Soundproof Your Studio

Wilson Harwood

I teach you how to build a soundproof studio. Even if you know nothing about soundproofing or construction I go in depth to turn you from a total beginner into a soundproofing master.

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231 episodes
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Episodes231

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Dec 25, 2023 · 14 min
Why Bigger Rooms Sound Better
FREE Acoustic Treatment Guide: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/acoustic We often here that big rooms sound better, but why is that. Why can't we get a small bedroom to sound awesome. I mean, we see home studios that look awesome online all the time, so why do they have to be big to sound good? This article will answer that question with the physics behind acoustics of small and large rooms and how this knowledge can help us understand and design our own studio builds. 1) A Quick Review Of Room Modes Room modes require their own article, which I wrote here: Why Room Ratios Don't Work...Most of the time. But this article will focus on one aspect of room modes and room acoustics which is room volume. So, to quickly summarize, room modes are certain lower frequencies that create either peaks or nulls in your room. This means that when you walk around your room and play, say a 60hz tone, you will hear places in your room where the tone sounds louder, softer and miraculously even some places where you can't hear it all. I know freaky, but cool! 2) So what does this mean for small rooms? This is a problem for your listening environment and your recording environment too. We want to sit where the space in the room is as flat as possible. To get a "good room" we can start with a room that has even spacing of room modes in the lower frequencies below 300 Hz. Notice I said even spacing. It turns out having more room modes more evenly spaced sounds better. Weird, I thought we didn't want room modes is what you are probably thinking. Nope, we do want them and we want them evenly spaced so that none of them really poke out and cause big dips or nulls when we walk around our room. Here is a quote from the Master Handbook of Acoustics: " The short dimensions of a small room almost guarantee acoustical anomalies resulting from excessive spacing of room resonant frequencies." (Everest and Pohlmann, 436) Whoa, a lot to unpack there. This means the smaller the room the more likely you will have uneven, blurry, muddy sound in the low end due to too much space between your room modes, aka "resonant frequencies." 3) What is so great about large rooms? Here is another quote from the Master Handbook of Acoustics: "...large rooms have the inherent advantage of relatively more modes in the low-frequency region, and hence smoother low-frequency response"(Everest and Pohlmann, 436). The key word in this quote is smoother. The more modes means that the low frequency spectrum doesn't have big modal peaks followed by vast modal valleys where there aren't room modes. Remember, we want more room modes evenly spaced in the low-frequencies, 300 Hz and below. Now let's visually look at this using the AMROC calculator. I am going to input three dimensions using the Sepmeyer room ratio. This ratio of 1: 1.28 : 1.54 will get us the best room sound given our different sizes. However, even with an acousticians room ratios we will quickly see the limitations of our smaller room. First, here is the axial modes of a small studio with dimensions: 8ft ceiling, 10.24ft width and a 12.32ft length (2.44 m x 3.12m x 3.76m). The volume is 1,000 cubic feet. Second, here is a mid sized studio: 12 ft ceiling height, 15.36 width, and 18.48ft length (3.66m x 4.68m x 5.63m) Volume = 3,400 cubic feet. Third, let's look at a large studio: 16ft ceiling height, 20.48ft width, 24.64ft length (4.88m x 6.24m x 7.51m) Volume = 8,000 cubic feet. Okay, so what does all of this mean? Each of those red blocks is an axial room mode. Axial modes are the most powerful and problematic types of modes so I am showing those. To compare, let's look at 100 Hz and below. Small Room = 4 axial modes Medium Room = 7 axial modes Large Room = 9 axial modes Remember, we want more modes in the low-frequency range to smooth out the room's response. Also, notice that the larger rooms go lower down in the frequency spectrum. This is also good because we want that "smooth" response as low as possible. Ideally to the threshold of hearing at 20 Hz. Conclusion Now you know why bigger rooms sound better. The larger the room the more room modes you get in the low-frequency spectrum leading to a smoother more even response in the room, which translates to a cleaner more accurate low end. The high end of a room is easy to fix with basic acoustic treatment. The low end is very difficult to fix. In fact, the Master Handbook of acoustics says that "...anomalies encountered in studios having volumes less than 1,500 cubic feet are sometimes severe enough to make small studio rooms impractical" (Everest and Pohlmann, 436). Uggh! That totally bums us out right? What about your dreams of the bedroom studio or the small room in your basement. Great music is made everywhere, but know that for an accurate low end you will be always fighting an uphill battle in a small studio room. If you have the luxury of choosing a bigger and really higher ceilings then you should choose that room over the smaller room. This article was meant to give you some more tools in your arsenal of studio design, but not to discourage you altogether. I created amazing music in a very small room for many years and it did not stop me. Now, I create music in a bigger room and it has only made me better. You too can shoot for bigger and better rooms over time. Work Cited Everest, Frederick A., and Ken C. Pohlmann. “Modal Resonances.” Master Handbook of Acoustics, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2015.
Dec 18, 2023 · 21 min
How To Build A Quadratic Residue Diffuser (QRD)
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/acoustic QRD Calculator: http://www.mh-audio.nl/Acoustics/diffusor.asp One of the most effective and efficient types of diffusers are reflection phase grating diffusers otherwise known as Schroeder diffusers. A type of Schroeder diffuser is the Quadratic Residue Diffuser (QRD) and in this article I will teach you how the diffusers work, the theory behind them, and how to build one. 1) How Does a QRD work? Manfred R. Schroeder developed the quadratic residue diffuser by using a series of wells of different depths with a constant width that are separated by thin dividers to evenly disperse sound back into the room. (Everest, 265). He found that a number sequence based on prime numbers can be used to calculate the depth of each well. This number sequence can also be repeated over and over (in periods) to expand diffusion across a wall or ceiling. When designing a QRD the maximum frequency for diffusion is determined by the well width and the minimum frequency is determined by the well depth. For example a QRD that needs to cover most of the audible spectrum would need to have very deep wells up to several feet and very thin well widths to cover say from 60 Hz to 10,000 Hz. This is one of the design limitations of QRD and phase grating diffusers in general. 2) The Math Behind QRD? So don't get scared, but I am going to talk about math. I am not a big math genius, so I always need to break down the numbers in simple terms, ideally, this makes me a better teacher for you! So, the equation behind the number sequence used to build the QRD is: Well depth proportionality factor = n^2 modulo p where n = integer greater than or equal to 0 p = prime number If you are like me, you had no idea what the heck modulo meant. Modulo is a calculation in number theory. It is a short cut for the following equation n^2 / p = x + remainder or residue n^2 modulo p = remainder or residue The modulo operation says take the n squared in our equation and divide so there is a whole number and a remainder. It says that the modulo will = the remainder not the whole number. If that still seems confusing let's do an example. Let's say we want to build a QRD with a prime number of 11. Now lets pick an integer of 5 in our number sequence from 0 to 11 for the diffuser. Again, I just chose 5 randomly for this example, when building the diffuser you would do 0 then 1 then 2 and so on up to 11. So, in our equation: Well depth = 5^2 modulo 11 Well depth = 25/11 = 2 with a remainder of 3 Well depth = 3 11 goes into 25 two times, which equals 22 and to get to 25 we have 3 left over. The remainder and residue terminology is interchangeable. Confusing, I know! So, the QRD are usually made from the following prime number sequences: 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19 and 23. Below is a chart from the Master Handbook of Acoustics that shows the well depth ratios for all of those prime number diffusers. You will also notice the diagram showing one period or one diffuser length. Notice this period goes from 0 to 1 in the prime 17 sequence. This shows how diffusers can be placed side by side to continue the sequence across a wall or ceiling. 3) How To Design Your QRD So, first we must choose a prime number to build our QRD. Each prime number has some benefits and limitations and ideally in a room design you might use a combination of different prime numbers to achieve a diffuse sound field across as much of the audible spectrum as possible. All that is a bit beyond this article. For this example, I will be building a QRD 13 based on the prime number 13 sequence. Now, the chart above is great in theory, but it is hard to imagine translating all those ratios to our actual physical diffuser. So, I recommend using a handy QRD calculator. There are a lot on the web, but this one does the trick: http://www.mh-audio.nl/Acoustics/diffusor.asp I will be doing this example in metric since my design is for a client in New Zealand, but you can do yours in imperial and all the concepts stay the same. My design is limited by space, as is the case for many home studios, so I will be working with a theoretical depth of 13 cm. I chose 13 cm because it will make the measurements whole numbers not decimals. I could have done a multiple of 13 like 26 cm, but my deepest well would be too deep for my room limitations. The width of my design should also be a multiple of 13. The reason is that this will make all of my well depths a whole number, so my design will be much easier to measure and build. With a theoretical depth of 13cm and a diffuser width of 65cm here are my well depths and well widths for my diffuser. Notice, I get nice whole numbers. My well width is 5cm and my well depth are all whole numbers as well. We also get my low frequency cutoff and high frequency cut off. Ideally, I would diffuse from 20 Hz all the way to 20 kHz, but that is not really possible, so instead I am happy with a nice low mid to upper mid diffusion on the back wall of my design. This diffuser will help to widen and deepen the sound field when mixing and it will add back some of the life to the room, since I am using a lot of absorption to help control the low end and early reflections in my design. 4) How To Build Your QRD Now that you have all the well depths, and well widths you can design your diffuser. Use cabinet grade or marine AA grade plywood so the diffuser will look nice. In my design I am using 12mm marine AA plywood for my back, top, bottom and sides and 6mm marine AA grade plywood for my fins to separate the wells. For my spacers I used 50 mm x 50 mm blocks on both the top and bottom of my diffuser to create the right well depth. To fill the wells you can use 12mm plywood to lay on top of your blocks. Here is a diagram to show how to do this. Notice the well depth is the distance from the top of the diffuser fin to the to of the 12 mm plywood on top of your block. Each well is 1-13 from the chart above moving from left to right. It is good practice to dado out the well dividers on the back, top, and bottom so that you can simply slide your fins into the grooves. You can then attach the fins with wood glue. To build the top, bottom, back and sides you can use wood glue and some small screws to adhere the box together. Your spacer blocks and spacer faces can be attached using wood glue as well to keep the design clean and free of nails and screws. Conclusion You now know what a quadratic residue diffuser is, how the number sequence is derived, how to calculate your own design and how to build one. I hope this article was helpful in demystifing one of the more complex acoustic tools and allowing you to experiment with your own designs for your home studio. Work Cited: Everest, Frederick A., and Ken C. Pohlmann. “Schroeder Diffusers.” Master Handbook of Acoustics, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2015.
Dec 11, 2023 · 9 min
Soundproof Like A Pro - No Putty Pads
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop I recently had a great long talk with the studio designer JH Brandt. Brandt has been designing recording studios for decades and he mentioned how he never uses putty pads to soundproof. I love the idea and wanted to share how to do it in this article. 1) Minimize holes in your soundproof shell Now, I call this method a pro method because it requires that we build our studio room with an outer soundproof shell and an inner acoustic shell. The two systems work together to both isolate and treat acoustics at the same time. This approach also allows us to hide our electrical behind the acoustic treatment and mount the electrical boxes and lights in the acoustic panel wall rather than the soundproof drywall. Here is a picture of this in action in one of JH Brandt's designs. Notice how the wall protrudes out from the door. This wall is made of lightweight wood and fabric with fiberglass batting behind it. It is not the soundproof wall. The electrical boxes can be framed directly into this fabric wall making it so you don't have to use putty pads. 2) How To Feed The Electrical In Your Room The electrical should enter through the front of the room through an electrical conduit pipe. There is an added benefit to this design where the audio electrical and audio XLR cables can run side by side eliminating ground loops, but that is a discussion I will save for another article. In the photo below, again courtesy of JH Brandt's free resources on his website: https://jhbrandt.net/resources/. In this photo the piping is coming in from the back of the room, but you could have your piping come in through the front wall. The key is to keep your soundproofing methods in tact when doing this. Run the pipe through the wall and use acoustic sealant where the pipe enters the drywall on each side. To increase isolation you can have the pipe enter the outside wall then have the pipe run through the wall for a several feet before having it enter into the inside wall. This makes it so both holes do not face each other in the wall system. Lastly, where the conduit enters the pipe you can seal up the opening around the wires with putty pad and acoustic caulk to reduce sound traveling through the pipe it self. 3) A Quick Note On Low Voltage Wiring If you are using lights with low voltage wiring, meaning they use a transformer to drop the voltage from the standard 120V in the United States, then you will need to run the low voltage wiring separate from an electrical that is supplying audio. A good rule of thumb is to run the low voltage wiring on the ceiling opposite the audio line on the floor. If you must cross the wires at any point it should be at a 90 degree angle. Conclusion: Attaching all of your electrical boxes to your inside acoustic wall is a great way to increase isolation in a control room or home studio room. This can also be done in live rooms, but you would need an acoustic plan that covers your electrical runs and boxes. This method is not for every design, but is one I am am using more and more with home studio designs. Work Cited: “Resources.” John H. Brandt Acoustic Designs, jhbrandt.net/resources/. ‌
Dec 4, 2023 · 18 min
Reaction - The MOST Effective Way to Soundproof any Room
This week I am doing something a little different. I had a member of our community reach out and ask me to do a reaction video to Home RenoVision's youtube video "The MOST Effective Way to Soundproof any Room." Well, after the watching the video I knew this member was right. I had to chime in on what made know sense in this widely watched video. This video goes over: Why I think Sonopan is a waste of money Putty Pads Insulation Type and R Value Decoupling Walls and Ceiling Using Acoustic Caulk Best lighting for soundproofing Soundproof HVAC Soffits Soundproof Door fail Ultimate take on this renovation Enjoy! -Wilson
Nov 27, 2023 · 26 min
How To Soundproof A Door - Part 2
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop Last week I wrote about how to build a soundproof door part 1, however, after lots of thinking and designing I have scrapped a lot of what I taught in part 1 of this series. This is an iterative process for me as I am designing the perfect doors for my clients. In part two of this series I will go over my new findings and my new design. The entire goal is to create an affordable yet solid soundproof door for all home studio enthusiasts. I have borrowed ideas from Rod Gervais, J.H. Brandt and my own building and design experience to create what I think will be a very effective and affordable soundproof door plan. 1) The Air Gap and WIC Isolation First, I found that the WIC isolation clips made by Mason Industries are 1 1/2" wide. Meaning your air gap between your walls must also be 1 1/2" not the usual 1" I recommend. The reason I am recommending using the WIC isolation clips is that they can each hold up to 250 lb and are much higher quality than the usual I-B3 sway bracing clips I recommend. The I-B3 clips hold 38 lb per clip. This said you could still use the I-B3 sway clips for our doors since the doors each weigh 123.5lb. 2) Where To Place Your Rubber Seals The big discrepancy between JH Brandt's door design and Rod Gervais's is in leaving a gap between the double wall or connecting the two with wood. I like JH Brandt's design better because it keeps the integrity of our double wall system, whereas Gervais chooses to bridge the gap at the door with 5/4" wood stock because he feels the doors need the support. I agree with JH Brandt that we can support the doors using the WIC clips and not sacrifice our double wall system. However, if we do leave the air gap, Brandt points out that there will be odors that emanate from the double wall cavity. To block the odors we add a rubber seal around all four sides of the door opening. The rubber should extend from the edge of the outer wall to the edge of the inner wall. According to Brandt, you should also place rubber on the floor of the opening and ensure it is sealed against the two sides. I question whether this is necessary and may removed it in future plans, but for now it is part of the design. The rubber should be attached with screws, but you also should run three beads of acoustic sealant down the middle and sides of the rubber before adhering it to the studs and floor. You can see the rubber in the diagram below attached to our stud wall and concrete floor. *As a side note, in part 1 of this series I had the rubber on the outside of our king studs. I have changed that design because I no longer want to use pre-made door frames. I will explain why later on. 3) Building Your Door The actual door, meaning the swinging wood is going to be made from a solid core door that is 1 3/4" wide. This door should weigh around 66 lb (30 Kg). Now a 66 lb door alone is not enough mass to match our double drywall. The two layers of 5/8" drywall equals 4.4 lb per square foot (10.7 kg/ sqm). We need our 36" x 80" door to weight at least 4.4 lb x 20 square feet = 88 lb (40 kg). To do this I like to add 16 gauge plate steel to and 1/8" plywood to the back of each door. This is the side of the door facing the inner wall. 16 gauge steel weighs 2.66 lb/ sq/ft. And 1/8" plywood weighs 0.4lb / sq/ft. The steel and plywood will go on the back of each door leaving a 3/4" gap around the door. The gap is to create a bank vault seal as you can see in the diagram below. Because of this 3/4" gap the weight of our added plywood and metal is about 57.5 lb (26 kg). That brings the total weight of the door to about 123.5 lb (56 kg). This is well over the 88 lb we needed to match our walls. Going over is a good thing, because our doors are a natural week point and we want to beef them up as much as possible within reason. So how do we attach the door to the door frame. The answer is with our continuous hinge. I recommend using the ABH A110HD Heavy Duty Full Mortise Concealed Continuous Geared Hinge. This hinge will help with hanging the door plumb with the frame and will hold the added weight of a heavy door. Lastly, to finish building our doors, we will need a door lockset. Now from part 1 you noticed I recommend a mortise lockset. The reason is twofold. First, we want something that doesn't fully go through our door and second we want a lockset that can withstand the added weight of our heavy door. I recommend buying the Cal Royal NM Series Mortise Lock. This lockest has a 2 3/4" backset, which is just enough room to clear our bank vault seals. It also fits a 1 3/4" door. This is an important detail to note, your added metal and plywood will have to fit around the door handles in this case. This is not a huge deal, but does require a bit more care when cutting the metal and plywood to fit the back of the doors. An important detail is to add some thin closed cell foam that will go over the mortise lockset. Poke holes where the handle lever will be. This will create one more solid seal to prevent air and sound from traveling through the mortise lock. That covers the door itself. As a side note, it is a good idea to hang the door with just the solid core door first and then add the metal and plywood after it is hung. You can add the lockset towards the end as well. It might be easier to cut out the mortise for the lock before hanging the door. 4) Building Your Door Frame In part one of this series I had said to use a pre-made steel frame, however, after much thought and consideration I have decided to stick with the tried and true method of building your own door frame. Because our doors are so heavy we are going to use 5/4" wood stock to frame our door. The frame will attach to each 2x4 stud in the rough opening and will protrude out 1 1/4" to run flush with the two layers of 5/8" drywall. See the diagram below. After we have build the frame we need to add our first set of bank vault seals. I like to make these out of 1x3" lumber. I then attach 3/4" Frost King Weather striping to the ends of the 1x3" to create a tight seal against our solid core door. See the diagram below for an idea of how this works. 5) Adding Zero International Seals Around the Door Now that you have the frame, the door, our added metal and plywood on, you are now ready to seal up the door completely. To do this we will use Zero International seals. I like these seal because they are high quality and have excellent acoustic ratings. The seals I recommend are: Zero International Heavy Duty Surface Mounted Automatic Door Bottom - $157.58 Zero International 770AA Adjustable Perimeter Gasketing Acoustic Door Seal Set - $538.64 These seals will go over the metal and plywood of the door. See the diagram below to see how the perimeter seal works. These perimeter seals can be adjusted to fit snugly against the door ensuring no sound will enter or exit the door. The door bottom is a very important part of the this door system. The door bottom I recommend is a drop seal and will seal the air gap below the door when the door is fully closed. See the diagram below. Once you have installed the door bottom your door should be air tight and ready to go. You can add some trim around the outside and seal it with acoustic caulk to finish off the door. Now you just have to repeat all the step for the second door and you will have your communicating door system. 6) Adding Rigid Insulation Between Your Door Frames The last step to finishing our doors is to fill the gap between our two stud walls and rubber with rigid 3lb per square foot fiberglass batts. I recommend using either Corning 703 or Knauf Ecose insulation. Cut the fiberglass batts down to size so that the first layer fits snug up against the rubber and the two 2x4's in our framed wall as well as the two headers. Next, we will add the second layer of insulation, but this time we will wrap it in acoustic fabric such as Guilford Of Maine. This will fill the gaps between our 1x3 boards around all three sides of the entryway. It has the added benefit of increasing isolation and making our door look nice and clean between the walls. J.H. Brandt recommends adding two acoustic panels on the back side of each door in the air gap. He says this can increase the doors attenuation by 10 dB. I would recommend this if you have the budget and the space between your doors. 7) How Much Does This Door System Cost If we add up all the costs not including the framing of the wall itself we get the following: Home Depot Solid Core Door - $124 Neoprene Rubber Strips - $27.89 (for 10') Cal-Royal NM Series Mortise Lockset - $206.96 ABH A110HD Heavy Duty Full Mortise Concealed Continuous Geared Hinge - $85.05 Zero International Heavy Duty Surface Mounted Automatic Door Bottom - $157.58 Zero International 770AA Adjustable Perimeter Gasketing Acoustic Door Seal Set - $538.64 Frost King Weather Striping - $13 5/4" Wood Stock - $24 1x3" Wood Stock - $22 16 Gauge Metal - $120.43 1/8" Plywood - $18.98 Total Cost Per Door = $1,338.53 or $2,677.06 per entryway. Could you build these doors cheaper. Sure, you could get a cheap door handle, forgo the added perimeter gasketing. However, every corner you cut is a weak spot in your entire design. I try to balance cost with budget and things like the mortise lockset and perimeter seals are important in my opinion. *if you build your doors right, but don't use green glue you will have saved the cost difference anyway and will have a better soundproof room in the end.
Nov 26, 2023 · 13 min
How To Soundproof A Door - Part 1
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop I have done many articles over the years on soundproof doors. Lately, I have changed how I build them from my earlier videos. I am going to do a multi part series on door design and building over the next few weeks. Today will be all about framing the door and where to source your solid core doors. 1) Framing Your Doors For this example I will be using two interior walls framed with a 1" air gap. The same principles apply if you are using a hat channel system on your walls or have one wall that is interior and one wall that is exterior. Below is a diagram of how to properly frame a soundproof door. Most of the framing is consistent with normal construction, however we want to add an extra king stud to support each or our 140+ lb doors. I would recommend 24" OC framing if your wall can handle it. You should calculate the max load your wall can handle before framing 24" vs. 16" OC. From a soundproofing perspective the less wood to transfer sound in anyway the better. 2) Rubber Seals and Sway Bracing One very strange aspect of a double wall design is how to seal the air gap so that it is still soundproof, but also so that you don't smell or see into the wall cavity between your two doors. The solution is to use rubber. I recommend buying 1/16" x 8" rubber off amazon here in the states. This way your rubber seal will fit your two walls perfectly. Notice the diagrams below. The rubber should be attached with screws and acoustic sealant to make sure it is airtight. I place the rubber on the outside king studs, because we will be using a prefinished steel door frame that will wrap around the inner jack studs and two layers of 5/8" drywall. The remaining gap between the rubber and inner door frame will be filled with 1" rigid Corning 703 insulation wrapped in Guilford of Maine Acoustic Fabric. Notice I recommend placing the rubber on top of your header and under the cripple studs. This will cover the 1" air gap at the top of your door. The bottom of the door will have a threshold and the studs will be cut away for entry. To keep your walls from swaying with the weight of the door we need to add sway bracing to the interior walls. I like to use I-B3 clips from The Soundproofing Company. Place these clips every 48" OC on the top plate of your inside wall and connect it to the ceiling joists. This will still decouple your wall, but provide much needed support to your inner decoupled wall. 3) Doors and Door Hardware Over the years, I have moved beyond the Rod Gervais book and have begun designing my own system for soundproof doors. This has led me to a great site here in the states called TruDoor. They have everything we need to order all the door parts in one place. The following is what I recommend for each door. Simply double the materials to get your communicating door system. *If you don't live in the States then do your best to find these similar materials in your own market. Paint Grade Primed MDF Solid Core Door - $183 Neoprene Rubber Strips - $27.89 (for 10') Cal-Royal NM Series Mortise Lockset - $206.96 ABH A110HD Heavy Duty Full Mortise Concealed Continuous Geared Hinge - $85.05 Pempko 2006STC Acoutic Latching Panic Saddle Threshold with Bumper Seal - $42.10 Timely Pre-Finished Steel Door Frame - $130 Zero International 367AA Heavy Duty Surface Mounted Automatic Door Bottom - $157.58 Zero International 770AA Adjustable Perimeter Gasketing Acoustic Door Seal Set - $538.64 Total Door and Hardware Cost - 1,371.22 Total Entryway Cost = 2,742.44 If that number shocks you, then you probably have not researched pre-built soundproof doors. Custom Soundproof Doors can reach the $6,000-8,000 range. The lowest price I have found for a quality soundproof door is $3,260/door. So, you can cheap out on some of the items above, but it will sacrifice your level of soundproofing. Lastly, this is part one of a multi-part series. The solid core doors only weigh 60 lb so, we will need to add weight to each door. This will add some more costs in materials. We will also need to go over how to install the doors and ensure they are airtight. Stay tuned for part two.
Nov 15, 2023 · 14 min
My Three Soundproof Door Mistakes
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop I had done a version of this article before, but this one builds on the last and introduces a new mistake or two! In this lesson I will go over three mistakes I made when building my soundproof door that really didn't not become apparent until years into its use. 1) Where Did I Learn To Build My First Soundproof Door Like anyone, we all start with no experience. I only had Rod Gervais's book as a guide and being the person I am, I followed it to a T, you could say religiously. The problem is that Rod's design or more likely, my interpretation of his design did not end up working for me. No shade on Rod, I respect his book and ideas, but my point is that a simple book with a fairly quick run through of how to build a soundproof door never beats the experience of building soundproof doors over and over again and the experience of knowing what happens to that door over time. 2) Soundproof Door Mistake #1: Buy High Quality Door Seals In his book, Gervais explains that he uses GM trunk rubber and magnetic seals to build custom seals around his doors. He does mention a company called Zero International as well. In my experience the trunk rubber he recommended or at least the one I bought using his recommendations to the best of my research ability, was too stiff. The door would bounce of the seal and it was very difficult to get a complete seal around the door. So, we took off most of the trunk rubber and used weather stripping we found at our local hardware store. The weather stripping we used is not amazing, but it did the trick. It is called Frost King here in the United States and comes in various widths and depths. You can customize the size to your door design. On top of using these Frost King weather seals I also recommend that you buy high end door seals to go on the inside of each of your doors. The seals I recommend are: Zero International Door Bottom 367AA Zero International Perimeter Seals 770AA These are not cheap and I spent $770 on my seals and am excited to install them in the coming weeks. If you cannot find these specific seals in your country then look for a similar item that is high quality and acoustically rated. 3) Soundproof Door Mistake #2: Buy A Mortised Door Handle The second mistake I made was buying a relatively cheap and thus not sturdy door handle and deadbolt for my door. In a previous lesson I talked about buying a door handle with the wrong backset, but that is another story. Today I am saying not to buy a through the door door knob. The reason, mortised locksets don't go all the way through your door, thus improving soundproofing, but they also are usually made for heavier doors and can handle the pressure of a 300lb door. I have really enjoyed using a company called TruDoor here in the states. Mortised locks are available all over the world, so check your local supplier to pick the right one. You can also use a closed cell foam to help insulate the door handle from sound. 4) Soundproof Door Mistake #3: Buy Pre-Hung Solid Core Doors It can take a little digging, but getting a pre-hung solid core door is a great starting place. It might be a little more expensive, but you don't have to try and hang a door let alone a very heavy door. If you have not hung doors before it is a very labor intensive process = money/time = money in the end. Again, in the united states I really like TruDoor. They seem to have great support and a very efficient website, which is so helpful and worth extra money a lot of the time. If you can find pre-hung solid core doors locally then go with that. The install of the pre-hung doors is beyond the scope of this lesson, but that is another pieces of this complicated soundproofing puzzle I will save for another time. Conclusion In the end, buy high quality door seals, buy a mortised lockset, and try to buy pre-hung solid core doors if you can. This will save you time and money in the long run. Remember, I am speaking from years of experience now, so trust me when there are certain corners you just don't want to cut when soundproofing.
Nov 6, 2023 · 13 min
Should You Use Tecsound to Soundproof?
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop There are many soundproofing underlayments on the market and one of those materials is Tecsound. Now Tecsound is sold in the UK and throughout Europe, so it doesn't apply to those of us in North America. That said this type of product is similar to MLV and other visco elastic polymers that add mass to a structure and dampen sounds. In this article I am going to go over what Tecsound is and when and if you should use it on your soundproofing project. 1) What Is Sound Damping Before we dive in on what Tecsound is I wanted to go over what damping is. According to Technicon Acoustics: "Damping removes vibration energy from a structure or system by eliminating the dynamic stresses associated with vibration." - Technicon Acoustics The way sound and vibrations are eliminated is because the product will flex and move converting acoustic vibrations to heat. Now damping is a useful tool when soundproofing, but it must be used with a soundproofing system to be effective. Simply hanging Tecsound on your wall would not make it soundproof. 2) What Is Tec Sound? According to the Tecsound Data Sheet: "TECSOUND® is a high density polymer-based, asphalt-free, synthetic soundproofing membrane, that offers good acoustic insulation in different building elements.." It is used in the following ways: · Soundproofing against airborne noise in ceilings and lightweight roofs. · Reduction of impact noise level in all types of floors, sandwiched between floor slabs and loose-laid flooring. · Damping of impact noise caused by atmospheric agents on metal decks. · Combined with sound-absorbent materials, it offers products with high acoustic performance. · Its applications in the industrial field cover from the soundproofing of booths to the acoustic insulation of machine-rooms, gutter pipes, sound damping of metal sheets, etc. It essentially is a mat that can be put on walls, ceilings, roofs or metal to help reduce sound energy and sound vibration. 3) How Much Does It Cost? Tecsound is not cheap. The cost per square meter for Tecsound100 (the best for soundproofing) runs at 14.87 Euros per square meter and that doesn't include shipping and tax. I wouldn't recommend the lower Tecsound ratings of 70, 50 or 35 because the mass is so much less than drywall. I don't think you are getting as much value for your money. 4) Do I recommend using Tecsound? For most soundproof rooms and home recording studios I would not recommend using Tecsound. The reason is that the cost doesn't really outweigh the benefits. Let me explain. When we soundproof we need a system. Let's look at a wall for example. If we build a double wall system with two layers of 5/8" drywall on either side of it we will get an STC rating of 63, which is plenty good for a soundproof home recording studio. Adding soundproofing materials like Tecsound and Mass Loaded Vinyl can increase that STC rating, but it is not really necessary and I would rather add more mass than a damping layer. Here is my point, if you were to add one more layer of 5/8" drywall to your wall it would cost you 5.70 euros per square meter. That is a 38% cost savings over Tecsound, plus you get more mass on your wall, which means greater soundproofing. Tecsound 100 weighs 10kg/sqm while 5/8" drywall weighs 10.7lb/sqm. The drywall costs 38% less and weighs more. Yes, you do not get the damping, but mass is ultimately what we are looking for to increase the transmission loss of our soundproof wall. 5) When You Should Use Tecsound Now, there are certainly times when Tecsound will be your best option. It would be great as an inner layer of an exterior wall to the outside both as a vapor barrier and added mass and damping. It would be great if you cannot lose the 5/8" of drywall in your room. It also is useful for soundproof machinery, metal decks, and things like cars or boats where traditional soundproofing methods are not practical. I am proposing that Tecsound is not necessary and an added cost when soundproofing a room or home studio.
Oct 30, 2023 · 7 min
My Simple Soundproofing Method
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop I don't know about you, but life can be pretty stressful and chaotic. When I build and design soundproof home recording studios I try to make my job as easy as possible. This means eliminating as many decisions as possible and focusing on the overall goal of creating a quiet space that is enjoyable to work in. What I find is many people in our community and even clients of mine tend to overcomplicate the process. I think a lot of this stems from a fear that if they don't look at every option on the market in depth then their hard earned dollars will be wasted on a studio that does not live up to the high expectations they have in their mind. In this article I want to focus on what matters in studio design and what is mostly a waste of time. Let's dive in! 1) Don't buy into the hype There are so many soundproofing products that claim to help you eliminate noise. Some you might run into are: Quietrock Tecsound Green Glue Mass Loaded Vinyl SilentFX Drywall Carpet Glue Soundproof boats Soundproof mats of all kinds Soundproof Curtains Soundproof underlayments of varying kinds Soundproofing Clips (that cost way more than most) Soundproof Booths like Whisper Rooms or Soundbricks And the list goes on and on. No wonder most of us spend hours, months and even years thinking about how to design a soundproof home recording studio without ever really moving forward with building it. The truth is, you can build a great soundproof home recording studio without any of the materials I listed above. Here is how. 2) Start With A Concrete Slab You can float a floor, but it is not as effective or easy as simply starting with a concrete slab. Concrete is excellent at stopping sound, so I always recommend building your soundproof home recording studio on top of an existing slab or pouring a new one. 3) Use A Double Wall System If you want some rock solid soundproofing then use a double wall system. This involves two layers of 5/8" drywall on either side of your wall with a 1" airgap and regular cheap insulation in the wall cavity. Simple! Easy! If you are really short on space you can use a system of acoustic clips and hat channels to decouple your drywall from your wall, but it does make things a bit more complicated. 4) Use A Hat Channel System For Your Ceiling When I design studio, I almost always use a decoupled hat channel system on my ceilings. This means using special acoustic clips and metal furring channel attached to your ceiling rafters. You then drill the two layers of 5/8" drywall to your hat channels and wallah, you are done. Easy! 5) Use a mini split system for your heating and cooling There are many ways to heat and cool a room, but my favorite design is to use a Mr. Cool mini split DIY kit. This allow you or your contractor to install the unit yourself, which saves thousands of dollars. I also love how quiet and efficient these units are. 6) Use and ERV or HRV and Baffle Box for Fresh Air Yup, the mini split will not bring in fresh air into your air tight room. So, we need a seperate system to give you nice quality fresh air. I like using and ERV or HRV (depending on the climate) to bring in fresh air and pull out stale air from your studio. I run my ventilation lines through a baffle box which makes it so you can't hear the air noise or any noise transfer between your room and the outside. Conclusion Don't sweat the details and don't get lost in tone of soundproofing supplies. In my designs, the only true soundproofing supplies you need are acoustic clips for your hat channels and acoustic clips to help as sway braces for your inner walls. If you need more soundproofing add more mass. That means use 3-4 layers of type x 5/8" drywall instead of two. Simple, easy and straightforward. Don't overcomplicate something that is by nature very complicated to begin with.
Oct 23, 2023 · 11 min
Tame Low Frequency Issues In Your Room
FREE Acoustic Treatment Guide: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/acoustic Do you have mixes that alway have too much or too little bass? Does your low end sound muddy on your speakers? Most rooms have low end problems and even acoustic panels cannot fix them. We need low frequency pressure traps to attenuate low frequencies. This article focuses on one such bass trap known as a corner slot resonator. It is fairly easy to build and give fairly broadband absorption down to the low bass frequencies in that 20-50hz range. 1) Corners Are Where Bass Builds Up The corners of the room are where most bass builds up and is therefore the best place to absorb all modal problems in your room. By putting a slot resonator in your corners you can target problem frequencies in your room. Now, notice how I said target frequencies. These acoustic bass traps are built custom to your room, so you need to know what frequencies are causing issues. To figure this out you need to measure your room using a measurement microphone and a software like REW. I go over this in other posts, so check that out before continuing. 2) How To Build A Slot Resonator Once you have measured your room and found some offending low bass frequencies also known as room modes, then you are ready to attack them! Okay, just absorb them, but let's look at how to do that. A slot resonator is a form of Helmholtz resonator. These resonators use airspaces between wood slats and a depth behind that slat to attenuate bass. Here is the formula to figure out the depth of your corner trap, the width between your wood slats and the depth behind the wood slats. f = 2160* square root r/((d*D)*((r+w)) f = resonant frequency r = slot width w = slat width d = Effective depth of slot (1.2 times the actual slat thickness) D = depth of box to the inside slat face Now, the best thing to do is plug this equation into a spreadsheet to solve for the frequencies you want to attenuate. Another option is to use an online calculator like this one: https://www.acoustic.ua/forms/calculator5.en.html For a diagonal trap in a corner your slot depth will very with each wood slat and you can vary the width between slats. The trap I have shown above has a center depth of 1' 7 1/4" with a 1/16" width between the 1x6" wood slats, which will attenuate at 46Hz. For my clients building home studios I like to build these traps custom so that each slot width and depth is targeting a specific problem frequency in their room. This will help get a smoother bass response at their mixing position. Designing these traps in 3D CAD program will allow you to accurately measure and design your traps to the 1/16." Accuracy is important with these traps since, a 1/16" difference can changer your resonant frequency by 20 or more Hz. 3) The Overall Design Start by building a frame using 2x4 lumber for the bottom, sides and top plate. Then put in a 2" thick piece of Cornings 703 Insulation. Place fabric over the insulation and wood frame. This should be fabric you can breath through and feel air on your hand on the other side of the fabric. I recommend Guildford Of Maine's acoustic fabric. Last, you will attach the 1x6" wood slats to your frame on top of the fabric. The width between your wood slats and the depth behind the inside face of each slat will determine the resonant frequency your trap will absorb. Below is a diagram of how to build these traps. Conclusion If you want to reduce low bass frequencies in your room and have a fairly broadband trap than these slot resonator corner traps are a great cost effective solution. Just take care to measure carefully and do the math to get the trap as accurate as possible so it absorbs the frequencies you want it too.
Oct 16, 2023 · 15 min
How To Fix Low Frequency Problems - Panel Diaphragmatic Absorbers
FREE Acoustic Treatment Guide: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/acoustic Low frequency issues are the biggest problem for soundproofing and acoustically treating a room. In this article I will discuss how to treat low frequency issues below 125Hz in your room using panel bass traps. 1) What Is A Diaphragmatic Panel Bass Trap? Low frequencies below 125Hz are hard to treat with acoustic panels made from fiberglass batts. To treat these lower frequencies we need a different tool. The best tool for the job are pressure traps that use a closed air space to attenuate low frequencies. These traps are efficient at reducing low frequencies, but they have a narrow Q, meaning they only work in a narrow frequency band. For this reason I only recommend building these traps after you have extensively treated your room with velocity traps aka insulation with fabric over it. The bass trap I will be discussing has many names ranging from diaphragmatic absorber, low-bass panel trap, resonant absorber and so on, but the theory remains the same. These traps use an enclosed box with a calculated airspace depth to create a resonant chamber that attenuates bass at a specific frequency. To calculate our panel mass and depth we need to use the following formula to ensure our bass panel trap will attenuate the correct bass frequency. The formula is as follows: f (frequency) = 170 / square root of (mass x depth) *For metric change 170 to 60 - m = mass is in pounds per square foot of resonate panel d = depth in inches Now the easiest way to calculate potential panel depth and materials is to create a spreadsheet for plywood thicknesses and depths and see what materials you need and depth you need to attenuate the correct frequency. Adding loose glass fiber to the back of your panel will increase absorption, but it also will move the peak absorption lower down the frequency spectrum. These panels are only effective when placed at a pressure maximum in your room for the desired frequency you are trying to treat. This means that you need to find out where a room mode is ringing out in your room and place the panels on that wall or ceiling. To do this you can use a calculator like, AMROC online to see where room modes in your room are, or you can play a sine wave through your speakers and walk around the room noting where the bass note sounds louder or completely gone. The places where the bass notes are louder is a pressure maximum and is where you should place a trap. Lastly, it is important to make each panel absorber at least 5 sq/ft to have an affect on the room. You will need to place one or two in your room to and re-measure your rooms response to see how many absorbers you will need. 2) So What Frequencies Do You Need To Treat? This is a good question. We know we have bass problems in our room, but now what? First, you need to measure your room. You must use REW or equivalent room software and a measurement mic that is properly calibrated to measure your room. This will show you what frequency problems you have in the low end. Let's use my studio as an example. Below is a picture of my REW results for the spectogram. I like to look at the spectogram because it shows which room modes are "ringing" out in my room at my listening position. Notice how most of my room is flat in the upper frequencies, but down low we get those flame like peaks. Those are my room modes ringing out where I mix. This will make my bass a bit muddy to hear since those frequencies don't decay at the same rate as ones nearby. The solution is to build traps that target those frequencies. It is analogous to a sniper rifle vs a shotgun approach. The panel trap can isolate those problem frequencies. So, the first ring out is at 106 Hz. Let's now look at where to place that panel. 3) Where To Place Your Panels As I mentioned before, you can use AMROC or sine waves to find your pressure maxima at 106Hz in my example. For this example I will use AMROC to show you where that frequency modal issue is at a maximum. That 106Hz frequency is a tangential and oblique mode that is maximul at the blue and red areas on the Room 3D visualizer on AMROC. AMROC plays the tone when you hover over it so I also could hear a huge peak in the middle of my back wall. To treat this frequency I would build probably build a 2x4' trap and place it in the middle, bottom or top of my back wall. Let's now look at what mass and air depth I need to treat that 106 Hz frequency. 4) Calculating Box Depth Based on the math here we know that the thicker the plywood the thinner our box can be. I like saving floor space so I was going to use 19/32 OSB Sheathing. This is affordable and readily available at my hardware store. 19/32 OSB weighs roughly 2 psf. This means we have to do a little algebra to solve for the depth. 106hz = 170/ square root (2 * d) square root (2*d) = 170/106 2*d = 1.6 squared 2*d = 2.56 d = 1.28" The answer ends up being 1.28 or 1 9/32". Yay! Okay so we have our box depth, now let's design the box. *it is a good idea to weigh your panel before building just to double check the math is correct. **You could use 2 lb MLV and absorption would be greater, since a limp mass membrane will add to absorption through damping. I might do this depending on cost and availability of 2 lb MLV. 5) How To Build The Panel Okay we did our room analysis, we did some math, we got our panel material, now it is time to build this bad boy. Here is a mock up I did of how I would build a trap to have a center resonating frequency of 60hz. With a 106 Hz panel like in our example the box is so thin that I would forgo the insulation or use really thin insulation. With lower frequencies you can use the Corning 703 or a similar insulation to help improve absorption. Make sure to acoustically seal all corners with your MDF to make sure the box is truly airtight. When finished you can test the box using a sign wave at the resonant frequency you were hoping to absorb. Ideally you will feel the panel vibrate at that frequency. Conclusion Bass trapping is much more labor intensive than velocity traps, but you can really tighten up your low end if you put them in the right spot and build them correctly. In the end you may want to buy a pre-made panel. Either way, remember to fully treat your room with normal acoustic panels before attacking your low end.
Oct 13, 2023 · 11 min
Should You Use SilentFX Drywall To Soundproof?
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop There are several acoustic drywall brands on the market and one is SilentFX by Certain Teed. This is a Saint Gobain company who also make Green Glue. In this article I will go over the pros and cons of using SilentFX drywall in your soundproof studio build. 1) What is SilentFX Drywall According to Certain Teed, "SilentFX Noise-Reducing Gypsum Board is specifically designed to reduce airborne sound transmission between two adjoining spaces when used in wall or floor/ceiling assemblies." They go on to say that, "SilentFX features a viscoelastic polymer that dampens sound energy. Application of the viscoelastic polymer between two specially formulated dense gypsum cores results in a combination that significantly improves sound attenuation and is ideal for systems requiring high STC performance." It is important to note that Green Glue and Mass Loaded Vinyl are both used to dampen sound energy as well. This middle layer viscoelastic polymer in SilentFX is meant to replace the need for Green Glue or Mass Loaded Vinyl. 2) What Is A Viscoelastic Polymer According to a paper from Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, "The viscoelastic damping layer, most of which is rubber or rubberlike polymers, represents hysteresis under a dynamic load. Part of the mechanical energy is absorbed and finally dissipated as heat due to the internal friction of the molecular chains." So, in plain english, these means that the material vibrates in such a way that acoustic energy is transformed to heat, thus eliminating some of the sound or noise coming through your wall. 3) How Does Silent FX Compare to Regular Drywall One of the best ways to soundproof a wall is to build a double wall system with an air gap in between the two walls. This system involves two layers of 5/8" drywall on either side of each wall. The STC rating you get from this design is 63. According to Certain Teed's technical data sheet their equivalent double wall system gets an STC rating of 62. Their wall uses one layer of 5/8" on one side and a layer of 5/8" SilentFX drywall with a layer of 5/8" type X drywall on the other side. The biggest difference between the two wall designs is one has two layer of 5/8" on each side while the Certain Teed wall uses three layers with one being their patented SilentFX drywall. 4) What Is The Cost Difference Between SilentFX and Regular Drywall? SilentFX costs $73.01 per 4x8ft sheet. This is from Campbell Supply Company. (“5/8" Acoustic Drywall, Silent FX”) Type X 5/8" drywall costs $17.87 for a 4x8ft sheet. The cost of installing a the Certain Teed double wall would be a total of $126.62. The cost of a double wall without Silent FX would cost you $71.48. That is a difference of $55.14 and you are not getting a better STC rating. Conclusion I wouldn't recommend SilentFX drywall for most home recording studios. It might be helpful if you are building a normal wall system and want some added acoustic benefit over regular drywall. However, the cost of acoustic drywalls like SilentFX never seems to justify the added acoustic benefits. For this reason I never recommend specialty drywalls to my clients. I always like to stick with regular Type X 5/8" drywall. You get the better results for less money. Works Cited: “5/8" Acoustic Drywall, Silent FX.” Campbell Supply Company, campbellsupplycompany.com/5-8-acoustic-drywall-silent-fx/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023. Wang, J.; Sun, D.; Liu, S.; Zhang, X. Damping Characteristics of Viscoelastic Damping Structure under Coupled Condition. Math. Comput. Appl. 2017, 22, 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/mca22010027 Websites Referenced: https://www.certainteed.com/resources/CTG_2480_SilentFX_Brochure_Eng.pdf https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Drywall-Drywall-Sheets/5-8-in/N-5yc1vZbb52Z1z0ppqa
Oct 2, 2023 · 13 min
This Soundproof Material Blew My Mind!
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop Recently, a member of our community asked me to make a video about ICF or Insulated Concrete Forms. I had never heard of it and so I did some research. I was pleasantly surprised to see that ICF would be a great building material for soundproof home recording studios. Let me tell you why. 1) Why ICF Is Great For Soundproofing ICF is a construction technique where concrete is poured into pre-fabricated blocks, kinda like lego blocks. These blocks are made out of styrofoam and are hollow to allow for concrete to be poured in. They are essentially a 6" to 12" concrete wall that is relatively easy to build and offers insulation as well as durability. So for soundproofing the styrofoam is not that important. What is important is the mass of the concrete itself. According to one ICF producer, LOGIX ICF, you can get blocks in foam to foam dimensions of 4"-12." All budget aside, the 12" blocks would be the best and the 4" blocks the least best. Below is an image from LOGIC ICF of their block system. According to Jenkins Design Build, ICF has a consistent STC rating of 54. That is really good for just one wall (Solutions and Technology). Now I would still recommend framing an inside wall with a 1" air gap, but you wouldn't need MLV or Green Glue and you would be fine with the standard two layers of 5/8" drywall. I would imagine drummers, loud bands and most home studio enthusiasts would be blown away by this type of design. Another benefit to ICF is that the blocks fit together seamlessly and are therefore air tight. This is another benefit to soundproofing and recording studio design. Lastly, let's look at another source just to understand how soundproof a concrete wall really is. According to the Master Handbook of Acoustics, two 6" concrete walls with 6" air gap will give you an STC rating of 59. That is without fiberglass insulation in the middle, which would increase isolation. A single 12" concrete wall would give you an STC rating of 51. The air gap and insulation is still a critical part of your soundproof wall system. (Everest, Frederick A., and Ken C. Pohlmann) As a side note, concrete and brick massive, but do have the drawback of transmitting impulse noise easily. This means if you tapped on your concrete wall with a hammer, the sound would ring clearly on the other side. This is another reason the air gap and double wall system is desirable. 2) Other Benefits of ICF Beyond soundproofing it is important to see other benefits to ICF. First you may save 2-4 months in construction time on a new build because the blocks fit together so easily. You may also save money on heating and cooling your structure. Jenkins Design Build estimates you may save 25-50% on heating and cooling costs. According to Marion Saxton with Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning, ICF can last up to 100 years, it does not need a vapor barrier, and it can save anywhere from 4.8%-14% in energy consumption over a 70 year lifespan. Both Saxton and Jenkins Design Build mention the benefits of ICF for homes prone to natural disasters like fire, hurricanes and flooding. (“Myth Busting: How Sustainable Is ICF Construction?”) 3) The Downsides To ICF You may wonder why all homes are not built with ICF. There are some downsides. The first is the added upfront cost of building with ICF. According to Saxton, ICF cost around $150 per square foot. She also notes you will spend around 5-10% more in total construction costs than a wood framed house (“Myth Busting: How Sustainable Is ICF Construction?”). According to Jenkins Design Build, ICF costs have just about caught up with wood frame construction. They say ICF blocks cost around $3.50 to $4.00 per square foot plus the added cost of concrete, rebar and labor costs. They say this still can add 15-20% more than stud framing, however, the total cost over time may be better with ICF (Solutions and Technology). Another downside to ICF is it is not DIY friendly. Whereas the average homeowner can learn to frame walls, it is not easy to learn how to install ICF. From my own research it would be wise to hire a contractor who has experience building with ICF to save you time and money in the long run. This means you might be limited by budget and availability in your area. Conclusion Would I recommend using ICF? Yes, 100% if you can find a contractor and a quote that fits your budget. I feel ICF is a great choice for people looking for a way to build studios in their backyards. It doesn't work as well in basements and garages and for those people I would still recommend using a double stud wall system. The downsides don't seem to out weight the upsides in my experience and ICF seems especially appealing for studio designers. I look forward to hopefully designing and building a home studio with ICF in the near future and will let you know what I think. Works Cited Everest, Frederick A., and Ken C. Pohlmann. “Sound Isolation: Walls, Floors and Ceilings.” Master Handbook of Acoustics, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2015. “Myth Busting: How Sustainable Is ICF Construction?” Rise, 28 Aug. 2017, www.buildwithrise.com/stories/mythbusting-icf-sustainable. Standard | Logix ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms). logixicf.com/products/standard/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2023. Solutions, Bethany Jenkins under Home, and Technology. “Insulated Concrete Forms: Pros and Cons.” Jenkins Custom Homes, 8 May 2020, newhousebuilder.com/insulated-concrete-forms/.
Sep 25, 2023 · 13 min
Top 5 Soundproofing Mistakes
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop When we start to design a soundproof home recording studio there is always a deep fear in the back of our minds. What if I spend all this money and then it is not soundproof enough? In this article I will talk about the 5 biggest soundproofing mistakes you can make and how to avoid them. 5) Use The Wrong Glass In Your Windows It is so tempting to buy a pre-hung window from a window supplier when building your studio. It is cheaper and easier than building your own windows or buying expensive soundproof windows. However, this is a corner you don't want to cut! I have heard of many people buying casement windows, double glazed windows, tripple glazed windows and all sort of designs to try and save money thinking it will be good enough. The problem is that most windows use float glass and float glass is not a good sound insulator. For soundproof windows we want to use tempered glass and/or laminate glass and we need a large airgap of at least 4" and two differing, but thick pieces of glass. Below is a simplified diagram of the windows in my recording studio. 4) Only Putting In One Door In my studio I used a design by the studio designer, Rod Gervais. He recommends that you can build a single soundproof door rather than having two communicating doors. Having built the single door I do not agree with him. I now believe that all soundproof doors, especially to the outside must be double communicating doors. See the diagram below. By using two doors we can maintain the mass, air gap and decoupling needed to properly maintain the STC rating of our wall where the door is placed. 3) Think You Must Use MLV or Green Glue There is so much talk on the internet arguing over should you use mass loaded vinyl, Green Glue or even carpet glue between you two layers of 5/8" drywall. I have taken the stance that MLV and Green Glue are nice to have and may increase the isolation of your wall, but they are not critical to the isolation of your wall. This is important to understand, because many people come to me and think they must use Green Glue. My response is always, well what is your budget. If they cannot afford Green Glue then I recommend not using it and simply doing two layers of 5/8" drywall on each side of their walls or even 3-4 layers if that is cheaper. MLV and Green Glue provide damping. Damping is a form of friction that turns sound into heat. This added physical phenomenon in your walls is a good thing, but as I said before a double wall without Green Glue or MLV will still give you an STC of 63, which is plenty good for a home recording studio. 2) Don't Know Your Budget Before You Build We all think we know a person who has a great deal on materials. Everyone has a brother-in-law who is really handy with construction and everyone underestimates how much their soundproof studio will cost. Before you begin building it is extremely wise to open a spreadsheet and input all the materials and labor costs for your studio to see if you can afford to build one. Most people look up a couple costs, try and estimate and don't really know how much their studio will cost in the end. Then half way through the project they are already over budget. At that point it is too late to find places to cut costs and they are stuck footing the bill for something they cannot afford. Don't be this person. Get accurate estimates and costs before you build and then add 20% on top of that estimate and that will be a healthy budget for your studio. Yes, it will be more than you expected, but it will be more accurate in the long run. Plus, wouldn't it be nice to finish under budget for once? 1) Forget To Install Ventilation The number one thing I see home studio enthusiasts do is forget to design and install a ventilation system in their studio. You can have the most soundproof studio in the world, but if it does provide fresh air and circulate out stale air then it is not going to be a good space to work in. Ventilation means fresh air exchange. It does not mean heating and cooling. Those are usually two seperate systems in a build. They can be combined, but they don't have to. Your air handler in your house will take the internal air and heat and cool it. It does not take outside air and condition it unless you have a system to do so. In a soundproof room the room is airtight. Unlike our houses where there are cracks and windows, and small openings where air can get in and out, our studio does not have those. We need a way to bring in fresh air and remove C02 laden stale air. To do this I recommend using and ERV or HRV. Both units will pull in fresh air from outside and pump into your studio, while removing stale air and pumping it back outside. The catch is we also need to silence the ducts and air flow in and out of our studio. To do that we add in a baffle box system so sound and the air flow do not create unwanted noise in our studio. Conclusion I hope this article was helpful in addressing some of the major mistakes people make when trying to soundproof a room. Now that you are aware of them you can dive deeper into how to create solutions to avoid these soundproofing pitfalls.
Sep 18, 2023 · 12 min
How To Soundproof Exterior Walls
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop I have gotten so many questions about how to soundproof the outside exterior wall of a double wall system. This makes sense since all the double wall diagrams show two interior walls with sheetrock on both sides. This leads you to wonder, well how do I replace the sheet rock with an exterior wall material and still have it be soundproof? In this article I will answer exactly that question. 1) Double Wall Construction First, let's take a brief look at how our walls are constructed to help us understand how we can modify this design. A typical interior double wall will have two layers of 5/8" drywall on a wood or metal framed stud wall. Then there will be at least a 1" air gap. After that there is another wood or metal frame wall. Insulation is installed in the wall cavity either filling both framing bays or having insulation in the bays of each wall. Either is fine. Lastly, the outer wall has 2 layers of 5/8" drywall. This is your typical double wall design and it would look something like the far right wall design in the diagram below: This gives you an STC of 63 and everything is great, but what about if that left or right side of that wall is an exterior wall. You can't just put drywall on the outside of a building, so what are you to do? 2) How To Soundproof Exterior Walls So to solve this problem we just need to understand some soundproofing theory. The reason we use 5/8" drywall is twofold. First, it is relatively cheap and is a common building material. Second, it has mass. It weighs 2.2lb per square foot whereas 1/2" drywall is much lighter. Knowing that our inside wall will weigh 2.2lb per square foot per sheet of 5/8" drywall we can do some super simple math and know that our inside walls weights 4.4lb per square foot. Instead of focusing on the drywall, the key is to focus on the mass of the wall it self. Now we can build our exterior wall knowing it needs to be 4.4lb per square foot or more. 3) A Real World Example In my studio, most of my walls are exterior outside walls, meaning they face the outside. This means my second wall has one layer of 9/16" sheathing and one layer of hardy plank siding. Let's calculate how much that weighs. 9/16" Sheathing (nominal 5/8") = 66.37lb (4'x8' sheet) = 2.07lb per square foot *(jonathan) Hardy Plank Siding = 2.3lb per square foot *(James HardieÂ® Siding FAQs - Homescapes of New England: 603.734.4282) This means my total outside wall mass or weight = 4.37lb per square foot. This is just shy of my inside wall mass, but actually worked out perfectly. Now, I will be honest. I did not think about any of the math when I was building my studio. It was my first studio build and I really didn't know what I know now. So, to save you some trouble simply match your studio mass on both walls. Easy and you don't have to overthink it. 4) But What About Green Glue??? Yup, I knew we had to go there next. So, if you use Green Glue on your inside wall you certainly could use it between your sheathing and outside exterior siding. This would guarantee you have equal walls. I did not do this in my studio and I don't really need it. You could also say that Green Glue is adding soundproofing to your inside wall and thus add more mass to your outside wall. How much mass, well that is up for debate. At one point Rod Gervais had said that GG is like having four layers of drywall. He has since pulled back that claim, but it is adding to transmission loss, especially at low frequencies. My advice, would be to not obsess over these minor details. Green Glue or no green glue, mass is still more important in my humble opinion. Focus on the mass and then add Green Glue if you want that extra boost. 5) But wait...Wilson, my walls are too thin on the exterior. If you are building in an existing structure then your walls may not have much mass. A shed or garage may have thin low mass construction. In this case you can add mass as long as the structure can handle it. You can add drywall to the inside of the exterior wall or add more mass to the outside. How you do it is not as important as that you do it and the mass is correct. That magic 4.4lb per square foot is your mark. That is the number that matters on both walls. Works Cited: James HardieÂ® Siding FAQs - Homescapes of New England: 603.734.4282. 26 Mar. 2010, www.homescapesofne.com/services/information-about-james-hardie-siding/#:~:text=Hardieplank%20weighs%202.3%20lbs%20per. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023. jonathan. “How Much Does OSB Weigh? (+ OSB Weight Calculator).” ToolCrowd, 17 Oct. 2021, www.toolcrowd.com/how-much-does-osb-weigh/#google_vignette. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023. ‌ ‌
Sep 11, 2023 · 45 min
Building A Soundproof Studio In A Bedroom
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop Some of you may know that I do Soundproof and Acoustics Consulting through my program The Soundproof Studio Blueprint. Recently, one of my clients Colin of Tone Lab Studios finished the program. We did a full podcast interview and video on his entire build. In this interview you will learn some of the key aspects of soundproofing an upstairs bedroom, the difficulties we faced and our solutions to those problems. Here is a list of minute markers in case you would like to jump around in the video: 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Podcast Interview Start 2:50 - Soundproofing Goals 4:07 - Soundproofing Results 7:54 - Floating Floor Design 9:44 - Wall Design 12:42 - Doors 18:46 - Ceiling 24:10 - Ventilation 31:31 - Acoustic Treatment 42:40 - Work With Tone Lab 1) Soundproofing Goals and Results The goal with Colin's studio was to soundproof enough so that his roommate would not hear him mixing and recording. In the end he is very happy with the results and says that the only thing you can hear is the kick drum. This is very normal for a second story soundproof studio. Without having a concrete slab it is very hard to stop those 40 Hz frequencies from the kick. However, we knew going into the design that we were working within the constraints we had which included having to float a floor and a tight budget. 2) Floating Floor Because we were building on a second story of his home we had to float the floor. Below is a diagram of the type of floating floor method we used with some modifications. This design uses a layer of 2" thick Corning 703 across the whole floor while leaving a 1" piece upturned around the edges. The key is to try and decouple your inside drywall and floor from the existing floor. To do this, I recommend using backer rod and acoustic caulk under your two layers of drywall and under the 1x6" baseboard. Remember this system is not perfect, but it was a solution given our budget and location of the studio. 3) Wall and Ceiling Design Colin did not want to lose too much space in his studio so we opted for using a hat channel system with acoustic clips. This made it so all of his walls were decoupled from the existing studs. We used two layers of 5/8" thick drywall on all the walls and ceiling. The hat channel and clips were also used to decouple our ceiling from the existing ceiling rafters. We did not use Green Glue to save cost, but if you have the budget I would put Green Glue on all the walls, ceiling and in between the two layers of plywood on the floor. 4) Doors Colin had 2 doorways. The first door way already had a place to frame in another wall in the bedroom making it a perfect rectangle. This allowed us to create a communicating door system with a sizable airspace in between. We used two solid core doors with Zero International seals all the way around each door. He also had a door directly in the middle of the back wall to a bathroom. We decided to use only one solid core door with the same seals on this door because the bathroom did not need as much soundproofing from his roommates. 5) Ventilation and Heating and Cooling Every soundproof room needs a ventilation system. For Colin's studio we used a Fantech AEV 80 to supply fresh air from the outside to his new room and remove stale air. We ran the supply ducts through two baffle boxes in the attic that vented down into the ceiling. Because Colin's studio is in Colorado we did not need to worry about humidity issues with the ventilation system. To heat and cool the room we opted for a Mr. Cool Mini Split, which Colin could install himself. The Mr. Cool runs extremely quiet and is my number one recommendation for soundproof studios, especially budget conscious builds. 6) Acoustic Treatment We finished Colin's consulting program by designing and installing his acoustic treatment. I told him to build to giant bass traps in his front corners to help absorb frequencies down to 125 Hz. We added a ceiling cloud and panels on his side walls to create a reflection free zone for mixing and mastering. We added panels along the back side walls and back wall to help reduce reflections. In the future Colin can extend a cloud into the back half of his room, add bass traps along his back wall and build or buy pressure traps to help attenuate a room mode he had at 40Hz. We used Room EQ Wizard and a measurement mic to make sure his room was dialed in and we used Sonarworks to correct his speakers for any final issues he has in his room. In the end Colin says his mixes translate to the car and beyond and he can mix songs with greater accuracy and speed than he ever could before! If you want to see if the Soundproof Studio Blueprint is the right fit for you then please feel free to fill out an application here: Soundproof Studio Blueprint Application.
Sep 4, 2023 · 6 min
Soundproofing Cathedral Ceilings
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop In my studio I have cathedral ceilings, these may also go under the name vaulted ceilings. When you vault a ceiling you have to worry about moisture issues developing under your roof sheathing. In this article I will describe to of the best ways to design and build a soundproof cathedral ceiling. 1) The Traditional Method The traditional way to build a cathedral ceiling is to leave a space for an air vent between the underside of your roof sheathing and the insulation in the ceiling cavity. This allows air to pass under the wood sheathing and up through your roof cap vent, which prevents the build up of condensation under your roof. The best way to do this is to build soffits under both eaves that allow air to enter under the roof cavity up the vent air space and out through your roof cap vent. This is one of the best methods for venting cathedral ceilings, however, it is not the best method for soundproofing your cathedral ceiling. The reason is that that air circulation means the space above your drywall is open to the outside and sound will easily enter in. I will say that I did this system in my studio and the soundproofing is still adequate, however, if I were to build my studio again I would use on of the following other systems to prevent moisture build up under my roof sheathing. 2) Using Spray Foam Another option to prevent moisture buildup under your roof is to use spray foam on the underside of your roof sheathing. This means you no longer need to have an air space and you can close up your roof so that it is airtight. With soundproofing we always want our systems to be airtight. Using spray foam allows us to seal the entire roof cavity so sound will not enter. It is important to use closed cell spray foam. I also highly recommend you hire a professional who does this daily so that the job is done quickly and correctly. You want to make sure that the spray foam never touches your hat channels, acoustic clips or drywall. 3) Insulate The Top Of Your Roof Sheathing The third option to prevent moisture buildup under your roof sheathing is to add rigid insulation on top of your roof sheathing before you apply your shingles. This method will prevent the buildup of moisture under your roof. As with spray foam I highly recommend you find an experienced professional to install the insulation. Any small gaps in the insulation could lead to water damage over time. Conclusion If you want vaulted ceilings in your soundproof room make sure to use one of the methods I recommended above. Remember option 2 and 3 will give you superior soundproofing while option one may arguably give you better water vapor protection.
Aug 28, 2023 · 6 min
From Backyard Shed To Soundproof Studio - Part 3
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop This is the final installment of a soundproof studio built inside a prefabricated shed here in Nashville. There are two other videos that document the entire build. You can watch all of them at this link - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ5pr-thcSKymQJ80Vg4Y1hkJf_9_Zkcv
Aug 21, 2023 · 12 min
How Much Does It Cost To Soundproof A Room?
FREE Soundproofing Budget Calculator: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/calculator If you are soundproofing a room one of the first questions you will ask yourself is how much will it cost. Unlike traditional construction, soundproofing requires some extra costs. I have a soundproof budget calculator that can help you figure out your soundproof room budget based on square footage or square meters. You can download the free soundproof budget calculator at this link: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/calculator 1) What Size Room Do You Want The most important factor in building a soundproof room is the size. If you only have $10,000 than you will only be able to build a 100 sq/ft room. So, if you have a really tight budget your best bet is to compromise on space. I know...not what you wanted to hear. 2) What Makes Soundproofing So Dang Expensive! Regular construction say for a remodel in a home according to Forbes is $140 per sq/ft. (Bartolone) Soundproofing averages closer to $180 per square foot for new construction and $105 for an existing structure. Some of the construction costs are the same. You will need lumber for framing, nails, screws, drywall, electrical, heating and cooling, paint, trim, you get the picture. However, some costs are soundproof specific. These are things like: Two layers of 5/8" drywall Use of Mass Loaded Vinyl or Green Glue Acoustic Clips Acoustic Sealant Extra Cost for Soundproof Doors and Windows Extra Cost to silence duct vents Extra Cost to add in fresh air ventilation These costs can add up and lead to a higher dollar amount on average per square foot for your build. 3) Let's Look At An Example Soundproof Room Many people want to build a soundproof room in an existing structure like a basement or a garage. In this example we will have a 200 square foot room. If we type 200 into my soundproof calculator here is what you get: For ease of teaching, I only included one door in this example and there is not a window. You can add the square footage of any windows in your room and get an added cost. We can see in the right hand side, the the black box is for a studio built in an existing structure. I removed some of the costs for ground up build to give you a more accurate estimate. This includes: foundation roofing Siding Half the lumber, Half the paint, and Half the labor. We see that our total studio cost could be around $15,692.34. With a 20% buffer (which I highly recommend) you are looking at $18,830.81. Now is when you say you could do it for cheaper. That is totally fair. These were my costs and I surely may have paid too much in some areas. The labor includes paying my contractor $40/hour and occasionally some other labor at $15-25 per hour. So if you don't do any work yourself I guarantee it will cost more. I worked alongside my contractor on the entire project and did not pay myself so keep that in mind. Conclusion Soundproofing a room correctly is not the cheapest endeavor. I created this calculator to give you a gut check before you build. My contractor had never built a studio before and he estimated we could build it for $20-25K dollars. In the end it costed closer to $48,000 when it was all said and done. Yeah...that one hurt a bit. I don't want that for you, so take my calculator seriously and then do your own research on costs before you dive in. Don't let a contractor with no soundproof construction experience say they can do it for less, because either they will do it wrong or have you on the line for way more money than anticipated. Just my words of wisdom from someone who has built and designed 5 soundproof projects and is always working on more. Works Cited: Bartolone, Ginny. “How Much Do Home Additions Cost in 2023?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 May 2023, www.forbes.com/home-improvement/home/home-additions-cost/.
Aug 14, 2023 · 10 min
Do Not Use Rockwool To Soundproof Walls
FREE Soundproofing Workshop: https://www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop Many people come to me saying they will use Rockwool to soundproof their walls. First, this is not really necessary. Second, if you build a normal wall with Rockwool it will only marginally improve the sound isolation. In this article I will argue why the cheapest insulation that provides adequate climate control for your location is the best choice for your wall. 1) Soundproofing Is All About Systems When we build a soundproof wall it is soundproof because of the sum of its parts, not a single material. Many people believe that adding Rockwool, which boasts enhanced acoustic properties will help improve the STC rating on their wall. The truth is that is will mostly hurt your wallet without adding any noticeable change in sound isolation. Below is a diagram of several different wall designs. Notice that the wall to the far right has the best sound isolation. This is due to the wall construction not the individual parts. To prove this interesting point, the wall the third from the left has an STC of 40. This involves the same 4 layers of drywall, wood studs, and insulation, however by moving the drywall to the two outside walls and leaving an airspace in the middle the STC rating improves by 23 points! My point is that the insulation is important, but not a huge game changer when it comes to soundproofing. What matters most is having some form of fiberglass insulation in the wall and building it the correct way so that you have a mass spring mass system. 2) Safe N Sound Does Not Have an R Value So the first thing that we need to do when properly insulating our walls regardless of soundproofing is to get the right R Value for our climate. Below is a chart for the USA for different recommended R Values depending on the region you are building in. Now this would be important for a stand alone structure build in your backyard, roof insulation, or any wall that touches the outside of your home or garage. For example, my studio needs insulation on all walls and in the ceiling for walls that touch that outside. According to this chart, I could use R38 in my attic and R13 to R15 in my walls. We actually used R30 insulation for my entire studio build, so be sure to confirm with your contractor what is best for your specific build. The key point is that Safe N Sound is meant for interior wall construction only and does not have a tested R Value. This means is is created for sound control, but not holding in heat and air conditioning. This is a huge flaw for many builds and is one reason I don't recommend Rockwool Safe N Sound to my soundproofing clients. 3) Using Other Insulation Could Save You Hundreds of Dollars The truth is that Rockwool is more expensive than most other insulations on the market. Now if you are not building a double wall or a wall using a hat channel system then by all means use Rockwool. It will help some with sound reduction. However, if you are building a true soundproof wall system then the Rockwool is a waste of money. Let's look at the costs comparison. Rockwool Safe N Sound - $0.95 per sq/ft (Home Depot in 2023) Owens Corning R13 Kraft Insulation - $0.55 per sq/ft (Home Depot in 2023) You save $0.40 per square foot which can add up. If you are building a 300 square foot studio with 10 foot ceilings then you would spend: Rockwool Safe N Sound = $1,045 Owens Corning R13 = $605 That is a savings of $440! Most people want to save money where they can during a big construction project. This is a place where that money could go towards another purpose. I always recommend spending more money on mass when you can. So putting that savings towards another layer of drywall would be far better spent than on Safe N Sound. 4) Conclusion Don't get me wrong, Rockwool is great for acoustic panels it just really doesn't help in a soundproof wall system. If you are building a wall in your home and you are not soundproofing that wall then use Safe N Sound. However, if you are building a recording studio or any serious soundproof room I do not recommend wasting money on Safe N Sound insulation.