My mate wants some help with his sound proof practice room and I want to make sure I'm on the right track with my advice to him.
He's a muso and needs to practice for a couple of hours each evening and more on the weekends when not doing gigs. His playing sax disturbs his wife who works from home.
I'm next door and I can hear him strangling cats when I'm in the kitchen also.
He is currently using his steel portal framed - steel clad shed and wants to stick build a small practice room inside it, but he also wants to be able to record his practice sessions to share with his music teacher and do demo tapes etc.
He is a carpenter so no problems with construction.
I've suggested framing up and cladding the outside with thick MDF and stuffing the space with rockwool or acoustic FG but not lining the interior with board, instead using a sound transparent heavy fabric to reduce bounce and reverb.
I've also suggested the usual practice of unequal dimensions and following the angle of the sheds roof.
Am I on the right track there?
He's a muso and needs to practice for a couple of hours each evening and more on the weekends when not doing gigs. His playing sax disturbs his wife who works from home.
I'm next door and I can hear him strangling cats when I'm in the kitchen also.
He is currently using his steel portal framed - steel clad shed and wants to stick build a small practice room inside it, but he also wants to be able to record his practice sessions to share with his music teacher and do demo tapes etc.
He is a carpenter so no problems with construction.
I've suggested framing up and cladding the outside with thick MDF and stuffing the space with rockwool or acoustic FG but not lining the interior with board, instead using a sound transparent heavy fabric to reduce bounce and reverb.
I've also suggested the usual practice of unequal dimensions and following the angle of the sheds roof.
Am I on the right track there?
Your best bet is to get a hold of Earl Geddes book on home theatres which has a section on soundproofing. He has built a sound proof room and also talks about it occasionally here on the forum. I'll try to find a link.
Metal stud with gypsum board 11-70-22mm (or the imperial equivalent) lightly filled with mineral wool does a very good job, essentially making flanking transmission (doors, windows and ducts) dominant in sound leakage. Any book on building physics tells you this, I think. Mass is dominant, that is why gypsum board is a good choice (it’s cheap too). A step up would be to use intermittent studs that carry inner and outer wall alternatively. But only go that length when you’re also prepared to take serious measures on door and window soundproofing plus HVAC muffling.
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No windows or HVAC which makes it easier. Being a chippie he probably has no experience with pressed steel studs but I'll mention it to him.
Locally MDF is cheaper than Acoustic plaster but the cost difference isn't great but steel framing is about 30% dearer and cost matters
Locally MDF is cheaper than Acoustic plaster but the cost difference isn't great but steel framing is about 30% dearer and cost matters
was always a challenge to tame down the bass.
with electric bands or drums.
with a brass instrument.
Just a wall with typical insulation.
Then of course a ceiling
assuming the shed has vents all around.
Where sound leaks out.
Other than that thin doors or cracks around doors/ windows
can kill your money and time quickly
Reducing mids and high frequency is easy.
Bass was the issue.
Heavy bass luckily not part of this scenario
Basically just walls and tight sealed heavy doors.
Too kill bass, it is a room within a room.
the end. including ceiling.
The further apart the better.
Wont go away unless one is concrete
Obviously again lucky enough heavy bass not
a issue with your buddy. Just plain ol walls
with no leakage, gaps etc etc
with electric bands or drums.
with a brass instrument.
Just a wall with typical insulation.
Then of course a ceiling
assuming the shed has vents all around.
Where sound leaks out.
Other than that thin doors or cracks around doors/ windows
can kill your money and time quickly
Reducing mids and high frequency is easy.
Bass was the issue.
Heavy bass luckily not part of this scenario
Basically just walls and tight sealed heavy doors.
Too kill bass, it is a room within a room.
the end. including ceiling.
The further apart the better.
Wont go away unless one is concrete
Obviously again lucky enough heavy bass not
a issue with your buddy. Just plain ol walls
with no leakage, gaps etc etc
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Talking to this mate again and the discussion turned to first lining this steel shed before doing the internal room.
If he did this first is there a big difference between materials where density is concerned?
Expenditure needs to be realistic and the alternatives are bog standard chipboard in ~12mm thickness. ditto in MDF or perhaps high density chipboard flooring in 19mm if he can source manufacturing seconds or HD chipboard in 12mm
Would a cut of 6dB happen just with this treatment? Smaller or greater
As it is now the steel shed seems to amplify the noise
If he did this first is there a big difference between materials where density is concerned?
Expenditure needs to be realistic and the alternatives are bog standard chipboard in ~12mm thickness. ditto in MDF or perhaps high density chipboard flooring in 19mm if he can source manufacturing seconds or HD chipboard in 12mm
Would a cut of 6dB happen just with this treatment? Smaller or greater
As it is now the steel shed seems to amplify the noise
Constrained layer panel damping works better when both panels are the same and the resistance has dependence on the damping layer. This gives some lattitude with the outer layers.
Lots of GreenGlue then?
So it might be cheaper to use plasterboard.
I wish we could get that foam and foil backed plaster sheet here more readily, that seems to have many benefits in a situation like this.
So it might be cheaper to use plasterboard.
I wish we could get that foam and foil backed plaster sheet here more readily, that seems to have many benefits in a situation like this.
The more you use, the softer it will be. Less resistance, less heat produced, less sound dissipated. Keep it thin but even. I've used a (finer sized) tile adhesive spreader for consistency.
OK the mate and I just googled the price of Green Glue and at $70- a tube isn't going to happen. Young families simply don't have that sort of money and neither do I
Something other solution will be found. OK back to the small room idea
Something other solution will be found. OK back to the small room idea
There is a staggered framing method that can help. Use 2x6 top and bottom plates and 2x4s offset on each side. Basically each side of the wall does not share a 2x4 and you get a bit more noise reduction.
Be careful with the PU glue, once cured, can most of the time only be removed mechanically. So wear gloves and protection glasses. And ofc, cover the floor etc.
Familiar with it but it uses too much real estate. Doing something similar with 70mm top and bottom plates and 30mm studs would be more in line with the spacial requirements. Not loadbearing so no strength issues