Soundproof Basement Studio

poptartcowboy

Hey there... I have an aprox. 350-400sf. daylight basement in a 100-year-old house. So my next option is sound insulation. Not having success getting my tenant to bring down his tv and music/sound. I have higher than average ceilings, drywall ceilings/cement foundation, and cement floor. Tenant says he has speakers/tv off of the floor. Is it better to set insulation in between ceiling beams which I can do (ceiling is finished w/drywall but there are beams that set lower in some portions of the studio) or against the walls? Carpeting the studio is out of the question. Tenant has throw rugs throughout the space and basic furniture throughout the space. I can FEEL his bass even when he brings it down in the furthest room upstairs.

What will do the best sound proofing for this situation (which is driving me freakin' nuts). thanks!

Marvin Gardens

The noise is from air movement. No air and there would be no sound.

The deep bass makes the air move back and forth which eventually hits the wall and makes the wall move back and forth, not a lot of course but enough to transmit the sound. The whole upstairs moves ever so slightly and in effect becomes a speaker that just transmits the sound through the wood.

Moving the speakers off the concrete floor will make no difference at all since concrete is not a big transmitter of sound as it just doesn't move like wood and sheetrock.

Insulation will help for higher frequency sounds but will do little to stop the base. That is why you can hear the base from those loud car stereo's from 10 blocks away but not hear the higher frequencies. (I hate those things ...grrrrrr)

The key to reducing the vibration is to stop it before it hits the walls and ceiling. Attempting to stop it after it has hit the structure is a lesson in futility.

Look into getting some high end studio quality acoustic tiles. They are not cheap but will do more for your situation that anything else. Make sure you are sitting down when you get the price.

__________________
My idea of a perfect day: No where to go and all day to get there.

stantheman

reminds me of my parents in my ole' band days
stuff aint cheap, but works wonders
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Auralex-...24-i1134519.gc

gma2rjc

If you've ever seen the t.v. show 'Holmes on Homes', there is an episode about a duplex and the families on both sides can hear each other clearly through the walls.

In one episode (Wall of Sound), they use an insulation called 'Roxul Safe and Sound'. It's sold in Canada, but I'm not sure about the U.S. Also, they off-set the 2x6 studded wall. Then they used a special kind of 'drywall' that has 10x the sound-deadening of regular drywall. It's made of a special polymer and has a thin sheet of metal that runs through it. Before they started and when they were all done with the sound-proofing, they had a guy come in with a decibal meter. The meter proved that the sound-proofing was extremely effective. You might be able to go to www.Holmesonhomes.com to find out the names of the products and where/if they can be purchased here.

poptartcowboy

thanks mucho...

appreciate the info... love your happy room by the way... very very nice!

poptartcowboy

hey there... thanks for the specifics... gonna hunt down Roxul Safe and Sound and see if it might do the job... really appreciate the info!

sarah