Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

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markjazzbassist
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Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by markjazzbassist » Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:13 am

My studio is on the 3rd floor of my house (Attic), it has climate controls so it's not too hot/cold. I have been recording primarily direct since i have a day job and do all my creating at night after my wife and kids are in bed. i yearn for the amp. so i have a walk-in closet up there i would like to "soundproof" (i know that term is misleading, sorry). I know i will have to have the amp at a lower volume, no problem. I had my wife play the bass yesterday and i walked through the second floor bedrooms to listen to how loud it was. It wasn't loud it was faint but noticeable if trying to sleep (sound was coming through the floor). So i'm going to try and put some stuff in there to help. I'm not naive in thinking i will eliminate all sound, i'm just thinking i can probably do enough where a lower volume amp can be recorded and not wake my family. Here is what i'm thinking, please advise:

The amp will primarily be Bass and Electric Piano, so think low, low mid, and midrange frequences will be the ones i need to combat the most.

1. Line the whole closet walls and ceiling (floor?) with OC703 or similar mineral wool (any suggestions on what to use and how thick? 4", 8"?)
2. Bags of Play Sand underneath the Speaker Cabinet to Decouple from the Floor (should i have them cover the entire floor? or just the cab and then bass trapping material on the rest of the floor?)
3. Have amp head outside of closest (so not a fire hazard) and just have the cab and mic in the cloest.
4. Use sealed cabinet to have less lowlow bass content
5. Use dynamic Mic (EV RE-20) since LDC would pickup HVAC or old house noises

Any tips advice is welcome. I'm really excited to finally be using a microphone, it will be inspiring i hope!

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by drumsound » Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:34 am

Fabric covered 703 walls will work more toward focusing the sound inside the closet. I'd start by getting an isolation pad like the https://auralex.com/greatgramma-v2/ so the cabinet is decoupled from the floor. Get one of those and do the test again. Then see what you need next.

And speaking of your test method, you should play while your wife walks the second floor. She's the one who is going to have to deal with the sound of you playing bass. See what SHE thinks is acceptable.

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by markjazzbassist » Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:22 am

drumsound wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:34 am
Fabric covered 703 walls will work more toward focusing the sound inside the closet. I'd start by getting an isolation pad like the https://auralex.com/greatgramma-v2/ so the cabinet is decoupled from the floor. Get one of those and do the test again. Then see what you need next.

And speaking of your test method, you should play while your wife walks the second floor. She's the one who is going to have to deal with the sound of you playing bass. See what SHE thinks is acceptable.
sorry i should have mentioned that. i did the test with an auralex gramma pad. the level of sound was still audible in the second floor. my wife did walk around as well and had the same conclusion i did on sound level.

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by kslight » Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:21 am

I don’t know if you’ve tried a solution like this, but I gave up on the idea of a cab in the house…I plug my amps into a Two Notes Torpedo Live and record direct. Best of both worlds, imho.

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by digitaldrummer » Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:54 am

DI at night, re-amp during the day (or on weekends).
Trying to stop bass will be near impossible unless you float the floors and do other major ($$$) investments.
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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by roscoenyc » Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:08 pm

kslight wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:21 am
I don’t know if you’ve tried a solution like this, but I gave up on the idea of a cab in the house…I plug my amps into a Two Notes Torpedo Live and record direct. Best of both worlds, imho.
I use the UA OX (similar product) and I'm super happy with the results.

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Fri Mar 24, 2023 5:17 pm

Totally ghetto but try putting the amp on a car tire (no rim).

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by numberthirty » Fri Mar 24, 2023 5:29 pm

Gotta be honest...

If you are dead set on the whole "It's Gotta Be The Amp..." route in this particular instance?

I'd just cut right through the nonsense, and invest in this dude right here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F2ReAoSHQ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEjNQwFcPZM


(Not what I would do in your spot, mind you. It's what I would do if I was standing in your exact pair of shoes...)

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by joninc » Fri Mar 24, 2023 6:47 pm

digitaldrummer wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:54 am
DI at night, re-amp during the day (or on weekends).
Trying to stop bass will be near impossible unless you float the floors and do other major ($$$) investments.
this x 100

703 will do next to nothing to stop low end vibrations
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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:08 am

roscoenyc wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:08 pm
kslight wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:21 am
I don’t know if you’ve tried a solution like this, but I gave up on the idea of a cab in the house…I plug my amps into a Two Notes Torpedo Live and record direct. Best of both worlds, imho.
I use the UA OX (similar product) and I'm super happy with the results.
+2. I have my amps on Bugera power soaks, which are the cheap solution compared to the others mentioned, but for me they sound just fine, and they let me crank the amps up into gushy power tube compression...at conversational volume.

Anyway if you're not gonna go that route, forget 703, you'll get better results with r30 pink fluffy (less dense insulation is better for bass). Definitely get the amp off the floor and isolated as much as you can.

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by Scodiddly » Sat Mar 25, 2023 8:03 am

Bass amp? That sucker is going to leak everywhere, fiberglass be damned. What you really need is a lot of sheetrock and caulk.

Alternatively, maybe you could get some amp character from more of a small guitar amp setup, covering only the mids/highs?

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by vvv » Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:51 am

Scodiddly wrote:
Sat Mar 25, 2023 8:03 am
Bass amp? That sucker is going to leak everywhere, fiberglass be damned. What you really need is a lot of sheetrock and caulk.

Alternatively, maybe you could get some amp character from more of a small guitar amp setup, covering only the mids/highs?

This + DI.
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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by vernier » Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:24 am

Over the years of sound/volume concerns I've learned two things: "seal any hole, no matter how small" ..And "avoid low frequencies, as they travel out, no matter what.

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by markjazzbassist » Mon Apr 03, 2023 6:32 am

thaks for the responses. sounds like a Fools Errand and you all have saved me time and money, i'll just stick to the DI only approach for my nighttime recording.

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Re: Amp Closet Soundproofing in 3rd Floor Attic

Post by trodden » Tue Apr 04, 2023 8:13 am

As everyone else said, it's a tough/expensive to do.

Do you have a basement? I'd think an isolation cab in your basement would work better than up in the attic. That way you don't have the cab sitting on a joist floor, connecting the whole house structure to it. In the basement, you'd at least be on a poured concrete or gravel floor. Build an iso chamber out of a few layers of 5/8 rock, insulation, and treatment.. caulked up water-tight, for a 2X10 or 15" cab and whatever mic(s) you'd use. Run the speaker and mic cables up to the attic where you and the studio are.

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