Best and most economic soundproofing material?

[maddnotez]

I really need to soundproof my basement and was looking for tips on what material to use.

We are playing loud music in an unfinished basement. Bare concrete walls, concrete floor with carpet and bare ceiling.

The room we are in is fairly small and I am looking to contain the noise as best as possible. (would prefer to completely eliminate any sound from leaving that room, this is not for studio use but need to keep the noise down)

I have came across a lot of websited talking about green glue, extra drywall, ect.

So far this Peacemaker stuff looks the best to me http://www.audimutesoundproofing.co...-proof-material-soundproofing-insulation.aspx

But also looks a little pricey, if I have to do it I have to do it but was looking to see if any of you know about any other materials that are effective and maybe a bit cheaper.

 

[jirojan]

egg cartons...not kidding

 

[maddnotez]

egg cartons...not kidding

Well, haha I have heard this before. But do you honestly think it would even come close in comparison as the Peacemaker material in the link?

I guess I could just get some and try it out.

The goal is to have band practice and not bother my family upstairs and neighbors.

I have a 100w amp, loud drummer, bassist right now but hope to add another guitarist with a 100w amp and a singer as well.

 

[maddnotez]

I also found this http://mute-x.com/store/

Which looks comparable in price, but hard to say which would be more effective.

 

[stdio]

The only way to effectively 'soundproof' a room is to build another room inside a room, like a studio. There is no miracle stuff to hand on the wall that is going to do anything. Check online for info on build your own studio etc, i can't remember the site at the moment.
I looked into this myself a few years ago, it can be done but it can get expensive $$. You can put some treatments on the wall to make the room sound dead like a studio, but no way is that going to tame any drums and bass freqs. Mass on the walls is the way to go.

 

[4406cuda]

Drywall is the cheapest and most effective way to reduce sound.

 

[se7en]

egg cartons...not kidding

Egg cartons being good for soundproofing is a myth. It comes from studio material that was a similar shape to egg cartons. Egg cartons don't work AT ALL. The only thing they do is deflect standing waves if that and do not soundproof. As mentioned, the only true way to soundproof a room is to build a room within a room: http://www.diy-home-theater-design.com/ ... -room.html

 

[theaudioengine]

this peacemaker stuff is essentially a neoprene sheet. neoprene will decouple mechanical energy fairly well and many companies utilize it, iso wall for example. in this application however, it will not do anything to control internal resonances it will damp the wave to the limit of the material's density.

other products like green glue, which are intendended to be sandwiched between layers of wall board, will be much more effective than thin neoprene sheets. green glue turns mechanical energy into thermal energy and is much more efficient.

just as a resistor puts a load on an electrical signal, acoustic resistance occurs when the density of the medium a wave travels through changes. this is why air space is so important to consider when designing acoustic control. for example, you hear about double layers of gypsum, however if you use the same type of gypsum for both layers you might as well have just used one layer as there is no density change between the two and the wave wont hardly notice the additional material. so if you use for example a 5/8" sheet of firecheck and a 5/8" sheet of watercheck you will notice better results. if you throw green glue in between layers now you're cooking and have a really solid wall. however low frequencies will still be largely unaffected.

there is no 1 correct answer, instead acoustic control is about using the right tool for the job and being aware of what exactly each implementation is achieving. for a loud band in a basement, you want to start by being sure to tighten all seams in the space prior to insulating, single slit defraction can be isolations biggest enemy. once sealing the space the best you can, proper insulation needs to be chosen, the denser the material the lower the frequency that can be damped. a rock wool, roxsul or very dense fiber glass insulation is a good place to start. you have to consider however that when playing in a basement all vibrations are transferred to the main joists of the structure as well as the floor boards, so a decoupling product like neoprene can be good between the joists and primary layer of gypsum.

you noted that all the walls are square and concrete with concrete floors, your room dimensions and lack of reflection damping is also making it louder down there. if you control the waves within a space, the less energy the will have to penetrate your structure and cause issues with the outside world.

egg cartons will do nothing to waves below around 8kHz, which is certainly not the problem you are having. isolation is very specific to every space and involves higher order mathematics, if you're not trying to deal with all that do some basic research and try inexpensive options like moving blankets insulation and gypsum. if you are trying to deal with all that you can PM me with specifics and i can demonstrate how to calculate boundary intensities and energy loss so that you can apply it to your space.

\m/

 

[sixstringking713]

roxul safe n sound

 

[maddnotez]

roxul safe n sound

Oddly my buddy at work just told me about Rock Wool Insulation which seems very similar to this.

I was thinking to use this in the ceiling then use the peacemaker, then drywall.

But after seeing the reply about peacemaker has me 2nd guessing that product.

 

[theaudioengine]

roxsul makes several rock wool insulations, i generally use AFB (acoustic fire batte), 2 or 3" depending on the application.

i want to clarify that there's nothing WRONG with the peacemaker stuff, i was just saying its a neoprene that would mechanically decouple two vibrating masses, for example i use a 3/4" neoprene matt to decouple my guitar cabinet from the floor. i use neoprene in installations as well, its just not a magic substance that blocks sound, its just another tool and for the price point of peacemaker green glue would be more efficient to layer in walls. neoprene is better to get in strips and affix to your studs prior to installing the gypsum.