Singing without distrubing neighbors

[NicolasNeilson]

I am living in a small apartment. I have a little basic home studio, which I have no problem playing music quietly around 50dba, but when I try to write music or sing, I am afraid that it will disturb my neighbour because sometimes when they play music, I can hear their music through the electrical outlets, so that means they can hear me too. I'm living in the center between two room and I have the outlets on both walls. So, is there any way I can sing or record loudly and comfortably without worrying about it? Or any diy isolation booth?

 

[ecc83]

I would forget isolation booths. They are a bit of a myth for singers and were mainly used for V/O work where the "zero acoustic" did not bother the speaker too much but horrible to sing in!

But! You seem to have discovered the source of noise ingress and therefore egress? Try placing some sound absorbing material against the outlets* But! Be very aware of any fire hazards! If you can stop THEIR noise getting in you stop yours getting out. In any case, you don't want their noise on YOUR tracks!

As ever in these situations, keep talking to next door and don't let matters get unfriendly!

*Ideally you would "snot" the cable entry to the outlets with silicone and use airtight sockets with a rubber seal.

Dave.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

The only thing that would really help is a substantial (steel) 'room within a room' isolation booth.
They're very expensive. I bought two, years ago, for a total of £14000.
I means I can sing and play music without upsetting neighbours, or getting laughed at by them.
They sit on a concrete floor, and I have a layered floor inside the booths.
Drums are a bit extreme, so I try to jump on those when the neighbours are out.

Doing this on the cheap with wood doesn't really work. I tried that first, when I got my drum kit.
My neighbour could hear my drums. At that point, I had a good income, so invested in the tool for the job.

My mum lived in a block of flats, and the young woman living in the next flat drove her mad with singing and playing acoustic guitar.
The cheapest option is to know when your neighbours are out.