soundproof ... in a rented house

[iproduce]

Hi, I was thinking about trying to sound proof one of bedrooms in a house that I live in and which I am currently renting. I dont know the exact measurements of the room as of now, but I will later. Anyway I am wanting to sound proof it hence the room is very close to 2 other rooms. How could I go by sound proofing the room without tearing in the wall and damaging the walls and etc. It will be used for production. Alot of music will be playing through it. So how could I almost dead it so it will be almost impossible for you to hear it when the door is closed??

[Idgeit]

Mabey put up a few partitions that can be deassembled, with rockwool side them. May cost a few bucks, but at the end of the day, it can always be taken down


- Idgeit

[Birdhouse]

Start here
http://www.soundproofing.org/index.html

If you're into DIY go here.
http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/faq10c.html

This is by far the best technique I've used. It falt out works.

...and it won't cost much.

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

So how could I almost dead it so it will be almost impossible for you to hear it when the door is closed??

I hate to rain on your parade, but that IS impossible.

First off "soundproof" is a misnomer. Only levels of sound transmission loss. And doing anything that would add to STL in a rental is highly doubtful, as there are only 2 things that accomplish it. Mass and decoupling.

And Birdhouse, let me tell you something. BOTH of those links have information
that is TOTALLY WRONG!! Good ole "netfact" strikes again. In fact, if you followed the construction advice of the second link, you are wasting your time and money. This is why.
They suggest building a SECOND wall, with steel stud constuction. ALTERNATE STUD no less. With a double wall, there is NO NEED for alternate stud. Second, they tell you to "laminate" 1" styrofoam to the rear studs. Styrofoam has NO mass, nor is it a resistance absorber as it is CLOSED CELL. Therefore, in sound transmission loss construction, it has NO USE. PERIOD. Then they say to put a layer of SOUNDBOARD directly to the interior stud(what the hell is alternate studs for?). Compared to drywall, it has less mass, so why use it?. But the REAL misinformation here is the next step. NOW, they say to fasten RC to the soundboard by screwing THROUGH the soundboard to the studs. And THEN, fasten a layer of drywall to the RC, thereby creating an AIRGAP between the drywall and soundboard, another airgap in the stud cavity between soundboard and "styrofoam" another airgap between the styrofoam and the existing wall, and if the existing wall is standard residential construction, it TOO has an airgap in the stud cavity.

In effect, what you have created is a FOUR LEAF system, which can ACTUALLY MAKE STL at some frequencys WORSE!!! Not only that, but fastening RC directly ove a mass(soundboard), reduces its effectiveness as a decoupler to virtually ZERO! Fucking morons. Here is the REAL DEAL.
The BEST bang for the
buck no bullshit STL construction is known as a MASS AIR MASS (two leaf) system. Even a standard residential wall is this kind of system. However, to increase the STL of this system, you need to do TWO things. Increase the MASS of BOTH leaves, and DECOUPLE ONE LEAF.

The best bang for the buck MASS, is DRYWALL. PERIOD. Unless you are Bill Gates, forget about those limp mass products. Not only are they a pain in the ass to seal within the wall, they are EXPENSIVE as hell, and only offer a few db more of isolation than plain ole drywall. Simply put, just add more layers.
Now, decoupleing is accomplished in a couple of ways. Staggered stud is one, RC is another but must not be fastened over a leaf of mass. Only directly to a stud. Do not use RC on a staggered wall either. Another method is a DOUBLE WALL. In this case, do NOT use RC. Period. The double wall IS the decoupling. There are other mechanical systems too, such as Risc Clips and hatchannel. However, these are fairly expensive systems, but highly increase the STL if used with multiple layers of drywall.

However, for a RENTAL, it would be rediculous if not illegal to do this. SO, that leaves you with few options. One would be to build an iso booth for vocals or amps, but as far as monitoring at high SPL levels in a bedroom, without any construction, I'm afraid you are plain shit out of luck. PERIOD. Sorry, but the truth is better to learn before lots of money and time are wasted on stuff that WILL NOT CUT THE MUSTARD!
fitZ