Poor mans soundproofing

xcrunner28

xcrunner28

New member
So i've been searching the forums trying to find sound proofing for a budget of next to nothing. I was wondering what common household things I could use to build bass traps and things of that nature. One of the main things I was thinking of would be to hang a big rug up on the wall would that work at all?
 
xcrunner28 said:
So i've been searching the forums trying to find sound proofing for a budget of next to nothing. I was wondering what common household things I could use to build bass traps and things of that nature. One of the main things I was thinking of would be to hang a big rug up on the wall would that work at all?
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A little if you leave an air space between it and the wall, as it isn't exactly what you want to do.

Book shelves work well in a mix room as does big easychairs,couches, dead bodies staked up in the corner--oops! Stuff to break up the reflections.

You can score office dividers 2nd hand for next to nothing at surplus office out lets.

But you can build all you need for cheap, use the search button at the top of the page and you will find many old post that will talk you through step by step ~ with pictures even!





:cool:
 
if your in drywall hell.....a bed flipped up against the back wall works wonders in reducing the drywall crap reverb.
(crap reverb is similar to slap reverb , without the pleasing tones)

objects for the corners can help, book shelfs with different sized books and all that is a poor-mans way too.

clap your hands in the drywall crap reverb room, then slowly move things around and try to reduce.

that is a starting point I was told from the gang here and it worked well. the sound and playbacks immediately sounded much better.

yes, your neighbors and friends will think you've started losing your mind, but thats ok.
 
moresound said:
A little if you leave an air space between it and the wall, as it isn't exactly what you want to do.

Book shelves work well in a mix room as does big easychairs,couches, dead bodies staked up in the corner--oops! Stuff to break up the reflections.

You can score office dividers 2nd hand for next to nothing at surplus office out lets.

But you can build all you need for cheap, use the search button at the top of the page and you will find many old post that will talk you through step by step ~ with pictures even!





:cool:
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awesome! :D

im mixing in my bedroom and fortunately already have a big bookshelf and a chest of drawers in either corner behind my mix position.
 
A well furnished room with a bed and carpet should be fine.
This is after all, Home Recording not "Live-in-Studio.com"
 
So i've been searching the forums trying to find sound proofing for a budget of next to nothing.
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I WAS going to answer that untill I read this..

I was wondering what common household things I could use to build bass traps and things of that nature.
Click to expand...

Let me clarify something here. "Soundproofing" and "treatment" are entirely two different aspects of studio building. This misconception is common, to the point that certain "foam" companys advertize their foam treatment products as "soundproofing foam" ....which is totally assinine. :rolleyes::mad: If not totally fraudulent as they seek to take advantage of nubees who want to build a homestudio. Furthermore I can't believe the members above didn't clarify this point themself.

A well furnished room with a bed and carpet should be fine.
This is after all, Home Recording not "Live-in-Studio.com"
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: Nothing could be further from the truth. Besides contridicting yourself, your view isn't necessarily shared by a majority of Home studio builders...even those who DO sleep in the same room as their studio. Afterall, a simple search over the last year of posters on this forum will verify that reality. The fact is, carpet and a mattress does nothing for Low frequency absorption, which ALL small rooms need as much as you can get. I suggest you do some research. And then offer advice, as your current advice is less than helpful.

Yes, if ANYBODY understands budget limitations, its me. However, OVER TIME, if you want to improve the acoustics of your studio environment, you MUST use things that are not free, nor easy to implement. That is the fact. Untill you understand that monitoring in a room that lies to you, and then mixing a lie in the same room again leads to TRANSLATION HELL. Period.

The fact is, most people here who record "live" sources, such as a microphone in the same SMALL room as you are monitoring, knows damn well you can't monitor over speakers in the same room as the mic is placed. That means headphones, which is bad enough, but given a small room with combfiltering hell, deep peaks and nulls, and close proximity between mic and headphones, makes for very difficult if not impossible engineering excellence.

fitZ
 
Jim Lad said:
A well furnished room with a bed and carpet should be fine.
This is after all, Home Recording not "Live-in-Studio.com"
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RICK FITZPATRICK said:
:rolleyes: Nothing could be further from the truth. Besides contridicting yourself, your view isn't necessarily shared by a majority of Home studio builders...even those who DO sleep in the same room as their studio. Afterall, a simple search over the last year of posters on this forum will verify that reality. The fact is, carpet and a mattress does nothing for Low frequency absorption, which ALL small rooms need as much as you can get. I suggest you do some research. And then offer advice, as your current advice is less than helpful.

Yes, if ANYBODY understands budget limitations, its me. However, OVER TIME, if you want to improve the acoustics of your studio environment, you MUST use things that are not free, nor easy to implement. That is the fact. Untill you understand that monitoring in a room that lies to you, and then mixing a lie in the same room again leads to TRANSLATION HELL. Period.

The fact is, most people here who record "live" sources, such as a microphone in the same SMALL room as you are monitoring, knows damn well you can't monitor over speakers in the same room as the mic is placed. That means headphones, which is bad enough, but given a small room with combfiltering hell, deep peaks and nulls, and close proximity between mic and headphones, makes for very difficult if not impossible engineering excellence.

fitZ
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Ahhh, I love contradicting opinions. It makes me almost want to start chanting "Fight! Fight!" like a school child or something :D

However, I'd go with Jim Lad on this one. As he pointed out (and I marked in bold), it's home recording. All this talk of engineering excellence is nice, but once again, it's home recording. Most of us don't hold ourselves up to the same measure as pro studios ;)

As for having things in a room to help with the sound, I personally have my rig in my bedroom. I've got a carpet, 2 bookcases, a nice air matress, a large metal desk, and a dresser, and they do a wonderful job of breaking up low frequencies. It sounds quite nice in here. :)

And he never said his room was small to begin with :rolleyes:
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
I WAS going to answer that untill I read this..



Let me clarify something here. "Soundproofing" and "treatment" are entirely two different aspects of studio building. This misconception is common, to the point that certain "foam" companys advertize their foam treatment products as "soundproofing foam" ....which is totally assinine. :rolleyes::mad: If not totally fraudulent as they seek to take advantage of nubees who want to build a homestudio. Furthermore I can't believe the members above didn't clarify this point themself.

:rolleyes: Nothing could be further from the truth. Besides contridicting yourself, your view isn't necessarily shared by a majority of Home studio builders...even those who DO sleep in the same room as their studio. Afterall, a simple search over the last year of posters on this forum will verify that reality. The fact is, carpet and a mattress does nothing for Low frequency absorption, which ALL small rooms need as much as you can get. I suggest you do some research. And then offer advice, as your current advice is less than helpful.

Yes, if ANYBODY understands budget limitations, its me. However, OVER TIME, if you want to improve the acoustics of your studio environment, you MUST use things that are not free, nor easy to implement. That is the fact. Untill you understand that monitoring in a room that lies to you, and then mixing a lie in the same room again leads to TRANSLATION HELL. Period.

The fact is, most people here who record "live" sources, such as a microphone in the same SMALL room as you are monitoring, knows damn well you can't monitor over speakers in the same room as the mic is placed. That means headphones, which is bad enough, but given a small room with combfiltering hell, deep peaks and nulls, and close proximity between mic and headphones, makes for very difficult if not impossible engineering excellence.

fitZ
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Rick, you should just put "Sound proofing and Treatment are two different things!" in your signature.
 
guitaristic said:
However, I'd go with Jim Lad on this one. As he pointed out (and I marked in bold), it's home recording. All this talk of engineering excellence is nice, but once again, it's home recording. Most of us don't hold ourselves up to the same measure as pro studios ;)
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That's fine, there's nothing wrong with using a lower standard than a pro studio because that lower standard is within budget. Even pro studios do that.

That's not the issue.

Giving false information, even with the best of intentions with the belief that it is true, isn't very helpful to the original poster and those who are reading the thread trying to learn something.

That's why some of us are making these points and correcting people.

Home or pro, most everyone is assuming you want to at least try to make the best recording you can. A decent room is part of that.
 
False information?
Lower standards?
It's home recording.
Enjoy it and don't try to be .... er ... um .... ah ... aw jeesh!
I forget.
I knew it when I came in here. :drunk:
 
Jim Lad said:
False information?
Lower standards?
It's home recording.
Enjoy it and don't try to be .... er ... um .... ah ... aw jeesh!
I forget.
I knew it when I came in here. :drunk:
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heh-heh. I didn't necessarily aim that at you specifically... basically what I'm saying is carpeting is fairly useless for acoustical purposes and all I'm trying to do is set expectations correctly.

I would hate to see someone spend time and money carpeting their studio (walls, floors and ceilings - and I've seen that several times) thinking it's useful.

That's all. If that's what you have, so be it. We all make do with what we have, or can afford, or have the time for.

Please, don't get bent.
 
Excellent post Fredric.

One thing that I must point out; Fitz was not offering an opinion. It is a fact of physics. Reality. There is no getting around it.

OP,

The best 'poor man's sound-proofing' is gypsum board, drywall, etc. heavy and cheap. :D

Cheers,
John
 
However, I'd go with Jim Lad on this one. As he pointed out (and I marked in bold), it's home recording. All this talk of engineering excellence is nice, but once again, it's home recording.
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Hmmmm, thats odd. I was under the assumption he CARED about making better recordings...otherwise he wouldn't be here asking HOW TO DO IT!:rolleyes:Home recording or not...the point is.. he ASKED HOW TO BUILD BASS TRAPS!!! Which tells me he is trying to improve his recordings. That tells me he is already WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY beyond your way of thinking mr. homerecording.:rolleyes:



I simply tried to not only clarify there is a difference between soundproofing and treatment, but let him know there is nothing in a home that will do what needs to be done...IF HE WANTS TO IMPROVE HIS ACOUSTICS. If he didn't care about his recordings...HE WOULDN"T BE HERE ASKING HOW TO BUILD GODDAMED BASS TRAPS!! talk about geeeeeeeezus. :rolleyes:
The best 'poor man's sound-proofing' is gypsum board, drywall, etc. heavy and cheap.
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Unfortunately John, he wasn't really asking how to soundproof. He was just confusing it with treatment. Thats why I chimed in....which in hindsight confirms my belief there are two types of people who come here.

The first kind really don't give a rats ass how their recordings come out. Their perfectly happy to just listen back and pass off any critique as..."hell, its ONLY home recording...who gives a shit? They don't want to do a damn thing except keep things the way they like it cause it sounds just fine to them...IN THEIR ROOM. Unfortunately, these kind of people rarely have the gumption or need to play these recordings on....ANOTHER SYSTEM IN ANOTHER ROOM!
Otherwise, they would morph into the second kind of people who come here.

The second kind ALREADY have played their recordings on OTHER SYSTEMS in OTHER ROOMS and environments. And guess what they found out? They DON"T FUCKING TRANSLATE. And thats why they became the SECOND kind of people who come here. Comprende? Good. If not..well, I suggest you simply go back to your little "studio" and don't bother the people here who DO want to improve.
 
any use for mattresses? I've been using 2 that I got for free behind my piano to make it a little less loud. (I'm now living in a condo)

Once I get started treating my room, I'll only be using 1 - and hope to find another use for the other.
 
Had an interesting talk about forums and such, with a salesman recently.
"Got to remember" he said "There are all sorts of opinions, on line but in all honesty, You have absolutely no idea who they are. Take everything with a pinch of salt"
Never a truer word spoken.
:cool:
 
Jim,

Yes, that's true, you don't know who you are talking to, though there is nothing wrong with asking those giving you advice where and how they acquired/learned the information necessary to give that advice. You'll get the typical answers - books, practical experience, training and certification, web references, and of course some people will either avoid the question entirely or admit their knowledge is really just wild guesses or "folklore".

But remember, people are asking questions because they want to gain knowledge, and use that knowledge to make decisions. Those decisions will for certain impact their ability to create mixes - and that's the point of forums like this - for some to ask questions, and otehrs to share that knowledge.

Just because a particular poster cannot afford full, outright pro-level acoustical treatments doesn't mean having a fair bit of that knowledge isn't useful to that poster.

Acoustical waves in a room aren't prejudice - if they have surfaces to bounce, they will - regardless of whether it's a pro studio, a home studio, or a young lad recording on the floor of his mother's walk in closet.

I had a pro studio many moons ago, and I learned a lot of this the hard way even though I didn't at that time know the math or have any real knowledge to speak of. I tried egg crates, carpet padding, carpet padding and carpet, seat cushion foam, heavy drapes, heavy drapes with foam inside, shipping foam, and spent a lot of time and money doing and redoing acoustical treatments trying to get it right. My primary recording room was 50 x 60' with a slanted, vaulted ceiling that peaked at 35'. I'm sure you can imagine the manpower alone necessary to re-treat a room like that, even with your friends helpng for the cost of beer and pizza - and I had to do it six times in four years, getting better each time through trial and error, which honestly, is not the best, most frugal way of doing anything.

I *wish* there were internet forums in those days, even though like you said some scrutiny of the advice offerred is always necessary.

I really don't know why you're fighting this so hard. Making your recording space as good as possible is never a bad thing. But just because someone is on a really tight budget doesn't mean they should receive truly bad advice.

I'll tell you why - it's been my experience that most smaller recording rooms serve you better and more honestly (acoustically) with NO treatment as compared to really BAD treatments.

---

Anyway, to the OP, you can build bass traps yourself. They're not free, but they're not terribly expensive.

You build yourself a simple 1x3 or 2x4 wood frame, 2' x 4' in dimensions, and inside that frame you pack rockwool or rigid fiberglass panels. Wrap it in a fabric of your choosing that blends in with your decor and staple it on. Stand them in the corners of the room and you have made yourself some very good bass traps.
 
Jim Lad said:
Had an interesting talk about forums and such, with a salesman recently.
"Got to remember" he said "There are all sorts of opinions, on line but in all honesty, You have absolutely no idea who they are. Take everything with a pinch of salt"
Never a truer word spoken.
:cool:
Click to expand...

You also have to remember (in all honesty) that a lot of sales people don't have a clue what they're talking about either...... I run across them all the time..... much more often than you might believe.......

It's actually pretty easy to figure out what is real and what is bull***t....... the "real people" (meaning people who have a clue what they are talking about) will back it up with verifiable data - from reliable sources..... in order to prove the point - whereas those who are just "speaking" to hear their own voice - who speak with authority without having a clue what they're talking about are going to go the route of "well I did it and it sounded great to me"....... or "I put carpet hanging by the wall and it was excellent at taking care of the problems I had with bass".

And when you ask them to provide the data to back up their claims they will say "I could clearly hear the difference, and I have a great set of ears".......

However - the best ears in the world won't overcome the Hass effect.........

Carpet is a lousy product for treating bass - in addition to which it is a real fire hazard installed as a wall covering (it is not approved as a wall covering, with the exception of Berber carpet - and even that has limitations as to the actual amount that can be installed safely) - and hanging carpet OFF the wall is even more dangerous than installing it ON the wall........

Now - I wouldn't expect you to believe me - but as I said - people who have even a little bit of a clue actually post supporting data:

this is from from the Carpet and Rug Institute, regarding the placement of carpet on walls:

“Carpet is manufactured for use as a floor covering, and installation on other surfaces, such as walls, is not recommended. Many carpet manufacturers will not assume any liability, real or implied, when carpet is applied on surfaces other than floors.”
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The above statement is included in the "Flammability and Carpet Safety Technical Bulletin" which can be found here:

http://www.carpet-rug.org/technical_bulletins/9811_Flammability_and_Carpet_Safety.pdf

As is this:

My comment: Understand that the NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) values you see below are pretty low - also that these values only take into account the average of the absorption coefficients for the following frequencies (rounded) 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz -

http://www.carpet-rug.org/technical_bulletins/2008_Acoustical_Characteristics.pdf

One comment worthy of note in the acoustic pdf is this:

Specifying for critical areas such as theaters, broadcast studios, and open plan office areas may require full details of impact insulation properties and noise absorption characteristics.
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I hope this proved useful
 
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