Noisey Top Floor Apartment

Bang*Bang** · 22nd March 2011

First of all, this forum is great! That article by Ethan Winer on basic acoustics was quite informative and makes a good case for room treatment. But from the other posts I've looked at, they didn't seem to cover how to deal with low frequency noise penetration, which is my issue.

So the situation is, I'm going to be moving into a 850 sq foot apartment in the top level of an apartment building. The second bedroom is roughly 8 by 12, with a closet, and is going to have to serve as my studio.

The big issue is that it has a window looking indirectly at a busy street! It is double paned and does a good job of sealing out the mid to high frequencies, but does little for the low end when a truck or bus goes by.

I understand that low frequencies need mass to stop them, so I'm considering putting something giant and heavy in front of the window, or distantly hoping an amazing shotgun mic could help me out? Chances are this room is going to have to act as both a mix and recording room in one, probably not the best case scenario given it's in the top of the building and everything.

At this point I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to put a sound booth in (budget/space), but I'm open to suggestions.

Any thoughts?

jhbrandt · 24th March 2011

I believe that you will find that it is not only the window that is permitting the bass entering the room but the walls also. The building itself is probably flanking the LF from the street below. Tests should be done to determine the source. If it is only the window, then you can add a pane of thick laminated glass (massive and heavy). But please do the tests before you spend money on this as it could very well end up costing far more than it is worth.

Cheers,
John

Bang*Bang** · 2nd April 2011

To John,

I looked up your site and I have a question for you. I noticed that you have a list of "Voo-Doo" sites, and I'm looking for the opposite. Recently, I was asked to look into sound treatment for a pub (it's large, cement walls, glass, total nightmare).

They are looking at a minimum budget, in the 1-5,000$ range, and I was wondering if you would recommend any sound treatment companies in Vancouver B.C.?

Many thanks!

jhbrandt · 2nd April 2011

Absolutely!

RealTraps

and

GIK Acoustics

Cheers,
John

22nd March 2011	#1
BangBang* Gear interested Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 4 Thread Starter	Noisey Top Floor Apartment First of all, this forum is great! That article by Ethan Winer on basic acoustics was quite informative and makes a good case for room treatment. But from the other posts I've looked at, they didn't seem to cover how to deal with low frequency noise penetration, which is my issue. So the situation is, I'm going to be moving into a 850 sq foot apartment in the top level of an apartment building. The second bedroom is roughly 8 by 12, with a closet, and is going to have to serve as my studio. The big issue is that it has a window looking indirectly at a busy street! It is double paned and does a good job of sealing out the mid to high frequencies, but does little for the low end when a truck or bus goes by. I understand that low frequencies need mass to stop them, so I'm considering putting something giant and heavy in front of the window, or distantly hoping an amazing shotgun mic could help me out? Chances are this room is going to have to act as both a mix and recording room in one, probably not the best case scenario given it's in the top of the building and everything. At this point I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to put a sound booth in (budget/space), but I'm open to suggestions. Any thoughts?

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24th March 2011	#2
jhbrandt Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2009 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia Posts: 2,715	I believe that you will find that it is not only the window that is permitting the bass entering the room but the walls also. The building itself is probably flanking the LF from the street below. Tests should be done to determine the source. If it is only the window, then you can add a pane of thick laminated glass (massive and heavy). But please do the tests before you spend money on this as it could very well end up costing far more than it is worth. Cheers, John

2nd April 2011	#3
BangBang* Gear interested Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 4 Thread Starter	To John, I looked up your site and I have a question for you. I noticed that you have a list of "Voo-Doo" sites, and I'm looking for the opposite. Recently, I was asked to look into sound treatment for a pub (it's large, cement walls, glass, total nightmare). They are looking at a minimum budget, in the 1-5,000$ range, and I was wondering if you would recommend any sound treatment companies in Vancouver B.C.? Many thanks!