Low Cost DIY Soundproofing?

Cian182

I'm pretty new to this whole thing, but i decided to give it a go!

I play drums and guitar, and as i'm sure everyone knows these both produce large volumes of noise. I'm 16, and money is always in short supply, so i've been researching low cost methods of sound proofing online, but have found it next to impossible to find a useful site that isn't trying to sell you some patented "super-effective soundproofing system"! i've heard the egg carton myth, but have been told by numerous people that it barely makes difference.

The other problem i have is that the room i'm currently in is a very solid room, with brink walls, and a big window - the acoustics are abysmal! If anyone knows any methods of making the room more equipped acoustically, especially for drums, i'd love to here them!

I'd like to think that i could develop the room into a sort of home studio over time, so i want to get things right! So far, the most realistic idea i've found is to buy 1 - 2" thick fiberglass insulation, make frames for it, and wrap it in canvas. Would this work?

If anyone has anything that would help me at all i'd love to hear from you!
Thanks!

Martron

short term..... carpet and lots of it.

basically the denser the walls the more efficient it is at dampeneing the sound.

i built a recording studio with a friend of mine and we basically created a pod inside the room. well built a fake floor with 50mm chipboard and then the walls were constructed of 3 layers of plaster board. it was expensive but worked.

the carpet is a cheap alternative. go to jumbletown.ie and see if anyone is throwing out carpet. now you being 16 i can only assume you will need permission from the parental units to do anything. but basically you will need to put up a timber baton mounted to the ceiling in which you can hang the carpet off.

the carpet should be about 150mm from the wall. the carpet will dampen the sound but will not stop high frequency sound.

it should also help with reverberated acoustics

Cian182

Thanks man, that'd deadly, really appreciate the reply!

So the carpet needs to be offset from the wall and ceiling? what's the best way of doing this? Putting timber runners around the room at the top and the bottom and hanging it?
Or another suggestion some one gave was the old fashioned carpet tiles you used to be able to buy. Will they be effective or do they still need to be offset?

Joey the lips

You wont get the acoustics the way you want with DIY soundproofing.

What I done many years ago was as above. Loads of carpet and get lots of cardboard egg cartens. You can actually buy them in bulk as trays.

You lay the cartens about 6" out from the walls and ceilings. You will need to drop the ceiling rose.

It works a threat. Dont buy carpet go to a carpet seller and tell him you need scraps and if he tips you off on a big job taking up carpet and you like it you will give him 50 euro

Martron

yeah you will need to create a air void between the carpet and the wall. the theory is that the carpet will absorb most of the sound waves .

the ceiling is a bit harder. try the egg cartons on the ceiling as they will be light weight and you can mount them to timber batons easier.

think of it as a carpet curtain.

and as joey says you will not achieve perfect acoustics in a room which was not really purpose built for it.

oh and i recommend getting a fan. its going to get warm in there

Ambersky

My nephew plays drums and I did a bit of research for him, theres an article here on soundproofing tips for musicians you might find useful.

http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/Music_room.htm

Heres a whole specially dedicated soundproofing forum.
http://supersoundproofing.com/forum/index.php

This one on soundproofing myths may also be of interest.

http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/myths.htm

Although this is not good news, bottom line seems to be soundproofing can not be done on the cheap.

There is a recent thread here by another board member trying to soundproof his bedroom wall. All he was trying to do was block out the airbourne noises of a particularly noisy female neighbour. That one wall cost him about €1300 to soundproof.

From tips for musicians

YOUR MUSIC PRACTICE - SOUNDPROOFING TIPS For Musicians

You should give careful thought to the selection of a place to play your music!

Soundproofing should be done as a last resort. It can be expensive and time consuming.

Commercial locations are best because people go home around 5PM, just when musicians may start to be creative!

If playing locally, try to anticipate conflicts. Neighbors who may complain, either next door or even way down the street may cause you lots of grief. Before you start playing, go and meet whoever could be a problem and make it clear that you have consideration for them. This advice alone can save you lots of soundproofing dollars! Mentioning that you plan to soundproof if it needs it is a real plus. Give them your phone number to call instead of the police. Once they start complaining, real expensive soundproofing effort may not be enough! A little "PR" will go a long way!

No neighbors nearby or at all would be the best solution of all!