Topic: Room Treatments - sound control (through walls)

[taylorc]

Any suggestions for cutting down on the level of sound travelling through walls?  In other words, something that would be ideal for apartments?

[Evil Taper]

Studio Foam
Carpet
Egg cartons
at leat 2" thick foam that you can get at craft or furniture stores

Cover the walls and ceiling with something and you should be good.

[BobW]

staggered studs with 2" fibreglass woven inbetween
turn the volume down   
if the room is big, cardboard boxes covering the walls work miracles.  (don't smoke around them !)

[scervin]

staggered studs with 2" fibreglass woven inbetween
turn the volume down   
if the room is big, cardboard boxes covering the walls work miracles.  (don't smoke around them !)

Staggered studs...yes, but with 2 layers of 3/4" drywall.  Need to build a roo-within-a-room to decouple it. 

[taylorc]

Thanks for the tips.  I was actually hoping to find something for finished walls that's somewhat aesthetically pleasing.  Such a thing may not exist! 

[JackoRoses]

Thanks for the tips.  I was actually hoping to find something for finished walls that's somewhat aesthetically pleasing.  Such a thing may not exist! 

heavy wall tapestries
the other ideas work better though

[BobW]

 A good Tibetan rug really can make a room.



If you have to take a minimalist approach, then corner traps and at least two walls covered with loosely hung (from the ceiling), heavy Oriental rugs and draperies can make a very big difference.

[Evil Taper]

Thanks for the tips.  I was actually hoping to find something for finished walls that's somewhat aesthetically pleasing.  Such a thing may not exist! 

covering your room with studio foam will make you feel like a real winner!  seriously...you'll want to jam in there all day long cuz it'll feel like you're in a studio.

[scervin]

Is the idea to treat the room or prevent the sound from disturbing others?  Simply treating the room will not help in this regard.  Also, covering an entire room with fabrics and foams will make it a very dead space for music.  You may want this in a studio, but not in a playback room.  Playback rooms for music should be of a more "live" type.  Treatments are good to flatten out the room response and may help a little with cutting down the sound outside the room, but it is not the main purpose.  Again, if you can (doubt it seeing it is an apartment) decouple the listening space and make the walls more dense.

sc

[BobW]

Is the idea to treat the room or prevent the sound from disturbing others?  Simply treating the room will not help in this regard.  Also, covering an entire room with fabrics and foams will make it a very dead space for music.  You may want this in a studio, but not in a playback room.  Playback rooms for music should be of a more "live" type.  Treatments are good to flatten out the room response and may help a little with cutting down the sound outside the room, but it is not the main purpose.  Again, if you can (doubt it seeing it is an apartment) decouple the listening space and make the walls more dense.

sc

I like a fairly dead playback room.
I listen to alot of material with mucho spacial information in it from two-mic live recording.

Putting sound absorbing materiel on the walls, floor and ceiling will do just that. It will help, not stop, sound reflection and transmission.
The problem with sound abosorbing materials is that they aren't effective for low frequency sounds, espeially sub-sonics.
These get re-radiated as walls, studs, furniture, and such as they resonate from them. (even in adjoining spaces)

scervin is dead on, you must decouple bass to keep neighbors or 'rents happy.

Speaker spikes or a plinth with spikes and spacing from the walls is a very first step.
Dissimilar materials of varying densities is another good way to decouple.

Sandwich and glue high-density foam, styrofoam, plywood, etc. together to make sturdy decouplers

[Daryan]

http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=26;hardset=0;start_point=0;DaysPrune=0

[BobW]

Great reference ! 
Thanks

[Daryan]

No problem.  That's more of a DIY room treatment refrence.  If you guys would like me to post more $$ commercial links, I am happy to do that as well next time I stop in.

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

So when you post references that are appreciated, do you want a +T or are you at the point where you want more -Ts for dilution?  I wasn't sure.

[Daryan]

Doesn't matter.

A great reference for this stuff, and I admit, I haven't had the time to read All of the site is

http://www.realtraps.com

I also have a source for rather cheap but extremely astetically(sp?) pleasing room treatments that I found on ebay.  I can post a picture of what mine look like if anyone would like me to.  They are designed to hang on the walls, but using a link I found for tweaking MMG's I built an extremely solid steel support to hold them upright that isn't ugly.  They are 4x2, 6 inch thick panels, and were less than 150 clams shipped.  Very well built and more importantly, they did wonders for my first reflection points!