Wall or wood if the purpose is to record vocals the room would need some acoustic treatment anyway.
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OSB-covered walls: a bad idea for a studio?
- Thread starter Aloe
- Start date
OSB on its own not a good idea in terms of fire safety. I would use OSB and then cover that over with drywall.
This will give you a very strong wall which will take fixings well.
You should also check your local building regs
This will give you a very strong wall which will take fixings well.
You should also check your local building regs
The out gassing of OSB is minimal and is not considered a significant risk.
I can only comment on the UK.
I can only comment on the UK.
I've seen reflection and absorption mentioned but not diffusion, be sure to figure that in to the overall picture as well.
Captain buzzkill here.
I wouldn’t want a fuel source in my home.
Have plenty of smoke detectors. Fire won’t kill you , the toxic gasses will
I wouldn’t want a fuel source in my home.
Have plenty of smoke detectors. Fire won’t kill you , the toxic gasses will
I don’t know where you got the idea that OSB absorbs sound more than drywall. It doesn’t.
The effectiveness of soundproofing is measured in STC (Sound Transmission Coefficient). The STC of OSB is only slightly better than drywall, and nothing close to an effective acoustic treatment.
Here are a couple of articles you should read for starters. Good luck!
OSB vs. Drywall for Soundproofing: Which Is Best?
[URL="https://soundproofist.com/2018/03/29/all-walls-are-not-alike/"]All walls are not alike - a look at STC - Soundproofist[/URL]
The effectiveness of soundproofing is measured in STC (Sound Transmission Coefficient). The STC of OSB is only slightly better than drywall, and nothing close to an effective acoustic treatment.
Here are a couple of articles you should read for starters. Good luck!
OSB vs. Drywall for Soundproofing: Which Is Best?
[URL="https://soundproofist.com/2018/03/29/all-walls-are-not-alike/"]All walls are not alike - a look at STC - Soundproofist[/URL]
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I looked at the picture of the OP home that was posted. It is OSB walled. Remember this is in Ukraine. Different strokes for different folks. I am sure there is no inspector running around etc.
Kinda like old school Alaska. You build with what you have and is affordable. Lower 48 standards don't apply.
Kinda like old school Alaska. You build with what you have and is affordable. Lower 48 standards don't apply.
OP might want to do a bit more research on sound absorption/diffusion, etc. in a studio/room setting. The focus seems to be on an approach where you are essentially spinning your wheels being concerned with something that won't make an appreciable sonic difference.
Tuning and controlling sound in a specific room is actually an extremely complex subject when you get into it. And of course this general topic has been dealt with in length on TB and on the web.
With a bit of research you should be able to get more desired performance for your money.
Tuning and controlling sound in a specific room is actually an extremely complex subject when you get into it. And of course this general topic has been dealt with in length on TB and on the web.
With a bit of research you should be able to get more desired performance for your money.
If it’s fire resistant osb sure.
I’m thinking more of living in a tinderbox than off gassing.
I did my studio with 1/2" "SoundBoard" which is basically a pressed sawdusty type of board. Then sheathed it all in 5/8" Drywall. It's a second floor in a gambrel roof above a freestanding cinderblock garage/barn. I successfully brought the sound transmission down enough for our densely populated neighborhood, and the recordings sound very good in there, despite the low ceiling.
Interior sound treatment was done with panels of condensed fiberglass similar to Owens Corning 703
Interior sound treatment was done with panels of condensed fiberglass similar to Owens Corning 703
I don't recommend using this. Use condensed fiberglass panels
Why?
He is not going for sound deadening, he is going for sound reflection, diffusing it to stop it.
There is a difference.
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I am not an acoustician, recording engineer or builder but I have some experience, and training on the topic.
I’ll second the earlier comment on diffusion. Reflections are not always bad. In certain situations you may want a dead room, but dead is not always better. Often a complex mix of absorption, diffusion and reflectivity is what you want. A full bookshelf is an excellent low tech example of how to ensure you are adding diffusion and absorption. Empty walls are a recipe for problems.
As as someone else mentioned, avoid reflective parallel walls. If parallel walls can’t be avoided make good use of absorptive and diffusion on at least one of them. This will help avoid standing wave problems.
Another issue is resonance which can occur due to materials and room dimensions.
You can predict resonance issues if you have room boundaries that are multiples of each other eg 16 x 24 room w/ 8 foot ceilings. Once again complexity is you friend.
You can counteract material resonances by adding material to deaden the resonance (and perhaps reflectivity too depending on what is used).
If you have the option of putting drywall over the OSB you would *probably* create a less resonant surface (usually two materials is less resonant than a single one).
Flimsy flooring for a second story room is something to think about also which could act as a big bass resonator. Perhaps consider double plywood if the floor seems bouncy?
Lastly after you are done you can consider which spots in the room might have different resonances.
It might make a lot of sense to put drums or bass in a certain location, only to find it is a terrible place acoustically. You can tune a room by moving sound sources around as well as reflectivity, absorption and diffusion.
These are things I’d be thinking about anyway. This concludes my non-expert but somewhat informed advice
I’ll second the earlier comment on diffusion. Reflections are not always bad. In certain situations you may want a dead room, but dead is not always better. Often a complex mix of absorption, diffusion and reflectivity is what you want. A full bookshelf is an excellent low tech example of how to ensure you are adding diffusion and absorption. Empty walls are a recipe for problems.
As as someone else mentioned, avoid reflective parallel walls. If parallel walls can’t be avoided make good use of absorptive and diffusion on at least one of them. This will help avoid standing wave problems.
Another issue is resonance which can occur due to materials and room dimensions.
You can predict resonance issues if you have room boundaries that are multiples of each other eg 16 x 24 room w/ 8 foot ceilings. Once again complexity is you friend.
You can counteract material resonances by adding material to deaden the resonance (and perhaps reflectivity too depending on what is used).
If you have the option of putting drywall over the OSB you would *probably* create a less resonant surface (usually two materials is less resonant than a single one).
Flimsy flooring for a second story room is something to think about also which could act as a big bass resonator. Perhaps consider double plywood if the floor seems bouncy?
Lastly after you are done you can consider which spots in the room might have different resonances.
It might make a lot of sense to put drums or bass in a certain location, only to find it is a terrible place acoustically. You can tune a room by moving sound sources around as well as reflectivity, absorption and diffusion.
These are things I’d be thinking about anyway. This concludes my non-expert but somewhat informed advice
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You're wall material is going to make very little difference in the sound of your room (as long as the walls aren't resonating)
The size of your room is going to define the lowend response of your room and the reflection of flat walls is going to create the issues in the high end. If you are able to build whatever you want, avoid walls/ceilings of equal length and avoid parallel walls of possible.
I'm not sure how pro you want the room to be but I suggest just build your room out of whatever material you prefer. Then furnish your room. From there you can make more informed decisions about sound treatment. Absorbion to treat the low end and deaden the room, diffusion to keep the highs lively, or both.
The size of your room is going to define the lowend response of your room and the reflection of flat walls is going to create the issues in the high end. If you are able to build whatever you want, avoid walls/ceilings of equal length and avoid parallel walls of possible.
I'm not sure how pro you want the room to be but I suggest just build your room out of whatever material you prefer. Then furnish your room. From there you can make more informed decisions about sound treatment. Absorbion to treat the low end and deaden the room, diffusion to keep the highs lively, or both.
I second the post about getting a book and I attach a suggested reading list from the course I teach on studio design and acoustics. There are SO MANY myths about acoustics that you MUST read up before buying materials or you could spend $$$ and still have a room sounds awful and isn't sufficiently sound proof.
Think about double-skinned walls with an air gap and floating wall panels and floor: easily achieved with standard building materials and a bit of creativity.
OSB is no better than drywall by any metric other than cost.
Foam is useless: USELESS.
Build the acoustic-control into the structure, rather than try to add it afterwards.
Good luck, Joe
Think about double-skinned walls with an air gap and floating wall panels and floor: easily achieved with standard building materials and a bit of creativity.
OSB is no better than drywall by any metric other than cost.
Foam is useless: USELESS.
Build the acoustic-control into the structure, rather than try to add it afterwards.
Good luck, Joe
