=========================================================================== Digest of soundproofing articles =========================================================================== From: ENNEAD@deimos.ucs.umass.edu (Charles M Seaton) Subject: Re: Soundproofing Date: 22 Dec 1994 09:48:24 GMT Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst Gustavo Perez (gperez@netcom.com) wrote: : My band practices in a back room of my house. We also were interested in : getting the walls to be soundproof, and after seeing the prices of companies : that specialize in that shit, we almost died. We ended up getting huge : sheets of white (styrofoam? you know that stuff that comes keeping toys in : place in boxes) and after spending a pretty good amount of money and time : putting it up, it isn't all that soundproof at all. Really not worth it. : I've heard that egg cartons do a very good job, I have about a thousand now : cause I've been keeping them, but I haven't tried yet... : gp I hate to say it, but you have fallen victim to a nasty and VERY widespread myth. White foam OR egg cartons will do an OK job of reducing room reflections, except at low frequencies, which will make the room "deader" (should clean up the sound in the room some, can help if you're trying to record, and can cut down mic feedback while practicing). This is called "Acoustic treatment." It is NOT soundproofing. Egg boxes will do almost nothing to prevent sound >from leaving the room. There are only two things that can reduce the amount of sound going through a wall: 1) distance, and 2) mass. Usually this means putting up another sheetrock wall that doesn't touch the original wall, and often people put fiberglass in the gap between the two. There are books about this that you should read, check the library. Good luck... --ennead. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From peter@cs.sfu.ca Tue Dec 27 14:13:39 1994 From: peter@cs.sfu.ca (Peter Corps) Subject: Re: Soundproofing Organization: Faculty of Applied Science, Simon Fraser University In article , Gustavo Perez wrote: >My band practices in a back room of my house. We also were interested in >getting the walls to be soundproof, and after seeing the prices of companies >that specialize in that shit, we almost died. We ended up getting huge >sheets of white (styrofoam? you know that stuff that comes keeping toys in >place in boxes) and after spending a pretty good amount of money and time >putting it up, it isn't all that soundproof at all. Really not worth it. > >I've heard that egg cartons do a very good job, I have about a thousand now >cause I've been keeping them, but I haven't tried yet... > >gp > The best soundproofing (for the money) that I've ever used is carpet underlay. It's cheap (can be had for free in some cases) and fairly easy to install if you have an extra person or two to help. Depending on the thickness, you may have to use more than one layer, perhaps even a few... --Peter --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From floyd@wmi.com Tue Dec 27 15:12:04 1994 Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar From: floyd@wmi.com (Floyd Miller) Subject: Re: Soundproofing Organization: Woodward McCoach, Inc. Date: Wed, 21 Dec 1994 19:33:18 GMT If you are trying to minimize the noise your neighbors hear then padding the walls with carpets or blankets will make things worse. Those materials will reduce reflected sound but do little to stop sound from being transmitted through them. The net result is that the sound level in your padded room is reduced so you tend to turn up your volume and play louder to compensate and since you haven't reduced sound transmitted out of your room you're neighbors will receive more sound. -- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Floyd Miller floyd@wmi.com * * Woodward McCoach, Inc. West Chester, PA USA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------