Soundproofing a room - Does it actually work?
Discussion
Calza said:
Diderot said:
My wife is an opera singer, so I share your pain!
To properly soundproof (as opposed to acoustically treat) a room, though you'd need to do both ideally, will be expensive, but it can obviously be done. You'll need to build a room within the original room which is isolated from the main structure and stuff that full of rockwool or similar. It'll also need aircon because it will need to be as airtight as possible. You'll need an acoustic door, you'll also need to consider the windows too. Ideally too you'd have a lobby between the new room within a room and the original entry point, and both would have acoustic doors.
One of the other considerations is that she will probably hate singing and playing in it as it will be too dry in terms of ambience, so the room would ideally be large enough to give some kind of reasonable RT60 time.
What are the dimensions of the room?
We're just looking at houses and I'm keeping options open.To properly soundproof (as opposed to acoustically treat) a room, though you'd need to do both ideally, will be expensive, but it can obviously be done. You'll need to build a room within the original room which is isolated from the main structure and stuff that full of rockwool or similar. It'll also need aircon because it will need to be as airtight as possible. You'll need an acoustic door, you'll also need to consider the windows too. Ideally too you'd have a lobby between the new room within a room and the original entry point, and both would have acoustic doors.
One of the other considerations is that she will probably hate singing and playing in it as it will be too dry in terms of ambience, so the room would ideally be large enough to give some kind of reasonable RT60 time.
What are the dimensions of the room?
A posh shed in the garden sounds much more likely at this rate, especially as it doesn't need to be the same level of soundproofing!
Stud walls - then that’s going to be a whole heap more expensive and problematic.
Diderot said:
Calza said:
Diderot said:
My wife is an opera singer, so I share your pain!
To properly soundproof (as opposed to acoustically treat) a room, though you'd need to do both ideally, will be expensive, but it can obviously be done. You'll need to build a room within the original room which is isolated from the main structure and stuff that full of rockwool or similar. It'll also need aircon because it will need to be as airtight as possible. You'll need an acoustic door, you'll also need to consider the windows too. Ideally too you'd have a lobby between the new room within a room and the original entry point, and both would have acoustic doors.
One of the other considerations is that she will probably hate singing and playing in it as it will be too dry in terms of ambience, so the room would ideally be large enough to give some kind of reasonable RT60 time.
What are the dimensions of the room?
We're just looking at houses and I'm keeping options open.To properly soundproof (as opposed to acoustically treat) a room, though you'd need to do both ideally, will be expensive, but it can obviously be done. You'll need to build a room within the original room which is isolated from the main structure and stuff that full of rockwool or similar. It'll also need aircon because it will need to be as airtight as possible. You'll need an acoustic door, you'll also need to consider the windows too. Ideally too you'd have a lobby between the new room within a room and the original entry point, and both would have acoustic doors.
One of the other considerations is that she will probably hate singing and playing in it as it will be too dry in terms of ambience, so the room would ideally be large enough to give some kind of reasonable RT60 time.
What are the dimensions of the room?
A posh shed in the garden sounds much more likely at this rate, especially as it doesn't need to be the same level of soundproofing!
Stud walls - then that’s going to be a whole heap more expensive and problematic.
When we moved to our new place 3 years ago, we converted a boathouse (garage thing) - brick construction, isolated floor and walls, triple glazing and acoustic door (plus a lot of acoustic treatment) means that the Mrs has a space where she can go full blast and the piano is happy. 1 metre from the door we have 39db ish which about 75 ft from the nearest neighbour, so perfect, and she can record in there.
Don’t skimp on the aircon.
You're absolutely right, it's not about recording - rather being able to use the house. So it doesn't need to be silent - I guess the measure is can I sit a few rooms away and watch TV or have a call without being disrupted. For that I wonder if windows are necessary? Sure it will spill outside but it will only ever be daytime anyway.
I'm not to worried about heat as she won't be going for hours on end so I imagine she can suck it up for an hour while she has a lesson or wants a jam! This will also be her office, so a lot of the time it will be window open, usual noise etc.
The house will most definitely be stud walls unfortunately.
I'm not to worried about heat as she won't be going for hours on end so I imagine she can suck it up for an hour while she has a lesson or wants a jam! This will also be her office, so a lot of the time it will be window open, usual noise etc.
The house will most definitely be stud walls unfortunately.
timbob said:
Beware of the difference between sound proofing a room and acoustic treatment within a room.
There are a great many things that people see as “soundproofing” - foam egg box panels on a wall, bass traps in the corners, acoustic panels here, thick curtains there… All these do is alter the sound inside the room, generally by absorbing the high frequencies within the space and making it sound terrible and boxy. I’ve been to many “soundproofed” rehearsal studios, recording studios and expensive university music departments - all the rooms are full of foam and sound terrible, and you can still hear bass and drums thundering down every corridor…
To actually soundproof a room - that is, to have a “normal” sound within it, and to not hear anything outside, you need depth and mass. Big thick walls (meters thick) filled with lead would be ideal… Anything else is a compromise of wallet vs soundproofivity.
In reality, a floating room built out of studwork within a domestic room, ply lined out and insulated with as much space as you can get away with or someheavy and high density material (rock wool??) will be your best bet if you actually want a room that approaches being anywhere near soundproofed.
This is what I did, built a stud wall fixed to the floor with cross members on top to the opposing stud (For the ceiling)There are a great many things that people see as “soundproofing” - foam egg box panels on a wall, bass traps in the corners, acoustic panels here, thick curtains there… All these do is alter the sound inside the room, generally by absorbing the high frequencies within the space and making it sound terrible and boxy. I’ve been to many “soundproofed” rehearsal studios, recording studios and expensive university music departments - all the rooms are full of foam and sound terrible, and you can still hear bass and drums thundering down every corridor…
To actually soundproof a room - that is, to have a “normal” sound within it, and to not hear anything outside, you need depth and mass. Big thick walls (meters thick) filled with lead would be ideal… Anything else is a compromise of wallet vs soundproofivity.
In reality, a floating room built out of studwork within a domestic room, ply lined out and insulated with as much space as you can get away with or someheavy and high density material (rock wool??) will be your best bet if you actually want a room that approaches being anywhere near soundproofed.
Bascially the stud nor the 'ceiling' does not touch the walls or ceiling at any point*
You then have another door in the stud, so two big fire doors out. The doors but up against each other with a couple of inches gap)
1 window in the room that has a secondarly glazing DG unit in there. Insulation trhown in there, and heavy carpet laid on floating wooden floor laid on 1 inch insulation batts.
I use it for my disco setup. Its pretty soundproof, but not completely, you might faire better as your GF will generate mostly high frequencies (Soprano, piano) its bass that travels through rooms.
- Note the window sill around the second glazed unit is the only place the internal stud partion meets the main wall of the house, bar the footer plate on the floor, obvs.
I think you have a lot easier job when you say you only want to make it more bearable in the rest of the house, rather than silent in the rest of the house.
You have an easier job as a soprano (high) rather than a bass player or drummer.
I am just an armchair person, but Gosforth Handyman has done these 2 vids, one on a stud wall, one on a solid wall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGR2ofMloLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErGqRzzz_Vw
You have an easier job as a soprano (high) rather than a bass player or drummer.
I am just an armchair person, but Gosforth Handyman has done these 2 vids, one on a stud wall, one on a solid wall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGR2ofMloLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErGqRzzz_Vw
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