How to sound proof the floor?

  • Thread starter Thread starter kaotix
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kaotix

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Hi, i was just wandering how i would sound proof my floor. As i have my studio on the 1st floor it kinda makes alot of noise downstairs. Is there anything i can put on the floor to stop this?

Also, what would you recommend as a first buy mixer? i dont have one yet, just using the 2 channel one that came with my turn tables. Something cheap but also good at the job.

Thanks in advance
 
Soundproofing floors is difficult and expensive. There are materials that are basically layers of goo that go between the subfloor and the floor. You may have more trouble with flanking paths, like through the heating ducts.

I have a Yamaha MG10/2 that I like a lot and it's only $100.
 
you are going to need to get acess to the subfloor, which probably means riping the 1st floor ceiling/second floor floor up. Can you do this?
 
Best advice I can give you for a cheap, quick PARTIAL solution is to decouple your speakers from the floor.
Sound transmits in two ways. Stucturally and via the air.
For structural transmission, decouple your speakers from solid contact through tables and the like from the floor. Same thing if mounted on shelves, the vibrations simply transmit from shelf to wall to floor. Solid contact with ANYTHING that connects to the floor contributes to structural transmission of the vibrations, which then vibrates the floor like a drum head. Especially low frequency. Use some small neoprene rubber or high density foam pads, or better yet, some rigid fiberglass. Assuming you are using PA cabinets for speakers, they may weigh quite a bit, so for decoupling to work, the decoupling device MUST remain resiliant after placing the speakers on them. If the weight crushes anything you use to the point of no resiliancy, you have defeated the purpose.
As far as airborne sound, there are so many variables, it would be difficult to tell you specific solutions. However, low frequency sound that propagates from upper to lower floors usually does so through structural transmission, unless there are common flanking paths for airborn leaks such as stairways, doors, HVAC ducts, cracks in the flooring etc. Here is some information on dealing with that.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar98/articles/soundproofing.html

But here is the reality. Sound transmission from upper to lower floors is a bugger to stop, period. Even adding mass to the floor itself from below can be a waste of time and money, as your walls structurally transmit vibrations from airborn sound to the floor below. For complete isolation, sound transmission must be addressed as a whole solution during planning and construction of the building. Otherwise, you are pitting yourself against physics.
However, there are those that suggest "magic" knobs will improve sound, as well as give you the ability to TURN IT DOWN!! Here is one such knob.
http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/M...en=PROD&Product_Code=NOB_C37_C&Category_Code=
fitZ :p
 
$11,700.00 for a pair of speaker cables!?!? Holy fuckin' shit. I could possibly understand up to maybe $500.00 for a pair, (I would never pay it though!). Who buys these!? Rich audiophiles! It seems to me that a professional engineer wouldn't just because the money could be much more well spent, and with a lot of the studios that could afford it struggling to stay in the black these days it would seem to be a waste of money. My mind is blown..
 
earthboundrec said:
$11,700.00 for a pair of speaker cables!?!? Holy fuckin' shit. I could possibly understand up to maybe $500.00 for a pair, (I would never pay it though!). Who buys these!?
Click to expand...

My guess is it's the same people who... who... umm... never mind. I have no clue whatsoever....
 
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