sound proofing house windows

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jnTracks
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sound proofing house windows

Post by jnTracks » Tue Mar 23, 2010 8:49 am

i'm buying a house (closing april 9th) with the intent of moving my studio from the basement of the shared living space i have now to the ground floor of my new house.

most of my current acoustical treatments i can transfer and set up in the new space but there is a new thing i'll have to deal with. there are 4 windows, normal sliders, in the live room facing the neighbors on ether side. (two per side, not that it matters, really)

i want to make panels to put in the windows when i'm recording to seal up the sound so i won't bother the neighbors (and they won't bother me). i'm working on the cheap here so fewer dollars the better.
i was thinking of making them out of hush-board in a frame with weather stripping that would fit tightly in the windows. and a diffuser surface on the live room side. (i have plenty of absorption panels and portable traps already so i'm predicting i'll want these panels to liven up the room a bit.

any advice for me? should i look at other solutions and materials?

in other news, the room in question has new carpet but when i pulled back a corner i found pine floors under it! bonus!

thanks!
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Post by jnTracks » Thu Apr 01, 2010 5:26 pm

no comments or anything on this?
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Post by norton » Fri Apr 02, 2010 6:24 am

The only thing hush about Hush Board is that it doesn't make anything quiet.
Hushboard is light weight and soft... and it doesn't perform very well in any application RE sound transmission.

You might be best served to cover the window and it's interior trim completely. With residential building there are usually voids around any opening, and framing that doesn't get insulated very well. Those will also be spots you want to cover.

You're going to be best off with a couple tubes of green glue and some sheet rock. Make a sandwich with the gg/sheetrock and then install as you had mentioned.

If you want the window plug to be its most effective, you'll need some insulation too.

Perhaps you can put a rigid fiberglass panel between the backer and your diffuser?

If you want this to work it's best... gg is your key ingredient.... the plug could be made out of plywood or mdf, but that could get heavy.

If you get really loud... you should be prepared to get involved with your walls/ceiling and your floor/foundation. Sound wants to find its way out....

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Post by dwelle » Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:39 pm

fwiw, i built a plug for a window in my house as a temporary fix for a room i wanted to play music in while i finished construction on my home studio. i built a TIGHT fitting frame, 2 layers of 5/8" drywall with green glue between, 6" bigger around than the window, foam seals around the plug....

and i wasn't very impressed with the results and the thing weighed a fucking ton. there is so much more going on with residential construction that whatever sound the plug did block didn't amount to much overall attenuation outside....

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Post by norton » Mon Apr 05, 2010 3:27 pm

So true.

The kicker with any soundproofing is that you've GOT to have insulation involved as a key component.

Without that, it's a losing battle.

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Post by peterkanton » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:38 am

I would advise you to have 2 layers of Quietrock glued together with QG in a frame. Then install it as you have mentioned or use other methods. It will work way better than Hush Board and standard drywall.

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Post by Ronan Chris Murphy » Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:22 am

Its important to have realistic expectations and understand that you will not be doing any sound "proofing", but reducing sound transmittance. If you are going to be recording anything loud or mixing loud you will still have sound getting out of the house and loud trucks and Harley Davidsons will still get in your recordings.

Plugging a window will not really do much for low end. To deal with that you need mass and air gaps. But to tame sound down a bit you pack the window tightly with insulation and get some heavy layers of wood to cover the window. Make sure there are no air gaps at all.
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Post by norton » Wed Apr 07, 2010 7:25 am

Quiet rock shhhhhhh.........

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Post by Ted White » Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:10 am

The window plug idea is common, and needs mass and absorption. These can be hinged, etc. Plywood + drywall makes a nice inexpensive mass.

Sealing the panels to the window area is a trick.

Also consider having the "Panel" cover the window trim molding as well. Often there is a gap behind the molding. You'll want to cover that also.
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Post by JWL » Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:56 am

Agreed, the best a window plug can do is eliminate the window's sound transmission loss. If the window was not the "weakest link" in your soundproofing chain, then it will have little effect.

Good soundproofing is a comprehensive strategy, ideally involving correct construction from the ground up.

Regarding Quietrock, I don't have much experience with it personally, but there were a bunch of tests done a while back showing that regular drywall with Green Glue is significantly cheaper and performs much better.

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Post by Beneficial » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:36 pm

I bought some mineral wool insualation sheets... 4' x 2' x 2"thick. I cut them so I had a few pieces that fit perfectly into the sice of my windows like puzzle pieces... wrapped them in muslin fabric and plugged the windows with them. Then I hung thick curtains so you can't see the ghetto wrapped insulation. Helped a lot in my situation.

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Post by norton » Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:32 am

Exactly... insulation is a key component. Can't do without it.

Just like Ted White says.... mass and absorption.

or massorption.

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Post by Ted White » Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:38 am

norton wrote:mass and absorption. or massorption.
That is hysterical!!
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Post by john1056 » Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:18 am

Anybody tried this stuff?

http://shop3.mailordercentral.com/super ... r=09-42760

I have a little basement window I need to plug.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FIecI8KHjtU/S ... G_4949.JPG

I was thinking of using some of that foam as the middle part of a sandwich of drywall plywood and green glue.

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Post by Ted White » Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:30 am

Keep it simple. You need mass primarily. That's cherap drywall and plywood.

Secondary is sealing the plug / panel

Third would be to damp

The foams etc aren't going to help with anything except lighten your wallet
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