Re: Practice room sound treatment help
There are many ways to reduce sound transmission. Some are very simple and economical and others not.
First I would say get some insulation in the walls. For a 2x6 frame an R-21 is fine and for 2x4 framing R-19 is about all that will fit nicely. You don't want to stuff theh insulation in the walls it needs to be "fluffy" to work effectively for climate control and acoustical purposes.
Quiet Rock is a brand of drywall used for applications where sound control is necessary. It is a little more expensive than regular drywall.
MLV- mass loaded viny (1# or 2#) over the insulation attached to only the top of the studs (close to the top plate) and let it hang. Optimum results can be achieved it you use mlv on both sides of the wall but the inside is a great start. Then you can finish the walls with whatever you desire; dry wall, quiet rock wood planks, paneling, whatever you feel like.
Or for a very economical way there are a few other "tricks". For instance go to your local discount store and puck up some king size memory foam mattress pad toppers. It's an economical alternative to the expensive acoustical, open-cell foam being sold. If you don't like the off-white color get some spray paint and paint it.
Or, take some old comforters/blankets and hang them on the walls.
Then there is the remnant idea with carpet padding under it to offer a little more sound diffusion and a vapor barrier between the subfloor and carpet. The padding also adds a little thermal property to help with climate control.
You can get carpet remnants for the walls also, which will help a little. Some guys have even taken old mattresses and placed them against the walls (although this is a bit dirty when you think about it...yuck!)
For the floor there are a few options.
The most economical is to get a carpet remnant and put it down.
Next would be a laminate floor with a 3/4" underlayment (which is what I'm in my newly built music room). The laminate offers no sound diffusion but, the underlayment offers a few things. First, because of the thickness it offers great vapor barrier properties and thermal properties. Next, it is designed to significantly reduce sound transmission from both ambient sound and impact noise (like walking/foot noise or in this case bass and HH pedal noise along with the noise created by the set touching the floor).
So there are my suggestions for the walls and floor in various budgets.
The ceiling is like any of the above. Insulation, mlv, wood planks (like 1x6 or 1x8), Quiet Rock, or regular drywall.
But there is also another alternative for the ceiling that can be used in addition to the above mentioned ceiling alternatives (which is what I did in my room). Ceiling tiles- specifically microfiber tiles. You can choose from hundreds of designs, sizes, and few different thicknesses. The tiles offer thermal and acoustical properties and can be aesthetically pleasing. I chose a 3/8" (thick) by 6"Wx48"L tile and with a woodgrain pattern on them so it looks like there is wood planking on the ceiling. These tiles are tongue-and-groove. You should still use insulation in the ceiling though. The tiles can be installed in one of four ways. 1- directly attach to the rafters/trusses with adhesive (I like power grab) but be careful. Some tiles are not ridged enough to do this and will sag in a short period of time . 2- using clips/fasteners designed specifically for the ceiling tiles to attach to. 3- put up the drywall and attach the tiles directly to the drywall with adhesive (which is the rout I took) and last, a traditional drop ceiling using a grid. The tiles, drywall, and insulation in the ceiling really cut down on the noise escaping.
Taking one of the many suggestions will dramatically reduce (or virtually eliminate) the high frequencies, effectively reduce the mids and slightly tame the lows.
Hope this helps. I know other drummers will have some other suggestions as well.
Best of luck with your drum room.
P.S. The only way to completely eliminate the transmission of sound is to build a room within a room... in this case to build a structure over and around the shed AND acoustically treat both structure's walls, ceilings, and the floor.
Last edited by drumsetsnide; 10-27-2013 at 07:41 AM.
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