soundproofing a garage

[skinny arms]

so i've decided to move my warehouse/studio to my garage. sound proofing is a must as we have a pretty full band setup (drums, guitars, keys, bass etc)

i don't really know too much about the sound proofing business 'cept what i gather from these and similiar forums, but i think the garage door is going to be the biggest problem as it's like 1/8" aluminum or something.

is this a reasonable project? what can i do about the garage door? any possible pitfalls forseeable?

the garage is roughly 30x30 and the walls are your standard new house concrete drywall stucco yadda.

any help please?

and thanks!

 

[TexRoadkill]

Really soundproofing the room to the outside will require at the very least completely sealing up the door with a framed wall.

 

[skinnyarms]

Really soundproofing the room to the outside will require at the very least completely sealing up the door with a framed wall.

wow, sounds like i have quite a summer project eh, i'll post some pictures eventually

 

[ausrock]

There are two basic things that are essential to soundproof.............."mass" ......the greater the mass of the walls and ceiling, the more sound you will stop reaching the outside. The other thing is............"sealing ALL gaps".........you have to make the room virtually air-tight, even the slightest crack will let a significant amount of sound escape.

Once you have achieved the above, then you need to look at "acoustic treatment" of the room.

 

[Innovations]

Not only is the door thin, but it also has air gaps around most of the edges.

Then you have to start looking at the other things likely found in a garage, such as uninsulated walls, single pane windows, uninsulated roof, etc.

Then come up with three things:

Budget: obviously

Goals: is your goal to have it be below the threshold of hearing outside when the band is playing or to have it be possible to have a conversation ten feet from the wall when the band is playing? Is it Ok if there is a risk that a soft vocal track might get spoiled if a helicopeter happens to fly overhead at the wrong time? Also what are your goals for the sound inside the room. Do you want a room that will make your band sound really good when recording or one that won't be impossible when you are practicing?

Reversability: In other words how easy/cheap should it be to convert it back to a garage? You may think having a garage studio might improve the value of the house but how marketable is a house with no garage? This is even a bigger concern if you rent since your lease almost certainly would require you to remove all additions.


With some better ideas about these things more specific suggestions are possible.