Building a sound proof room for the home

[magnesiacore]

I want to build a sound proof room suitable for loud music that won't disturb the rest of the house (or neighbours). Any good designs on-line to follow for construction materials and techniques to keep as much sound in as possible.

 

[jaxvon]

There are plenty of people here who can help you out. However, if you could answer some questions for the masses, it would help generate accurate and helpful responses.

How large is the room?
Where is the room located? Second floor? Ground floor? Basement?
What is your budget for this project?
What level of isolation is desired?
Will you have the walls open to the studs? (this would be very helpful)
Is this a new construction, or a modification of an existing room?

Answers to the above questions will help get some useful responses.


Oh, and welcome!

 

[magnesiacore]

I have a large empty space in the basement. I was thinking of 12 x 12 or 16 x 16 and 8' high. Thinking of isolating the walls and ceiling from everything else so sound does not transmit through the structure. Maybe isolate the floor by raising it. Build it like a coccoon to get as much sound isolation as possible. Could be a home recording studio as well for my kids to play music too.

 

[InTheIndustry]

You do not want the room dimensions to be divisible by themselves. In other words... no squares. And, odd numbers are best.

There was a really cool show on the DIYNetwork two weekends ago that I thought could really answer some questions for people who want to take on projects like this. Note: I thought it was rather odd that the DIYNetwork ran a show where the customer hired everything done and basically did nothing but hold a ladder for the guys from the A/V company who actually did all the work. Then the guy was doing monologues saying "Yeah, this project was really easy to put together and is doable for the DIY’er". I just kept thinking "Of coarse it is, dummy, because the people really designing and doing the project have done this a million times before." I really think the home owner just picked out his equipment and wrote a big check.

In all seriousness it's a tough thing to do, but look at www.diynetwork.com and check out their home theater project. They go over room acoustics and sound deadening. I design and build media rooms for a living and got a kick out of the "Do It Yourself" network hiring the work done. I liked that they had some techniques that were different and easy to do. Be warned…. It can be tough and super expensive even if you "do it yourself".

 

[magnesiacore]

So you are recommending a rooom 12 x 16 x 8 high?

I was thinking of using a cement like board on closed cell foam pads for the floor and using the same on steel studs with the same foam pads between the steel studs and the board to isolate the interior of the room from any structure. For the ceiling a T-Bar type assembly with cement board and foam gaskets so the walls, floor and ceiling absorbe the sound and don't transmit it out as easily.

 

[rynberg]

No offense, but it sounds like you have no idea as to what's involved with trying to achieve good sound isolation, especially in a residential situation. There is a lot of detail involved with properly isolating a room, including how the assemblies are constructed, how penetrations are dealt with, and how you run HVAC into the theatre.

If you are serious about achieving good isolation for this room, I recommend hiring a consultant to help out. This is not cheap, nor will some of the construction elements be.

If you just want to achieve pretty good isolation without spending a lot of extra money, there are some basic techniques you can use to build out the assemblies.

It would be helpful if you could provide us with a REAL budget for this room.

And no, using 16-feet for a dimension would not be a good idea, as it is a double of the ceiling height.

 

[magnesiacore]

Can you explain a little more about the room size issue. What would be the ideal room size for a space that's 16' x 16' x 8' high?

It would serve as a home recording studio where a kids rock band can hang out and play and record without waking the neighbours.

 

[jaxvon]

A useful size might be something like 17x15x8. Square rooms will have issues with standing waves, especially a room 16x16x8.

As far as a dual purpose room goes, it's going to be difficult to achieve both things simultaneously and get good results with both. A recording studio, especially a project studio like the one it sounds like you're proposing, is a fundamentally different environment than a home theater room. Aside from the need for isolation, the actual acoustics of the room are very different. That, and sharing a dedicated theater with a mixing board and such will be difficult.

Also, since this is a new room you're building, there is much to be considered for HVAC, lighting, electrical, flooring, floor isolation, ceiling isolation, and other stuff.

But above all, you need a budget. What is your budget?

 

[magnesiacore]

I don't have a budget in mind. A room for containing loud music from the rest of the house is the general idea. It's more important that the sound gets silenced as much as possible as the first goal, then the rooms accoustics is the second part. I would sacrifice inside accoutics to some degree to avoid sound getting out.

But I would think I need to balance the two goals. I think the kids will be using this more for the band practice and this is the most attention it needs to have.

 

[magnesiacore]

I don't think the lighting and electricity should be much of a problem. The air circulation is another matter. Do I need to create some kind of baffle system in a duct to circulate air in the isolated room? I would think it has to be quite sealed to keep sound out including the door with a gasket.

 

[acurtas]

I recommend the Master Handbook of Acoustics

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071360972/sr=8-1/qid=1155138171/ref=sr_1_1/102-4194502-6027300?ie=UTF8

For $25 and a week of reading, you'll have all your questions answered. It covers HVAC for listening rooms, room modes, dimensions, sound treatments (although Ethan Winter here would be a better resource for that topic)

It's a bit advanced in some sections, but if you want to do this without hiring a consulting firm, it's a good place to start.

good luck,
A

 

[WmAx]

Here are some related threads in which I answer some questions. It may be of some use to you:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18351

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18218

-Chris

 

[magnesiacore]

In order to stop sound transmission from one room to another how important is the density of the material the wall is made of vs other considerations? A more dense material should absorb sound more than a less dense material. I am thinking that between drywall, plywood and cement board you would get more sound deadening properties as each of the densities in the material increases.

 

[Ethan Winer]

> In order to stop sound transmission from one room to another how important is the density of the material the wall is made of vs other considerations? A more dense material should absorb sound more than a less dense material. <

Using heavy, thick, and dense materials is important for sound isolation. But the high density does not absorb the sound. Rather, it reflects it back into the room. Construction that increases isolation usually harms the bass quality inside the room. For this reason, it's always best to avoid construction using double thickness walls etc unless the isolation is truly needed.

--Ethan

 

[magnesiacore]

What about using a dense material that is also flexible? Does this absorbe more sound and reflect less sound than hard rigid material like concrete or brick?