cheap, cheap soundproofing material

[floppsybunny]

hi, i'm just looking to soundproof a very rudimentary 'vocal booth' in the corner of my apartment...i can't afford to buy the heavy duty vinyl soundproofing sheets or anything, i am thinking about just getting some blankets but was wondering if anybody had any practical ideas about how to cheaply soundproof a small area...i am looking mainly just to deaden the sound or isolate it a little bit so it doesn't leak into my neighbour's apartment when he's trying to sleep!

thanks.

[Strave]

Go check out the studio building forum... this is probably the most commonly discussed thing. But check out mineral wool it's like 30 bucks for 48 square feet or something.

[notbradsohner]

blankets or foam wont do anything



soundproofing for cheap is impossible

[mattamatta]

I believe what you're looking for is more along the lines of 'room treatment' than 'soundproofing'.

[mikeh]

If you are looking for some basic room treatment (a relatively dry vocal booth) then things like packing blankets get get the job done. I personnally think used draperies are better (simply because they are cosmetically better and are designed to be hung.

If you are looking to "sound proof" a room (to limit the sound coming in or going out) the only real way to accomplish that is with mass (or a combination of mass and air pockets).

[floppsybunny]

i understand that you need mass to block soundwaves but i am now wondering whether a little acoustic treatment foam might do something to at least stop the sound going directly through the walls...

i am setting up my vocal booth in a corner that is directly adjacent to the outside hallway and i am wondering whether some foam panels like these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1
might be able to at least diffract the sound and spread it out across the room so that i get maybe a 25% decrease in sound leaking directly through the wall in front of the mic...? is that a possibility?

i would like to have some basic acoustic treatment as well because the mic's position is not in a great acoustic spot...do you think these panels will give me any decrease in volume leaking through the adjacent walls through diffraction? or would i be better off draping blanket insulation from the walls and ceiling and forgetting about acoustic treatment?

i have looked at some thin vinyl/polymer soundproofing sheets that could nicely go under some acoustic treatment panels but unfortunately a 12" x 12" sheet of it goes for like $50...

thanks guys.

[Ethan Winer]

Bunny,

> i am wondering whether some foam panels like these ... get maybe a 25% decrease in sound leaking directly through the wall <

No. To block sound you need mass and decoupling. No foam will do that.

--Ethan

[VesuviusJay]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Bunny,

> i am wondering whether some foam panels like these ... get maybe a 25% decrease in sound leaking directly through the wall <

No. To block sound you need mass and decoupling. No foam will do that.

--Ethan

Decoupling ==> Installing something between the stud and the wallboard that does not allow the vibration to translate from drywall to stud. They also make items like decoupling speaker hangers.

Mass ==> Extremely expensive, but auralex and some other companies offer materials such as "sheet block" That will drastically reduce sound translation.

http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolati..._sheetblok.asp

Another excellent source of information on this topic is http://www.soundproofing.org

\m/

[floppsybunny]

what about something like this:

"Super Soundproofing Mat": A closed cell vinyl-nitrile noise control FOAM suitable for application to cars, boats, planes, home and office, anywhere a sound control mat is needed. Won't absorb moisture or odor, long lasting and durable. An excellent thermal insulator! (FAA Approved for aircraft, too! Ask to see the approvals). Just apply with vinyl or contact cement to reduce and absorb sound. (Note: this is NOT the cheap rubber/neoprene as sold by some of our competitors!)

on sale at soundproofing.org for $5.95 1/8"x12"x48" sheet... (http://www.soundproofing.org/sales/prices.html)

is that an effective soundproofing material to mount on walls, ceilings? or is it just more foam masquerading as soundproofing material ?

[VesuviusJay]

If you read this section http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/sitemap.htm you will find the answers to all your questions in a nice concise guide!

[Ethan Winer]

Jay,

> Mass ==> Extremely expensive <

Sheet rock is the cheapest mass you can buy - and it works really well!

> auralex and some other companies offer materials such as "sheet block" That will drastically reduce sound translation. <

No, that will help only a little, and it costs much more than sheetrock which helps much more. The general concensus among isolation experts I know is that these vinyl products are not a good value.

> Another excellent source of information on this topic is http://www.soundproofing.org <

Likewise, the acoustic isolation experts I know and trust all say that this company's products are not useful considering the prices.

The problem is there's no easy way for customers to know if what they bought worked or not. It's not like bass traps and other acoustic treatment you can put up and hear an immediate improvement. These isolation products are almost always used in new construction, so you don't know how much better or worse the isolation would have been had you used nothing, or had you used another layer of sheetrock.

--Ethan

[VesuviusJay]

Interesting, Ethan, in that case, do you perhapse have a recommendation as to how I may reduce noise behind a tin garage door? Maybe you can direct me to a more cost effective solution! Thanks!

[floppsybunny]

now i am thinking about just getting a bunch of really thick drapes

[AlexW]

For a garage door, there's not alot you can do outside of replacing it unless you want to build a separate room inside your garage.

Drapes are unlikely to reduce sound transmission very much.

[VesuviusJay]

I'd try some of that sheet block but its too damn expensive. $300 per roll. Now i am standing 4 sheets of rigid insulation over the garage door and it works decent. I will have to say the decoupling solution makes the most sense and you can get the decoupling strips from any drywall outfit. The section on decoupling on soundproofing.org is good. you may want to take a look at that.

[AlexW]

Resilient channel is cheaper and can accomplish the same thing. You can pick it up at dry wall supply wholesalers typically. It's esstentially a thin stepped metal channel. You screw one piece of it into your supporting timer and allow the other half to float. The other half is what you attach your drywall to, effectively decoupling it from the studs.

[VesuviusJay]

Originally Posted by AlexW

Resilient channel is cheaper and can accomplish the same thing. You can pick it up at dry wall supply wholesalers typically. It's esstentially a thin stepped metal channel. You screw one piece of it into your supporting timer and allow the other half to float. The other half is what you attach your drywall to, effectively decoupling it from the studs.

That is the strip of which I speak, I just forgot the name RESILLIENT CHANNEL. Try hanging it to the studs and your drywall to it... Voila... Decoupling.

[distortedrumble]

moving blankets...check a local Uhaul/shipping place...

[Ethan Winer]

Jay,

> have a recommendation as to how I may reduce noise behind a tin garage door? <

I'm not much of an isolation expert, but I can tell you for sure that foam and blankets and fiberglass and the like will not help. You need mass, and the cheapest mass you can buy is a couple of layers of sheetrock.

--Ethan

[travelin travis]

Originally Posted by distortedrumble

moving blankets...check a local Uhaul/shipping place...

any details on how you have used moving blankets and the end results? i googled "moving blankets" and found some 72" x 80" 6.9 lb. blankets @ $95 for a dozen. I'm looking at cheap solutions myself for acoustic treatment and sound proofing.

http://www.moverssupplies.com/index.php/cPath/21

[gemsbok]

check harbor freight.com for cheapo shipping blankets.

[Noplasticrobots]

Not sure if this will work or not, but I remember reading about this in Tape Op some time ago. Technically these are baffles, but it might be worth a try. Go buy two solid core doors and mount them to a rectangular piece of plywood with brackets so the doors are standing straight up. Wrap some egg carton foam around the doors and secure with construction glue or some other type of caulkable glue that will stick forever.

Like I said, these are baffles but they might stop enough sound to prevent your neighbor from hearing. Good luck!

[AlexW]

Those are good for isolating instruments (basically gobos) but won't keep sound from getting outside due to flanking. True soundproofing requires isolation of all potential flanking paths to work properly. The neighbors will still be disturbed.

[VesuviusJay]

I use some packing blankets directly in front of my cabinet to kill some noise during recording, but they won't be very effective to keep sound from escaping the structure. To keep sound from emulating from the structure you will eventually have to modify the structure...