Moveable Sound Proofing

[tamakid1292]

I record in the family room in my house so i can put any thing sound proofing that i cant move away but is there anything i can build that will be easy to set up or will just hanging egg crates or blankets help?
Also i have a huge sliding door(all glass) will covering that make a differance.

[reid]

Do you want to stop noise escaping from the room you're in so that it doesn't bug other people ( sound proofing ) or control the acoustic response of the room to make it better to record and mix in ( acoustic treatment ).

It's not entirely clear from your post what it is you're trying to achieve.

[djwayne]

I have a similar situation in my living room. I needed some sort of temporary isolation panels so my mics would only pick up my guitar. So I bought three 2' x 4' x 1/4" plywood panels and glued carpeting to them I hang them off of mic stands which are adjustable to whatever I want. I built three of these panels and this works out well for me. I can store them when not in use, or convert my living room to a sound booth in minutes.
It's not soundproof, but does cut out most outside noise. \ _ /

[sleestack]

There irony is we all chose this life because we hated the idea of working in cubicles. Now we are trying to figure out ways to work in cubicles.

[djwayne]

Originally Posted by sleestack

There irony is we all chose this life because we hated the idea of working in cubicles. Now we are trying to figure out ways to work in cubicles.

No, we just don't want any outside noises on our acoustic recordings.

[numrologst]

Originally Posted by sleestack

There irony is we all chose this life because we hated the idea of working in cubicles. Now we are trying to figure out ways to work in cubicles.

hah! I like that.

I still don't understand why people insist on hanging carpets for acoustical treatments. All the carpet is doing is absorbing a half ass amount of the high end.

You should build some good gobo traps... All you need is 2x4 or 4x4 and good insulation ie OC rigid fiberlass or fibrex mineral fiber. We are talking like $.30-$.60 per foot. You can make a 4x4 real gobo trap for much less than $50. Why not spend the cash and do it properly?

Also there really isn't much for moveable soundproofing... Good soundproofing comes from good quality semi-heavy construction.

[numrologst]

Originally Posted by djwayne

No, we just don't want any outside noises on our acoustic recordings.

In that case, more than likely 95% of all your outside noise is coming through your windows and doors.

To stop that, you want your windows to be equivalent in density to your walls. And you want your door to have an airtight seal... And you want your door to be of equivalent density to your walls. No air leaks

[djwayne]

Originally Posted by numrologst

hah! I like that.

I still don't understand why people insist on hanging carpets for acoustical treatments. All the carpet is doing is absorbing a half ass amount of the high end.

You should build some good gobo traps... All you need is 2x4 or 4x4 and good insulation ie OC rigid fiberlass or fibrex mineral fiber. We are talking like $.30-$.60 per foot. You can make a 4x4 real gobo trap for much less than $50. Why not spend the cash and do it properly?

Also there really isn't much for moveable soundproofing... Good soundproofing comes from good quality semi-heavy construction.

No, the carpeting helps to cut out outside noises from getting into the mic, and cuts down on sound reflections of the walls of the room, so you get a nice isloated sound. My panels I made cost about $30, including some new nice looking carpeting. I used old mic stands I already had.

[djwayne]

Originally Posted by numrologst

In that case, more than likely 95% of all your outside noise is coming through your windows and doors.

To stop that, you want your windows to be equivalent in density to your walls. And you want your door to have an airtight seal... And you want your door to be of equivalent density to your walls. No air leaks

Carpeting on the floor, heavy drapes over the windows and a fairly quiet neighborhood to begin with and it works for me......

[DigitMus]

I use these - Fabric-Wrapped Panels - SilentSpace Panel for controlling acoustics and blocking mids & highs. They don't do much for low mids or bass, but overall are pretty good for increasing isolation and cutting unwanted reflections.

Scott

[numrologst]

there is very little to no acoustical value in carpet on plywood. And I don't see how it has any value on cutting down outside noise. Perhaps it can stop low spl noises from entering the direct path of the microphone, but can't provide any real isolation.

[numrologst]

Originally Posted by djwayne

Carpeting on the floor, heavy drapes over the windows and a fairly quiet neighborhood to begin with and it works for me......

I've got to respectfully disagree with you. Carpet and heavy drapes make for a mid to high unnatural sounding room. Like I said before, the only thing that is real soundproofing is semi-heavy construction...Mass and the absence of gaps in construction(also more factors, but that is what is relevant here).

[rackdude]

Clearsonic SORBERS, just big cool gobos, are what your looking for. Big giant movable acoustic treatment that you can just stand up, make a giant circle, and then go

hey look! I got a booth!

not as good as realtraps, but you can get a like 5 gobo's for around $600 I believe, and thats probably enough to make any size booth you need.

[djwayne]

Well it works for me....YMMV. My space and budget is very limited so I have to make do with what I have.

For another recording sound, I turn the panels around and play to the bare wood, and I get a really nice reflection off the bare wood.

[djwayne]

Originally Posted by rackdude

Clearsonic SORBERS, just big cool gobos, are what your looking for. Big giant movable acoustic treatment that you can just stand up, make a giant circle, and then go

hey look! I got a booth!

not as good as realtraps, but you can get a like 5 gobo's for around $600 I believe, and thats probably enough to make any size booth you need.

The (2) S5-2L is almost what my setup looks like. No it's not a real booth you'd find in a pro studio, but for a home studio it works fine.

[numrologst]

my point is that carpet not comparatively cheap. Carpet is at a minimum $1 foot for scraps... Mineral fiber is 30 to 60 cents.

Why not use something that has real acoustical value?

[djwayne]

Originally Posted by numrologst

my point is that carpet not comparatively cheap. Carpet is at a minimum $1 foot for scraps... Mineral fiber is 30 to 60 cents.

Why not use something that has real acoustical value?

Looks. I wanted the look of the carpeting. It's a nice beige color that looks good in my living room. I forget what the carpet cost, but it was fairly cheap.

[tamakid1292]

ive been reading around and i think im just gona put eggcrates on like big pieces of oaktag or something like that beacuse i think i main thing is covering the windows beacuse that will make a big differnce.

[djwayne]

Originally Posted by numrologst

my point is that carpet not comparatively cheap. Carpet is at a minimum $1 foot for scraps... Mineral fiber is 30 to 60 cents.

Why not use something that has real acoustical value?

What I did was buy a 4' x 6' piece of new carpeting and cut it up into 3- 2' x 4' pieces then glued it onto the pre-cut plywood. I believe the carpeting cost around $15 and the wood about $10. It was easy for me to do in about one or two evenings.

[numrologst]

Originally Posted by tamakid1292

ive been reading around and i think im just gona put eggcrates on like big pieces of oaktag or something like that beacuse i think i main thing is covering the windows beacuse that will make a big differnce.

Like I said, it is a common misconception that covering your windows with eggcrate or any material for that matter will act as soundproofing. It will not... The is very little acoustical value in eggcrate as well.

I don't understand why you won't just build something that is proven to work. Wrap some insulation in burlap or another open cell foam if you don't want to build a frame... I will even draw you a sketch of a moveable gobo if you want...

Really don't waste your money on stuff that has little to no acoustical value. Wouldn't you rather spend $50-$100 on something that has good effect than $40 or so on something that really won't do much more than placebo?

[tamakid1292]

so what kind of material should i buy that would still be cheap.
i dont need it to be completely soundproof i just need it to be better for recording.

[numrologst]

I am still not 100% on what goal you are trying to achieve. Soundproofing is one thing, treating the room acoustically is another.

It seems like you want to do a combination of both. The only way to keep your window being a window is to get new glass. An insulated pane. You want the pane to have the same density as the walls. This is typically not cheap.

Your other option is to seal off the windows. I'd rather not like to get into a long winded explanation of this if you aren't going to consider it.

As for the acoustical treatments... The cheapest way, not necessarily 100% the best way is to wrap mineral fiber or rigid fiberglass like oc 703/705 in an open weave fabric... Place or hang as desired.

You can build frames and do some cool stuff with these type of traps... But the cheapest way is to just do the 2x4 mineral fiber or fiber glass panels wrapped in fabric. The 4" thick mineral fiber can be had for $4-$5 per 2'x4' sheet. Fabric would likely cost $5-$10 per panel if you get something on close out. You can add grommets on the end to use for a sturdy hole to hang them.

If you are interested in going to next step further past that idea, let me know and I will point you in the right direction for all the DIY info.

[djwayne]

Yikes, I don't want any fiberglass in my living room, even if it is wrapped in fabric. Makes me itch just thinking about it.

I'll stick with my carpeting.

[tamakid1292]

im not using fiber glass.
and i cant rebuild anyhting my parents would never let me im only 15
witch is why the just getting some kind of egg crates or carpets or just some of the sound foam musicans friend has is best for me.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by tamakid1292

im not using fiber glass.
and i cant rebuild anyhting my parents would never let me im only 15
witch is why the just getting some kind of egg crates or carpets or just some of the sound foam musicans friend has is best for me.

rigid fiberglass covered in fabric will not shed fiberglass into your space. There are commercially built panels if you don't want to build it yourself

of the three you have listed, foam is the least objectionable.

egg crates will do just about nothing. Go ahead and put them up, they won't make any difference. Carpet will make your room sound bad - I mean bad as in really dull in the highs and mids, but still totally boomy in the lows. I did a room in carpet once when I was young and foolish. Oh did it sound bad.

None of the above solutions (including fiberglass) will have ANY significant effect on soundPROOFing. Sorry to sound negative, but that is the harsh truth. They will only tame the sound within the room. (except for the egg crates which won't even do that) The people outside your room will be able to be 'bothered' by your volume to almost the same degree as before.

You will hear outside sounds to almost the same degree.

People put up foam, fiberglass etc. to tame the sounds and reflections within the room for recording purposes.

The analogy is having a bathroom with the tub overflowing. It doesn't matter how many sponges you spread on the floor, the room below is going to get wet.

All the foam in the Musicians Friend Catalog is not going to stop your drums from driving your parents crazy, for example, if that's why you are buying it.

I built panels of thick MDF with chains and mounted a few hooks over the windows. I can hang these heavy panels over the windows when I need soundproofing and take them off when I want to see the sun. Surely your parents would not object to you mounting a few hooks above the windows?

The MDF works because it has MASS, it is heavier and thicker than the windows and also it overlaps the window, so it makes an airtight SEAL. Putting a gasket around your door would help as well.

[tamakid1292]

thanks
my main thing isnt sound proofing sorry for stating that when i didnt mean it i just need to make the room more controlled for recording .

[rackdude]

get some clearsonic gobos. said it before. cheap and it works.

also, you can use them somewhat as bass traps for mixing. not the best, buts its a great investment

anything cheaper is fake. carpet, eggcretes, elephant piss.

doesn't work

[tamakid1292]

ill look into those also

[numrologst]

those clearsonics look like a good product

[djwayne]

"there is very little to no acoustical value in carpet on plywood. And I don't see how it has any value on cutting down outside noise. Perhaps it can stop low spl noises from entering the direct path of the microphone,.........."

Bingo !! Microphone picks up the guitar and nothing else.


The Clearsonic gobo do indeed look good, but I'm on a mission not to spend any money that isn't absolutely necessary.