Good Soundproofing Product?
Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:31am
Hey folks,
Can anyone recommend a good soundproofing product for soundproofing a wall?
I need it for soundproofing from mostly vocal registers (shouts, yelps, moans, cackling, screaming and crying)
What are the best cost-effective products?
and what are the best products when money's no issue?
My roomate found this eco-friendly thing called ecoustimat ( www.acoustimac.com/index.php/ecoinsul421.html ). Is this sort of thing effective?
Thanks,
--M
Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:49pm
#2
Ay yay'yaye...
Well, ok. so my house is generally bad with containing sound but what makes my bedroom especially lacking in privacey is that the wall it shares with the living room has a big, 6' x 6' portal in it which they've covered with a dinky bookshelf.
So it's more like my bed is in the living room behind a bookshelf than behind a wall in another room.
So I'm thinking of putting up some sort of soundproofing material on my side of the back of this bookshelf to make up for the lack of a real wall there.
But what you said about building a new, inner box room sounds like it makes sense, but it's just not possible, cause I need this room for living in, noise and all. But my other architect roomate cooroborates what you're saying cause he said soundproofing is much much more effective when it's a whole system working together (as in all surfaces are soundproofed).
So now I wonder if putting material only on the back of this bookcase will be enough to make up for the fact that I don't have one, unified wall as a barrier.
And even if it's helpful there it might not work still because my other wall is not a proper, drywall with wall cavity wall but a plywood sliding door that goes out to the passage into the house and living room.
My ceiling is bare drywall too--no acousti-tiles or nothing.
Those are the 3 surfaces I share with the rest of my house: bookshelf/wall, sliding-door wall and cieling.
Do you think if I soundproofed by putting up material, my only chance of effectiveness is if I put it on all of the surfaces that aren't normal walls-- not just the back of the bookshelf but also the inside of the sliding door wall? Or maybe even also the ceiling?
And if so, what materials would you recommend for cost vs. when money's not an issue.
Sat, 02/12/2011 - 11:13pm
#3
thoughts
My offhand thought is that for singing you should find the best corner in your room ie. the one where your housemates and neighbors will be the least affected. Maybe you have one wall that faces the street. Use one of those two corners and hang thick blankets etc. and see if you can hang something overhead. Also, if you can get something that you could hang other stuff on behind you, like a folding room divider screen, that would help.
If you have people under you then a board with some pieces of wood that raise it off the floor will give you a second floor. (A piece of carpet or rug maybe on top of it, or without the wood if you like.)
I'd definitely see about putting something between that bookshelf and my room, but I'd forget about pricey soundproof stuff and look for comforters/blankets at thrift stores, etc.
Mon, 02/21/2011 - 12:57pm
#4
I just purchased a bag of
I just purchased a bag of this stuff for my amp iso box. I think it's pretty good.
http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Roxul-Acoustical-Fire-Batts-Mineral-Wo...
Tue, 02/22/2011 - 10:01am
#5
Can of worms
I've poked my head into soundproofing before, it's a confusing can of worms to be sure..
Those panels linked look ok, as is mineral wool (Matts link), and stuff like Quietrock, and mass loaded vinyl.
Some difference between all these products:
- Installation - panels vs flexible material, permanent vs. temporary, tools and skill required for installation.
- Effective frequency range. Lighter material is generally more effective for higher frequencies, though this isn't a hard and fast rule.
It's possible to improperly install good material. If you make a wall with double thick sheetrock, vs making a wall with staggered studs, so that the two surfaces are not directly connected, you'll possibly get more sound reduction out of the single-rocked staggered wall, with less material and cost.
It sounds like filling in the 6' cavity could only help. I wouldn't just attach material to the back of the bookshelf though. I'd try to completely cover the space and not leave air gaps. Attaching material to the back of the bookshelf and leaving a slight air gap between it and the new wall, plus squishing some material into the gaps around the bookshelf would seem reasonable.
Sliding doors are generally lightweight, so some heavier material attached to it would likely help, but.. sliding doors are essentially big sounding boards, a suspended panel of wood only too obliging to take vibrations from one side and transfer them to the other. If you only use one of the doors, consider attaching blocks to the ceiling or floor, and then attach the door to the blocks, basically fixing the door in place, and directing more sound as energy up and down, instead of straight through.
my .02
Putting those on your bedroom wall won't do much, and it'd be quite costly, but if you place them on a few panels--cardboard, wood, etc. and place the panels around you it may work.
If you have a mattress and can easily stand it up there's one side right there.
You can also hang a big open faced box that has clothing or foam on all sides (on the inside) around head height and sing into the box.
I've done some, or all of these things before.
This dampens/absorbs sound.
To stop sound, really only walls work.
Sometimes I have wondered why I didn't just build a wooden practice booth with latches where it could be easily dissassembled.
I have spent probably $1,000 on rehearsal spaces and have worked around housemate's schedules and sang into pillows, on and on.
If you are really going to explore your voice and use full power you'll have to build something around you.
That's my take.
http://barrybliss.info/