Guide to Soundproofing an Apartment or Condominium | Homes on Earthtimes.org

Guide to Soundproofing an Apartment or Condominium | Homes on Earthtimes.org

EarthTimes.org picked up my article "Guide to Soundproofing an Apartment or Condominium"

imusicians.com

imusicians.com: "Soundproofing and acoustics should be important to all musicians building a home studio. Although complimentary, soundproofing and acoustics are separate issues, which you will need to address when building or renovating your studio. With a wealth of information about the subjects available on the Internet, it is oftentimes incorrect or misleading. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the dos and the don�ts of both soundproofing and acoustics for your home studio."

The recently launched imusicians.com invited me to join as a columnist, which I graciously accepted. Above is a link to the first article I contributed.

Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, quieting noise pollution

Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, quieting noise pollution: "The Noise Pollution Clearinghouse is a national non-profit organization with extensive online noise related resources. The Noise Pollution Clearinghouse seeks to:
Raise awareness about noise pollution
Create, collect, and distribute information and resources regarding noise pollution
Strengthen laws and governmental efforts to control noise pollution
Establish networks among environmental, professional, medical, governmental, and activist groups working on noise pollution issues
Assist activists working against noise pollution
The mission of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse is to create more civil cities and more natural rural and wilderness areas by reducing noise pollution at the source. "

This is an awesome resource for those at wits end about noise pollution.

Soundproofing Techniques

Soundproofing Techniques

Here are some additional soundproofing techniques. After reading, you can buy all of the soundproofing products you need at soundprooffoam.com! ;)

Do it yourself home soundproofing on the Natural Handyman

Do it yourself home soundproofing on the Natural Handyman

This article I wrote, called "Do it Yourself Home Soundproofing" was picked up and published by the Natural Handyman.

Bobby Nathan's Tips on Soundproofing

Article 24 - Tips on Soundproofing by Bobby Nathan

I came across this article online and thought it was worth adding to the blog. It's great for producers and musicians.

Positive Feedback About our Soundproofing Products

It turns out somebody over at AudioCourses.com thinks highly of our products!

I also didn't know that our vinyl barrier product would be so well received over at FutureProducers.com!

I personally recommend each of these sites for audio enthusiasts as they contain a lot of intelligent information and stimulating conversations.

Soundproofing an Apartment or Condo

Do you have loud neighbors? Does the lady upstairs stomp around her apartment? Do the folks next to you play their TV too loud? Are kids constantly screaming and being rambunctious? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, I will give you step-by-step do it yourself instructions on soundproofing your apartment.

The key to soundproofing an apartment is to block sound transmission. You will easily accomplish this with a product known as mass loaded vinyl barrier. More effective than a sheet of lead for stopping sound, vinyl barrier uses its weight (up to 2 lbs. per square foot) to stop sound transmission dead in its tracks.

The easiest and simplest way to soundproof your walls is to apply furring strips to the existing drywall and then apply the vinyl barrier. It is important that an air gap be left between the existing drywall and the vinyl barrier, as this will maximize the sound deadening properties of the mass loaded vinyl barrier. After applying the vinyl barrier to the furring strips, you want to seal up the seams using a silicon adhesive. This is a critical step, as sound will pass through any opening. Add another layer of drywall after you have applied and sealed the vinyl barrier to notice a dramatic decrease in sound transmission.

If you do not wish to use furring strips on the wall, you can use vinyl barrier foam composite that will provide you with the separation necessary for adequately blocking sound. The treatment above for walls may also be used for ceilings to keep sound out from the dear lady upstairs that stomps around her apartment.

If you are lucky enough to have a drop ceiling in your apartment, soundproofing the ceiling is quite simple. Simply purchase mass loaded vinyl barrier for placement above the ceiling grid. The air space between the grid and the actual ceiling above will be the air barrier necessary to stop transmission, while the vinyl barrier laid over the ceiling tiles will provide the mass to block sound from transmitting. Another alternative is to apply the vinyl barrier to the rafters if they are exposed. This will prevent the grid from having to support the weight of the vinyl barrier, as well as making future removal and replacement of ceiling tiles a breeze.

Should vertical space be available, you may want to soundproof your apartment by adding acoustical ceiling tiles. If a grid is already in place, purchase acoustical ceiling tiles to replace the existing tiles. This step alone will help greatly reduce sound transmission. You can take it one-step further by adding a layer of mass loaded vinyl barrier above the ceiling tiles, providing the utmost in soundproofing.

You may have read this far, thinking "what about the floors?" Soundproofing your floor is just as easy as your walls or ceiling. To do this, you will want to pull up the existing carpet and padding. Once you have the sub-floor exposed, use a layer of vinyl barrier foam composite, with the foam side facing the floor. After laying the vinyl barrier composite, use a silicone adhesive to seal the creases. When finished, simply relay your padding and carpet.

All of the soundproofing products mentioned in this article are available online or by phone from American Micro Industries. Their Web site offers more information on soundproofing as well as the ability to order securely online. Acoustics specialists are available to give you free soundproofing advice toll-free at 1-800-558-2058, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM , EST. You may also send email to sales@americanmicroinc.com to receive a prompt and courteous response.

How to soundproof a room

How to soundproof a room, wall, ceiling, doors, floors, and windows: "Noise problems are a common complaint for homeowners and apartment dwellers. In a typically residential environment, the source of noise may be any number of devices or activities. Sound is generated when an object vibrates. Sound levels are usually measured as a scale that corresponds to the way in which the ear responds to loudness. The vibrating object creates sound waves in the air. Noise can be structure borne sounds or airborne sounds. Structure borne sound occurs when sound travels through the structure itself, by way of structural vibration. Airborne sound is produced by sources, which radiate directly into the air, such as voices, music, or street traffic. These noises can be controlled greatly, by using soundproofing insulation. Common applications for soundproofing include: walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, music rooms, home theaters, residential studios, rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, and offices."

Find out more information about soundproofing a room on our soundproofing informational Web site!

Soundproofing a Home Theater / Media Room

Now that you have spent thousands of dollars on equipment to build the media room of your dreams, I provide in-depth details on implementing an effective soundproofing solution that will help you achieve two goals:

- Keeping noise inside your home theater
- Keeping exterior noises out of your home theater

If you live in a multi-unit dwelling, it is likely that your neighbors complain when you blast your stereo or favorite movie. Not only will you appease your neighbors by properly soundproofing your home theater, it is also easy to make your audio system sound as if it cost two times its actual price. (Side note: don't you wish I told you this before you bought all of your equipment?)

Before I tell you of the proper soundproofing techniques, you must first understand a few principles of acoustics and soundproofing. For your home theater, you must understand Sound Transmission Class (STC) to determine what you will need for your home. In short, STC is the average decibels (dB) lost through a barrier across the range of frequencies 125 Hz to 4000 Hz. A high-end home theater will typically produce sounds as loud as 100 dB to 110 dB. To compare this, a quiet room typically hovers around 40 dB. For proper balancing when treated, the wall between the two rooms should have an STC rating of 60.

Typically, an interior wall composed of stud construction with drywall on both sides has an STC rating of 30 to 34. If the separating wall were to remain non-soundproofed, the dB in the room adjacent "quiet room" would increase to 70 dB (100 – 30 = 70). Considering that a loud home theater, at 100 dB is too loud to hold a conversation, the adjacent room at 70 dB would also be too loud to hold a conversation.

One common misconception in soundproofing is that filling the wall with egg cartons will reduce noise transmission between rooms. In actuality, test results have shown that filing your wall with egg crate cartons will not produce any measurable reduction in sound reduction between rooms.

To achieve the best results, you should use the proper materials such as faced acoustical foam or studio foam and plain acoustical vinyl barrier. Although you should not substitute the proper soundproofing materials with unproven methods for noise reduction, there are a few combinations you can use to help hinder sound transmission between rooms:

Adding another layer of drywall will reduce sound by another 2 dB

Putting insulation in a wall will reduce sound by another 3 – 4 dB

Adding a plain foam barrier will reduce sound by less than 3 dB

Purely from an economical standpoint, studio foam is the cheapest way to soundproof your room. For those desiring a properly soundproofed room, it is recommended that plain acoustic vinyl barrier be used in combination with the studio foam, or the more aesthetically pleasing faced acoustical foam (available with a black, white or bone facing) at http://www.soundprooffoam.com .

While people have spent thousands of dollars soundproofing their rooms, desired results are easily achieved for as little as a few hundred dollars. Soundproofing your home theater has become a do-it-yourself project with only a few hours of time investment required.

Resources

American Micro Industries provides free soundproofing advice! Call them Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST to discuss your individual needs. If you prefer email, you can send a message to sales-spf@soundprooffoam.com to receive a prompt and courteous response. They also have a soundproofing discussion board.

Web Links

How to Soundproof a Room

Soundproofing Information

Order Soundproofing Materials Online