New place, new sound proofing, need ideas

[cornfarmer]

Family is moved into a new place, so with that comes redoing the music/studio/whatever room. The good news is that the place is ours, and I can mess up the walls however I see fit. The so-so news is that Mrs. confarmer requires one wall be kept mostly free of anything for her yoga legs. Her desk lives in one corner, but it's not an issue. So, 90% filled with my junk. I've dealt with this many a time so I know what my requirements are - mostly to 'treat' the room i.e. cut down reflections, but not fully sound proof completely from neighbors, etc. Walls are bare and it has laminate floors. Wife doesn't want an area rug in there I don't want to use Auralex or any of that foam junk, been there/done that and besides we want to make it look fairly nice.

Has anyone used the polyester stuff I see on Amazon? Mostly I am seeing 1 x 1 ft. and 1/2 inch thick panels of various shapes. They're cheap but my thinking is that they are going to not be that effective. If they are, then let me know, because I could go with that and a put few diffusors on the ceiling and call it a day.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B085CJJ...colid=5ZCLKRLJ16P4&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I am leaning towards ATS or Acoustimac DMD panels, which are pricey, but I know they are basically what I've worked around in other studios. I don't have time to build some myself, things are too busy as it is.

Anything I should consider otherwise?

 

[AGCurry]

I suggest you do music in that room for a while before you start to fix it.

 

[silky smoove]

but not fully sound proof completely from neighbors

You mention soundproofing (a misnomer for the correct term, which is sound isolation) and then talk only about different forms of acoustic treatment. Can you clarify your goal? Is it to make the room sound better/different, or is it to keep sounds from entering and escaping the space?

Also, more details are required to give any helpful advice if sound isolation is truly your goal:

• What is the intended use of the room, i.e. jamming, rehearsing, mixing, mastering, recording, etc.?
  
• Is this a standalone house or a unit in a multifamily residential structure, i.e. condominium, apartment, townhouse, etc.?
• What is the exterior wall construction, i.e. lap siding, brick/masonry, Hardie plank, tilt-up concrete, etc.?
• What is the interior wall construction, i.e. drywall, wood paneling, brick/masonry, etc.?
• Is there a central HVAC system?
• What exists above the ceiling?
• What existing below the floor?
• Is there a door into the space or is it open to the rest of the home?
• Are there any windows?
• How big is the room?
• What is your budget?

 

[cornfarmer]

Okay, fair enough.

I've played drums in the room as-is and it sounds terrible as can be expected. I can play bass thru an amp at a moderate level, but it's not inspiring. This is going to be mostly about cutting down flutter echos/reflections, but not completely making the room 'dead'.

I am not looking for a sealed air tight room, that can't be heard from outside the structure. Not concerned with preventing sound escaping, I'm not nuisance cranking it all day/night. I want to record/mix in here, the loudest thing being played is a drum kit (I'm not Dave Grohl). So like I said, I want to make the room sound better, i.e. treat for reflections and make more neutral than it is currently to be able to mix in, yet make it sound decent enough to record the acoustic drum kit. It's just drywall and the laminate floor right now. 17x14 ft and 8 ft ceiling. One end has a sliding glass door, but I've got curtains up and can upgrade them if needed. Bass traps are not out of the question.

It's a standalone house. '80s build, wood frame, wood panel exterior. On a downward sloped lot - it's a split level layout, this room is on the top floor, so underneath is part crawlspace, and part of the bedroom on the floor below. Above is the attic. There is HVAC.

Budget is flexible, but in reality I don't want to exceed a grand.

 

[silky smoove]

Budget is flexible, but in reality I don't want to exceed a grand.

Then forget entirely about any sound isolation measures at all. That budget won't come anywhere close to doing anything useful in that realm. If your neighbors complain about the sound of a drumkit you'll have to sound isolate through social measures (i.e. agree to only play at certain hours of the day, or some other means of keeping the peace). If sound entering the space becomes a problem while recording (sound isolation works equally in both directions) then there's little you'll be able to do about it.

For acoustic treatments, forget about those polyester tiles you find on Amazon. Put up some full height corner traps made by a reputable manufacturer (GIK, Auralex, RealTraps), or span them with DIY broadband absorbers made with OC703 (alternatively you could build super chunks using pink fluffy fiberglass insulation as well). 17'x14' is just big enough to make use of diffusion, but only barely. Personally I wouldn't waste any money on diffusion if you're going to have a reflective untreated floor. Deal with low frequencies as much as possible, which is all your ~$1,000 budget will really account for anyway. For that kind of money put ALL of it into addressing the room's corners and forget about everything else.

If you intend to mix and master in that space, be sure and setup your desk as "correctly" as possible. This means centering it on the short wall and have your monitors firing into the long direction of the room. Monitors should be placed on stands separate from the desk, then spaced and angled such that they form an equilateral triangle roughly 14" behind the head of the person in the listening position while seated at the desk. Stands should elevate the monitors to put the high frequency driver at ear level. If it's a 2.1 system the subwoofer should not be centered and ideally placed as close to one of the main monitors as possible. All monitors should be placed as close to the front wall as possible without actually touching it.

 

[ddnidd1]

The low end will be problematic with that cubic volume.

 

[cornfarmer]

I get it, and if throwing more cash at this is required, it can be done. But I'm not sure if I want/need to approach this room with the most stringent standards. The intent here is not to build out something on a truly professional/commercial scale.....just something that is workable and good enough, as I can learn a new room/compensate with no problems. Also, I am being realistic at the same time with the limitations of certain budget solutions vs. high end panels/materials. I've set up and/or worked in plenty of different spaces to have a handle on what works, what doesn't, what's a middle ground compromise, etc.

Looks like I've got to do some more planning/thinking.

 

[silky smoove]

I get it, and if throwing more cash at this is required, it can be done.

Throwing more at acoustic treatments may be viable, if you decide it's necessary (more on that below), but you'd need to throw LOTS more at it if you want to have isolation be a part of the design. Likely ten times more, if not even greater, just on the isolation portion, which is why I said to not bother with it at this budget level.

Regarding acoustics. Treat the corners, then stop and reassess. If you have specific problems to be dealt with after the corners, then take care of them one at a time. It'll keep your budget happier and you won't be blindly throwing money at a problem. Basically all rooms need corner treatments without exception. Everything beyond that is a case-by-case basis.

 

[silky smoove]

Read up on the John L Sayers forum for specifics on studio building and acoustics for more details, and/or grab a copy of Rod Gervais' book "Build it Like the Pros."

 

[seamonkey]

+1 on try the room first, then worry about it.

Take a look at REW - Room EQ Wizard Room Acoustics Software for some ideas on how to measure the room once you tried it out for a while.

 

[cornfarmer]

Thanks. Like I said, isolation isn't really the goal. Making the room sound better is, and again, yessssssss I've tried it. You guys don't know what bare assed walls + a laminate floor sound like? Like ass.

 

[silky smoove]

You guys don't know what bare assed walls + a laminate floor sound like? Like ass.

I can assure you, we’ve all been there and yes... it certainly does stink.

 

[seamonkey]

Many of hit recordings have been done with the singer in the bathroom

 

[silky smoove]

Many of hit recordings have been done with the singer in the bathroom

I read a great article about the guitar on Hendrix’s Red House being done in a bathroom above the control room with the amp in a bathtub covered with blankets. No idea if it’s accurate or not, but it’s a fun story.

 

[DanAdams]

Book shelves with books or other stuff on them against walls is helpful.
if you have a listening position, arrange roxul rockboard on perpendicular walls and ceiling to your head height. wrap it in fabric, it will look nice.
Don't spend money on any "studio treatments", or anything sold at music retailers, It's all overpriced horse crap.
Hope that your walls to wall measurements, and ceiling to floor measurements don't match. Because if they do, you'll have significant standing waves.
You can make bass traps in the corners with Roxul if f you want to spend a little, cut it into triangles and stack it up. cover with fabric.
Try to stay centered, and sit facing the length of the room... but I understand that yoga usage gets at least as much space as you, so just do whatever
$1000 is way more than you need to make your room better. However it would likely take a full renovation to make things significantly better. So spend a couple hundred bucks and a weekend or two, and then start spending your time thinking about songs.

 

[Medicine Man]

I did Acoustimac bass traps and a bunch of panels on the walls and ceiling for your budget. Went from an echoey mess to almost flat.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Try making your own treatments. It's not hard and you can easily make them look good. Works for me!

 

[CB3UK]

I assume we surely have a few threads on here re: DIY soundproofing? Its probably way past time I tackle this same task myself for my basment rehearsal area.

 

[silky smoove]

I assume we surely have a few threads on here re: DIY soundproofing? Its probably way past time I tackle this same task myself for my basment rehearsal area.

Go over to the John L Sayers forum, or buy Rod Gervais' book "Build it Like the Pros." They're both reputable sources for building adequate treatments. The most common approach is to build broadband absorbers using a wooden frame and OC703 or Knaff Ecose. You can build lower performance traps with Roxul or denim insulation to save a little money, but the cost savings, to my ears and the measurements I've seen, do not make it worthwhile. Stick with the standard OC703 or Knaff Ecose materials and you'll likely be happier. What you'll find at John L Sayers and in Rod's book is better information about placement than you'll find in most places. As I've stressed in this thread, every room (EVERY room) needs corner treatments. Beyond that it's down to individual needs for the space. Concentrate on all the vertical corners and as many horizontal corners are feasible, then worry about placements on the walls and ceilling with as much of an air gap behind them as possible.

 

[Lava]

A good friend works for this company and they really make it easy to virtually look at your room and give you a better idea of what would be best for that room sonically. DM me for his direct contact info.
gikacoustics.com