Sound Proofing Office Space

[Digital Smith]

Hello, I could really use some experienced help.

I am designing a studio with 2 sets in an office building space (26x26 ft). I need some advice from experienced pros on deadening huge open space.

I am looking to make or buy mobile sound proofing panels. I have watched film crews use moving blankets and gobo arms for quick lighting and sound barriers but I was looking for something a more heavy duty. Set 1 will be a hard cyc and would be mobile so I will insulate with mixed materials.

I am thinking about making a cloud for the ceiling which is only 9 ft high or fill the existing walls with spray insulation?

I only have $1000 and some change to spend, so I cannot build a total dead studio. Time is a factor too. I am also pursuing options of building the panels. Will pieces of 2-4" foam on panels work? I cannot tear down existing walls or build new walls.

[knightfly]

Sound PROOFING and sound TREATMENT are two different things. Sound PROOFING requires changing walls and building it right, or it's pretty much a waste of time/money.

I'm not familiar with the term, "Cyc" - but the rest of your post sounds like you're talking about a photographic studio instead of sound - can you expand on your question/plans?

[Digital Smith]

A cyc is a type of backdrop, whether hard, soft, white, ultimatte, chromakey, when you hear cyc think backdrop. I acknowledge your point on the use of PROOF vs. TREATMENT. Ok, in this case I will need to design a studio with Sound Treatment. Instead of photo shoots, I am doing video shoots so sound is a major concern. The drawback is that I am in an office room so I cannot build a total soundproof room. I have to work with what I am given... a challenge. That's why I came here, this is the best audio forum that I know.

I have had experience building sound proof recording rooms on "smalll homerecording style" but I have never worked with pro products like Auralux.

I was looking at building or buying panels or use sound blankets, mount Auralux on masonite or.... well you get the idea.

The design shows set 1 and 2. These are the areas in my video studio I need to treat.

I could really use some sound expertise.

Thanx

[Digital Smith]

Here is my new update on treating an office space. For the walls, I am making portable 2x8 ft panels bass traps using Ethan's design using 703 rigid fiberglass. I am also making two gobo panels on wheels which are two 4x8 ft hinged together. I am planning on making them 6 inches deep using waffer board, maybe sheet rock inside, and stuff insulation from home depot (R15) inside. Not sure what to do for the ceiling as of yet. I might also spray insulation in the walls... will this help? I only plan on recording talking heads and people teaching training techniques for videos. Thank you.

[BigBoss]

haha your shooting porn in an office building
haha good luck but I know nothin about this matter

[Digital Smith]

Well I do have a lock on the door.

[knightfly]

Part of this would depend on what construction the existing walls/ceiling are. Insulation inside walls usually reduces sound transmission by about 3 dB, not a lot. What is needed for sound reduction is mass, as in extra layers of wallboard.

What does the area sound like now? Is speech pretty intelligible, or is it muddy or muffled? Can you clap your hands sharply, and get a ringing sound?

If ringing is a problem, placing the two movable gobos at least 12 degrees off square will help a lot.

If speech sounds muddy, you need more midband absorption on walls. This can be done with some of the thicker acoustic foam on a backer board.

If it's muffled, you need a wood overlay on the floor instead of carpet.

HTH... Steve

[Digital Smith]

Yes, the room is very ringy indeed. In the celing is just acoutical office tile on a drop ceiling. Above the ceiling tile is all of the duct work, lighting and a huge open area before the roof. The walls are metal studs with no insulation that I know of, sheetrock with a 3-4 gap of air. The floor is the standard office blue carpet. A standard American business park building with the ringing of phones or unloading of freight or the airplanes overhead. It sounds like a big open space, very hollow sounding. This is what I want to reduce.

You said 12 degrees off of square, please look at the pic I attachment for correct 12 degree so I can better understand you. 1 or 2?

Know I need to fine the correct / effective method of gobo construction / building technique.

Thank you Steve.

[Digital Smith]

Knightfly,

This will give you a better understanding of my sound issues. At least I am only recording talking heads.

Would an extra layer of sheet rock help (more mass) or once you used one type of material to treat sound, you need a different type (plywood/foam/block) to make futher treatments?

[knightfly]

Actually, this is what I meant by setting the gobo's at a 12 degree angle -

[knightfly]

Next, I need to know what freedom you have in changing, adding, caulking, etc - also, what sort of budget you're dealing with, and what you're using to record (camcorder, NLE on computer, ???)

[Digital Smith]

As for freedom, I can add another layer of sheet rock on the walls and chaulk whatever needs to be chaulked. I can spray insulation in the walls if need be and place more insulation on top of the ceiling tiles. I can build more wall mount or free standing traps. I have close to $1000 in the budget for supplies to build, construct, design sound treatment and I have already budgeted $500 of that.

The video camera will be in the recording area. My computers are in the back corner of the room (over 20 ft away). I will make barriers to reduce their fan sound. I will rarely be recording to hard disk so computer fans are not an issue for me.

Steve, I do appreciate all of your assistant.

[knightfly]

No problem -

OK, I'm assuming you're already using off-camera mics, not the built-in one - so cam-corder noise should be lessened already. If you're using "real" cameras to a separate recorder, even better.
The newer Mini-DV boxes do a good job too, and with a firewire interface and NLE, you're sitting pretty good.

There are software packages (Samplitude, for one) that can record a simultaneous remote mic along with the program audio, and then use their Noise Reduction algorithm to subtract that mic from the main track - sometimes that can help minimise background noise that can't be gotten rid of any other way. samplitude's NR function has a lot of bells and whistles you can tweak til you like the sound.

Another relatively inexpensive program that can do multi-track audio AND Video editing, is Vegas from Sonic Foundry - I'm not sure what (if any) noise reduction it has, but there are DirectX plug-in NR, including one from Sonic Foundry, that work well also.

At least one of the "big boy" sound control companies sells 2' x 4' drop-in ceiling panels for sound reduction - but all they are, admitted right there in the description, is Celotex (sound board) with a layer of sheet rock glued on the back. If you did that yourself to the existing ceiling tiles, you could save a bundle and get one more layer of mass in the ceiling. You'd need to make sure the panels fit together really tight. Then, 3-4 inches of 3lb/cu ft rockwool over that and you'd cut probably 6-8 dB coming thru the ceiling.

For the walls, a tight, caulked layer of 5/8" sheet rock would do about the same. Heavy insulation in walls is only worth about 2-4 dB, hardly worth the effort.

Not sure what to do about any floor noises - you might be able to put down 3/4" particle board with a sheet of vinyl pergo-look-alike, that would brighten the sound and help get rid of some of the "tubbies" usually present in carpeted areas.

Looks like you've already added some bass traps, so there shouldn't be too much "mud" in the room sound.

Beyond that, you'll most likely just have to see what it sounds like. Guessing games by remote are always harder to get right than actually being there and hearing for yourself... Steve