Soundproofing-Shed Vs Trumpet

[trumpetadam]

I have just embarked on trying to soundproof (to a degree) the shed in my back garden so I can play (and hopefully record) Trumpet in it. It is a very solid wooden built shed approx 2.5 metres deep x 5 metres long with a sloping roof at about 2 metres at the front going to 2.5 metres at the back. I have begun by filling (perhaps pointlessly) all the plank spaces with silicone sealant. Will then be attaching rock wool to the outside wall (but on the inside of the shed) and putting plasterboard up. I will build an inner frame and do the rockwool plasterboard thing again. I'm not to sure what to do about the floor.

.................a picture is worth a thousand words.apologies.

Are there any particular things I can do seeing as it is specifically for trumpet? Am I going about it in the wrong way.....Is it futile and pointless.....

Many thanks

Adam

[Scott@RealTraps]

There is a huge number of GREAT (and easy to understand) articles on soundproofing and related construction issues on the Green Glue Company website:

Green Glue is your soundproofing and noise reduction material

I recommend you read all of the articles in the "Soundproofing Topics" and "Construction Topics" sections of their websites.

[trumpetadam]

Thanks. It's a good website.

I have read a few books; Newell etc.

I guess I was really wondering what materials would work best at specifically eliminating the sound of a trumpet.

[tINY]

Block walls are good.



-tINY

[BigJunk]

I helped one of my friends soundproof a room in his house. The room was too small to build another room inside it, so we did drywall/soundboard/drywall and sealed the doors and windows. You can still hear a tiny amount of stuff in it when you are right by the door. Thats it. I was just playing guitar in there with a cranked mesa boogie at 4AM and no one seemed to notice. If only I didn't rent! I have to stop all noise by 5PM at my place and it sucks.
Junk

[Scott@RealTraps]

Originally Posted by trumpetadam

Thanks. It's a good website.

I have read a few books; Newell etc.

I guess I was really wondering what materials would work best at specifically eliminating the sound of a trumpet.

For your situation, it's really less about using specific materials, and more about understanding isolation, including things like flanking noise, etc. (all of which is nicely explained in those articles on the Green Glue site -- and well worth reading even if you aren't going to use Green Glue). (Oh . . . and I don't work for them or have any commercial tie to them, by the way!) ;-) The most common materials that are typically used for soundproofing will generally be good for soundproofing to keep the sound of a trumpet. It's the low frequencies that are harder to deal with (for soundproofing) that will generally need more attention with regard to materials, etc.

Obviously concrete and brick are going to give you lower sound transmission levels, but it doesn't sound like this is really in the cards for you unless you want to knock down your shed and start from scratch.

You should be able to get some very good isolation using the materials you are already using . . .

Drywall is good (multiple layers is better) . . . it will help you to use something like a staggered stud configuration when setting up the studs for the inner shell of the wall. I assume the outer walls of your shed are a single layer? If they are already double layer walls, then you want to avoid building a triple leaf wall.

Layers of fiberglass or rockwool attached to one or the other layer of your wall (inner or outer), or a separate layer of fiberglass/rockwool on each (but not packed in so tightly as to create additional coupling between the inner and outer layers of the wall) . . . these can be helpful.

Metal studs will be better than wood studs as well.

The most important thing is to get the decoupling right.

I'm making some very big generalisations, here . . . but hopefully my main point comes through.

As to the floor . . . you don't say anything about your existing floor. Is it concrete? Dirt? Wood? It it's wood, how is it constructed. That information would be helpful to anyone trying to help you out with some advice. But, here again, probably the biggest concern with the floor is going to be to avoid flanking noise.

If any of the terms I'm using are unfamiliar to you, then, again, the articles on the Green Glue site are your friend (not to belabor the point, but . . . ). There are other places to get that information as well if you don't like the Green Glue site. ;-)

[trumpetadam]

Originally Posted by Scott@RealTraps

For your situation, it's really less about using specific materials, and more about understanding isolation, including things like flanking noise, etc. (all of which is nicely explained in those articles on the Green Glue site -- and well worth reading even if you aren't going to use Green Glue). (Oh . . . and I don't work for them or have any commercial tie to them, by the way!) ;-) The most common materials that are typically used for soundproofing will generally be good for soundproofing to keep the sound of a trumpet. It's the low frequencies that are harder to deal with (for soundproofing) that will generally need more attention with regard to materials, etc.

Obviously concrete and brick are going to give you lower sound transmission levels, but it doesn't sound like this is really in the cards for you unless you want to knock down your shed and start from scratch.

You should be able to get some very good isolation using the materials you are already using . . .

Drywall is good (multiple layers is better) . . . it will help you to use something like a staggered stud configuration when setting up the studs for the inner shell of the wall. I assume the outer walls of your shed are a single layer? If they are already double layer walls, then you want to avoid building a triple leaf wall.

Layers of fiberglass or rockwool attached to one or the other layer of your wall (inner or outer), or a separate layer of fiberglass/rockwool on each (but not packed in so tightly as to create additional coupling between the inner and outer layers of the wall) . . . these can be helpful.

Metal studs will be better than wood studs as well.

The most important thing is to get the decoupling right.

I'm making some very big generalisations, here . . . but hopefully my main point comes through.

As to the floor . . . you don't say anything about your existing floor. Is it concrete? Dirt? Wood? It it's wood, how is it constructed. That information would be helpful to anyone trying to help you out with some advice. But, here again, probably the biggest concern with the floor is going to be to avoid flanking noise.

If any of the terms I'm using are unfamiliar to you, then, again, the articles on the Green Glue site are your friend (not to belabor the point, but . . . ). There are other places to get that information as well if you don't like the Green Glue site. ;-)

Thank you very much.

I have a wood floor and am pretty sure that this is going to be the biggest problem. I am trying to find some thick rubber that I can lay down. I possibly might put some under my stud wall to isolate it from the floor...
.....it just depends if I can find it and then afford it!

Thanks again

[Scott@RealTraps]

To be honest, a thick rubber mat is probably not your best, or most cost-effective, method for this. First, the rubber (particularly assuming it's a hard rubber that you would want to stand on) will still have a certain amount of resonance, and you won't have any decoupling between it and the wooden floor. And this will also not help you with the flanking noise.

Again, the two important things to understand with all of this are decoupling and flanking noise.

What's underneath the wood floor? Is it hollow, with studs underneath? Then what's underneath that -- dirt? concrete?

If it's a hollow floor with studs underneath, I'd fill those hollow spaces between the studs. If it's just dirt underneath, I'd fill the space underneath the floor with sand (drill holes in the wood floor if needs be). It there's concrete underneath and you don't need to worry about moisture collecting in the fill material, you might fill it with fiberglass insulation (if you can) or blown in insulation.

From there, you can either add a floating floor, or add some decoupled mass to the floor, such as additional layers of plywood, (or a sandwich of multiple layers of drywall and plywood or chipboard), with Green Glue in between the layers.

There are numerous ways to float a floor. You can float them on acoustic isolators like sorbethane pucks, or you can use a layer of fiberglass insulation between the floating floor and subfloor. Then you need to make sure that the floating floor surface does not come into contact with the walls, and seal the gaps with mastic, acoustic caulk or whatever.

I guess it depends on how much isolation you really want/need . . . but I would expect that even adding a layer or two of additional plywood or chipboard with a layer of Green Glue between the sheets of wood (for every layer you add) will give you more isolation than using a thick layer of hard rubber matt on the floor.

[nemelas]

scott@realtraps:If they are already double layer walls, then you want to avoid building a triple leaf wall.

what`s the drawback with a triple leaf wall?

I`m currently building a structure with 2 layers of drywall stapled to eachother, and a third layer added with green glue in between

thanks

[nemelas]

got my lazy azz to do some research

Understanding the Triple Leaf effect

appearantly it means three walls with air between, not several layers on top of eachother