sound proofing advice

[d franko]

My current space is in an old converted factory building. It's filled with artists and businesses and such. The only problem is the walls they've put up are thin and cheap so if I have a band in there's no way I can operate without pissing off a bunch of people. So I've decided to start sound proofing slowly and surely

Right now I'm just going to sound proof the wall between the control room and the live room. It's 10ft wide by 11ft tall. I'm thinking another wall on top of that wall with 2X4s, auralex 2" fiber insulation and drywall. My only problem is that the auaralex insulation seems quite pricey, is there any thing cheaper that is as effective? Is any of this a good idea?

[Mr. Dipity]

My current space is in an old converted factory building. It's filled with artists and businesses and such. The only problem is the walls they've put up are thin and cheap so if I have a band in there's no way I can operate without pissing off a bunch of people. So I've decided to start sound proofing slowly and surely

Right now I'm just going to sound proof the wall between the control room and the live room. It's 10ft wide by 11ft tall. I'm thinking another wall on top of that wall with 2X4s, auralex 2" fiber insulation and drywall. My only problem is that the auaralex insulation seems quite pricey, is there any thing cheaper that is as effective? Is any of this a good idea?

Auralex >isn't< effective, and it's not designed for sound proofing in any case.

Nice thick drywall will do you much better. As for taming room tone, and making the place a better place to record, you should probably head over to recording.org's Acoustics forum.

[d franko]

Auralex >isn't< effective, and it's not designed for sound proofing in any case.

Nice thick drywall will do you much better. As for taming room tone, and making the place a better place to record, you should probably head over to recording.org's Acoustics forum.

The auralex fiber insulation isn't effective? Supposedly it's like the pink stuff but more rigid and dense. I actually love the way the room sounds currently, i'd just like to separate myself from everyone else. i will however check out that other forum. Thanks!

[stuntbutt]

I'm no expert, but from what I have read and seen in practive the wall needs to be heavy, I mean really heavy, and airtight. A bigger cavity between the walls will yield less transmission. The fiberglass is just to keep the cavity from resonating. Inside the cavity the more dense fiberglass (Owens Corning 705) is only slightly more effective than plain old pink.

[cgarges]

I think he's talking about the Auralex mineral fiber designed for use behind drywall and the like, not the foam products that mount on a wall or ceiling. Am I right? That stuff should work fine with a well-designed wall. A dense pair of walls with as much air space as possible in between is your best bet. The mineral fiber would keep the walls from resonating and would help with mid to low-frequency absorption between the walls. Owens Corning 703 (1" thick) or 705 (2" thick) will work in the same manner and may actually be a bit cheaper through a local construction contractor. It may take a few phone calls to find it in your area, but you should be able to get it.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[jajjguy]

multiple layers of something rigid, like drywall, with something absorptive in between, like the pink stuff or auralex' version. the absorption is just to damp the resonances of the rigid stuff, which does most of the sound-blocking work.

also, sealing around the edges is really important. if there's any gap where the walls meet the ceiling of floor, that's bad.