Acoustic Panels (DIY? Cheap?)

[comfortstarr]

I've relocated my little music making/recording space to my basement. And while Covid has pushed almost everything to headphones, it's kind of surprising how loud un-amplified guitars and basses are--they seem to attract my dog's attention (she doesn't go in the basement), so she just barks and runs around on the first floor.

I was thinking of putting some sound proofing in between the joists in the basement ceiling. This doesn't have to be fancy or anything. Would prefer buying anything I need locally (Minneapolis). Any reccomendations?

[MoreSpaceEcho]

The way to do this for real is spectacularly unfun: you cut strips of drywall to fit in between the joists, leaving a small gap on either side, which you then caulk. You do multiple layers of this, because effective soundproofing requires mass, and drywall is the cheapest mass you can buy.

You really don't want to do this unless you're a glutton for punishment.

If the problem is just your unamplified picking bothering the dog, I would think that just putting insulation between the joists would help.

Or ear muffs on the dog.

[kslight]

Given dog’s magnificent hearing, I would be afraid they will hear it still. Maybe there’s some level of training you can do that would convince the dog that the guitar isn’t worth barking at.

[The Scum]

Get the dog it's own guitar, then it'll worry less about yours.

[The Scum]

More seriously: do you know the path the sound is taking to get upstairs?

MSE's got the recipe if it's going through the floor (I'd compromise from what he describes, insulate between the joists and hang drywall regularly).

But are there other paths it might be taking - ductwork, windows, stairway, etc? Making the floor heavier might not actually address the root of the problem.

[Magnetic Services]

Soundproofing is hard, especially ceilings. I did something similar to what MSE suggested at my last studio; I might have some pictures of the process. DM me if you want more info on that!

Unfortunately, even if you do a pretty good job on the ceiling, there's still the door to the basement and the HVAC system to worry about. Due to the amount of labor and materials it would take to soundproof a basement, I humbly suggest isolating only what you need to: build some iso cabinets for guitars at the very least, or maybe even a little mixing room if you own the place and feel like taking on a bigger project.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

Soundproofing is hard, especially ceilings. I did something similar to what MSE suggested at my last studio

It's what I did with the ceiling in my current room, turned out great but I really, really, REALLY strongly urge everyone to NOT do this. Just trust me on this one. Even doing just one layer is a painstaking nightmare.

Do what The Scum said, insulate between the joists and drywall normally.

[digitaldrummer]

I would imagine you want to consult a structural engineer as well - once you start hanging a lot of extra mass from the structure that may not have been designed for that? don't want your roof/floor to cave in...

[MoreSpaceEcho]

If they're doing what I initially suggested, definitely.

Regular old insulation and one layer of drywall would be fine, I'd think.

[vvv]

Doggie 'ludes?

Joking!

But, a distraction for the dog - my daughter's puppy gets peanut butter filled chew toys when I'm on Zoom - can help, especially when he learns it's coming.

As far as playing guitar, he lays at my feet when I do, sometimes on them.

That includes acoustics, or when the amp is on in another room.

When the amp is on in the same room as I, he's in another room.

[crow]

More seriously: do you know the path the sound is taking to get upstairs?

MSE's got the recipe if it's going through the floor (I'd compromise from what he describes, insulate between the joists and hang drywall regularly).

But are there other paths it might be taking - ductwork, windows, stairway, etc? Making the floor heavier might not actually address the root of the problem.

I recently renovated my studio, and until the big heavy doors were sealed with weatherstripping etc, the double walls and thick doors seemed to do nothing at all. I exaggerate a bit, but it was striking how much sound was still leaking through small gaps in the doors. The door from studio hallway into the house has a small gap, and all sound travels through it unobstructed. So I would experiment with sealing doors and such first. It may save you a lot of hassle!

[floid]

I would imagine you want to consult a structural engineer as well - once you start hanging a lot of extra mass from the structure that may not have been designed for that? don't want your roof/floor to cave in...

here's a floor deflection calculator:
https://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/deflecto.pl
It's designed to calculate whether a floor assembly is stiff enough to be tiled, which is a substantial additional mass. Shouldn't be too hard to compare the mass of tile + cement backer to, say, two layers of 5/8" sheet rock.
A typical remedy for an underbuilt floor assembly is to add "sister joists" - which can also be a lot of difficult and frustrating work.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

So I would experiment with sealing doors and such first. It may save you a lot of hassle!

I was thinking about this thread last night, and meant to post exactly this, but forgot. So thanks crow!

[drumsound]

Doggie 'ludes?

Joking!

But, a distraction for the dog - my daughter's puppy gets peanut butter filled chew toys when I'm on Zoom - can help, especially when he learns it's coming.

As far as playing guitar, he lays at my feet when I do, sometimes on them.

That includes acoustics, or when the amp is on in another room.

When the amp is on in the same room as I, he's in another room.

Maybe you should see what happens if you bring the dog down there with you. It may not be the noise as much as knowing you are down there and the dog wants to be with their person. You could even do a little conditioning, by playing the unplugged guitar in the area where the dog hangs out. After they are used to it there, invite the doggo on a trip to the basement/studio.

[standup]

Our dog takes a nap beside the drum kit when my wife is playing. Dog seems unconcerned about guitar playing.

My last dog hated accordions. I don’t play enough accordion to know how our dog feels about it. I play badly.