building studio

[Arqen]

That's a challenge. For the ceiling, I would start off by replacing the existing insulation with something like Roxul Safe 'n' Sound or Bounded Logic Ultratouch.

What's more important? A soundproof ceiling or a soundproof floor? To maximize the interior ceiling space you may have to skimp on one of them (or both of them).

If you can get away with it, I suggest doing a room within a room using one of the wall constructions in the appendix of this report:

Eco Recording Studio Design: Part II
(includes diagrams of numerous STC 60 and higher wall constructions)

You don't have to use the "Quietrock" drywall material, but if you use regular drywall I expect the STC ratings will be lower.

For floating floor assembly examples, see Chapter 7 of the report. And for an example of a "soundproof" ceiling, see Figure 11 in Chapter 4.

[imixrecords]

link seems broken for me at least.

[Arqen]

Originally Posted by imixrecords

link seems broken for me at least.

Thanks for pointing that out! It's fixed now.

[Siseneg]

Thanks Arqen for you link, great resource. I'm hoping I can get away with mixing with a 6 foot ceiling by adding carpet and absorption panels.

But again, for now, my main question is the wall between the bathroom/kitchen and the studio. There's a closet in the kitchen, and the bathtub is right up against the wall, so adding two 5/8s on the kitchen/bathroom side would be quite a pain and disturbance for my step father, so I'm wondering if that can be avoided?

In Rob Gervais' book, he says: "you can remove the drywall on your room
side and install additional mass within the wall cavity itself, which will go a
long way toward helping your isolation." But how do I do that? I just can't screw drywall against drywall? So I'm stumped, does anyone have an idea? I would prefer this approach if possible. Otherwise my other options are these, see diagram.

Sincerely,

[Arqen]

Originally Posted by Siseneg

Thanks Arqen for you link, great resource. I'm hoping I can get away with mixing with a 6 foot ceiling by adding carpet and absorption panels.

But again, for now, my main question is the wall between the bathroom/kitchen and the studio. There's a closet in the kitchen, and the bathtub is right up against the wall, so adding two 5/8s on the kitchen/bathroom side would be quite a pain and disturbance for my step father, so I'm wondering if that can be avoided?

In Rob Gervais' book, he says: "you can remove the drywall on your room
side and install additional mass within the wall cavity itself, which will go a
long way toward helping your isolation." But how do I do that? I just can't screw drywall against drywall? So I'm stumped, does anyone have an idea? I would prefer this approach if possible. Otherwise my other options are these, see diagram.

Sincerely,

No problem!

While I've not used this product personally (and I don't know how well it performs), you can potentially add additional mass using peacemaker sound barrier (an alternative to mass-loaded vinyl).

[xaMdaM]

Your "option 2" is a serious "no no", as you are creating a triple leaf assembly.

The "cheapest best" way to add mass in the existing wall cavity is to CAREFULLY cut the gypsum along all the inside edge of each of the wall studs. Then remove any insulation in those cavities.

That creates room for that removed gypsum to be pushed into each cavity up against the existing exterior gypsum layer. Before placing the gypsum in the bays, trim it by roughly 1" and push a 3/4" backer rod into the perimeter and caulk the edges to create an airtight seal. Then take an inexpensive 1x2 furring strip and cleat the gypsum in place, caulking along the edges of the cleats. (Remember... where air goes, so goes sound.)

When cutting the gypsum loose from the studs, be aware of any electrical, HVAC, plumbing, telephone or other potentially lethal issues in the walls. It could make for a seriously bad day.

If you can cost justify it, use Green Glue in the assembly. I'm a believer in Green Glue and know that it works. But it will really depend on your final design and whether you can actually have the structure support the total mass of adding what is essentially an entirely new building to the interior structure... which is really what your first priority should be.

Just be sure your cousin has a complete complete picture of how the structure is built, including floor joists, load bearing wall placement and as good of a guess as you can on the overall foundation structure.

[Siseneg]

xaMdaM, much appreciated. You've answered all of my questions and then some.

I certainly echo your concern on having the proper support for the foundation, I don't intend to overlook that one bit.

Thanks again, now off to work.