind that the curtain does NOT isolate. It only helps for the acoustics inside the fake room. If you plan on recording in there, acoustics play a big role in quality of the sound. You don't want the sound to rebound into the mic a couple of dozen times. So, you treat the room for acoustics, so that the sound waves don't rebound of the walls. Costed us about 500 dollars for the entire room. Is it completely soundproof? Absolutely not, but it's more then enough to keep the cops at bay. Outside, it sounds like a loud radio at most. When inside the neighbours house, it's practically not hearable.

09-06-2007, 11:37 AM	#10
Seafroggys Truffula Hugger Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Edge of Nowhere Posts: 16,591	Windows and doors are the worst. Take care of them first, that'll actually solve most of your sound issues.

09-06-2007, 03:42 PM	#11
Ollie The Drumming Legend www.myspace.com/eightmtm Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winchester, England Posts: 1,497	Carpets or similar soft things on the walls, and especially over the doors and windows as that's where most sound escapes. Won't be sound proof, but defo quieter than before. Also soft furnishings

09-06-2007, 03:50 PM	#12
crazyguy832 He Who Knows More Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Than He Can Play... AWAY!!! Posts: 5,959	^^^ Myth!!!

09-06-2007, 04:22 PM	#13
Seafroggys Truffula Hugger Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Edge of Nowhere Posts: 16,591	Maybe, maybe not. Carpets on the wall will cut back on reflections, maybe even actually absorb some of the sound, so it will appear quieter to you. It also adds some mass to the wall, which will make it slightly quieter to the outside world, but only very slightly.

09-06-2007, 06:17 PM	#14
Chippy569 MXDP: The New Pit Join Date: May 2004 Location: Houghton, MI, US Posts: 13,478	well, the idea with soft things is that they stop the air. however, using some fancy formulas, one can figure out at what frequency some form of soft object blocks (and i claim not to know it), but it states that denser, larger objects stop lower freqs whereas lighter, fluffier objects stop higher freqs. Low freqs go right on through.

09-06-2007, 07:30 PM	#15
Seafroggys Truffula Hugger Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Edge of Nowhere Posts: 16,591	I have a chart which has some sort of coefficient value for different items at different frequncies. Carpet is good for blocking out highs, plywood is good for blocking out lows. Combination of the two would work wonders.

09-10-2007, 02:43 AM	#16
DxRocker Istanbul Ambassador Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: planet earth Posts: 5,596	I have a chart which has some sort of coefficient value for different items at different frequncies Please post scans or pix or quotes or whatever