Soundproof insulation small home studio

[Kaneda]

I need some advice on how to properly insulate a small home studio on a budget (appartment building)

I don't need a professional coming in with his or her equipement and take acoustic measurements as I'm just an amateur messing about.
I was looking at Thomann's site and found this :

Thomann Diffusors

Diffusors at Europe's largest retailer of musical instruments - fast delivery, 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and 3-year Thomann warranty

www.thomann.de

Thomann Broadband Acoustic Absorbers

Broadband Acoustic Absorbers at Europe's largest retailer of musical instruments - fast delivery, 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and 3-year Thomann warranty

www.thomann.de

It's a small room that also acts as a small office, about 280 cm wide x 280 cm long, height about 280 (perfect cube ), with a double-glazed window.
Is there anything I can do to optimise the acoustics and keep angry neighbours out ?

 

[happyrat1]

Wood frame building or concrete?

 

[Kaneda]

Concrete...

 

[happyrat1]

Then you should have no problem.

I live in a concrete high rise and I’ve never had a noise complaint in 5 years.

Be sparing with a subwoofer though. Those frequencies transmit via contact.

As for walls, ceiling, etc.?

Cheapest solution is to go to a commercial egg farm or packaging supplier and buy some commercial egg trays.

Gary.

 

[Biggles]

Suck it and see, if you want to pre-empt problems then visit neighbours and ask them if they will listen for you playing.

Then play and chat to them about what they heard.

If they could hear you then you could look at de-coupling the space by an acoustic floor (not as expensive as you might think), acoustic mat with timber floor laid on top. This will limit impact transmission through the floor and into the structure.

Then line the walls and ceiling with the Acoustic Absorbers.

Downside is that so much sound insulation will create a muted sound.

 

[Kaneda]

Sorry for the late reply, been busy doing other stuff...

Not going to bother with an acoustic floor as the appartment is on the ground floor, I only need to worry about walls and ceiling.
I might try and visit a local music store to get some advice there instead of ordering online since I really have no idea what I'm doing

 

[Tahitijack]

One of the low cost solutions is to buy blankets from a thrift store and hang them on the walls. You may need to test with a few at first as they can also kill and alter sound too much. Check on the thrift shops return policy before buying. As your apartment is temporary be certain you can repair any wall damage easily before you move on. Good luck

 

[gwc uk]

Cheapest solution is to go to a commercial egg farm or packaging supplier and buy some commercial egg trays.

Happyrat. Yes. I agree...Many years ago I did just that...Had a very understanding wife who also appreciated music.
Also added full length curtains to most walls.
As you stated completed at a low cost.

 

[Kaneda]

FYI, the appartment is not temporary. My girlfriend and I actually bought two large appartments next to one another, for a total of 6 bedrooms (we've got four children, between 8 and 16 ).
One of those rooms is said office/studio ; we're in the process of decorating and installing furniture ; putting egg trays or blankets on the walls is not what we had in mind...

 

[gwc uk]

You could do a low cost test for you to get a feeling of sound differences.
Company I worked with had their own Anecholic Chamber for testing speakers.
First time walking into this chamber I experienced a very nice peaceful feeling.

​

 

[Kaneda]

First time walking into this chamber I experienced a very nice peaceful feeling.

​

That's more or less what I'm looking for. You KNOW when you walk into a professional studio, even when blindfolded, because it just sounds and feels so quiet and, like you say, peaceful.
I guess I'm more or less trying to recreate just a tiny bit of that feeling at home...

 

[gwc uk]

Have a look at this link. There are many companies selling Foam Pads.

Amazon.co.uk : Acoustic Foam panels

 

[williamwill]

I need some advice on how to properly insulate a small home studio on a budget (appartment building)

I don't need a professional coming in with his or her equipement and take acoustic measurements as I'm just an amateur messing about.
I was looking at Thomann's site and found this :

Thomann Diffusors

Diffusors at Europe's largest retailer of musical instruments - fast delivery, 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and 3-year Thomann warranty

www.thomann.de

Thomann Broadband Acoustic Absorbers

Broadband Acoustic Absorbers at Europe's largest retailer of musical instruments - fast delivery, 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and 3-year Thomann warranty

www.thomann.de

It's a small room that also acts as a small office, about 280 cm wide x 280 cm long, height about 280 (perfect cube ), with a double-glazed window.
Is there anything I can do to optimise the acoustics and keep angry neighbours out ?

 

[williamwill]

Line the walls with heavy drapery find them at second hand stores or shipping companies Furniture padded blankets.

 

[DynSiwmper]

There's a real mixture of replies here. Are you looking to treat the room so that the room's acoustics have less reverbration (sound deadening or treatment), or are you actually looking for sound proofing (stopping sound from getting out)?

Most of the replies about using curtains, oregg boxes (don't - that can be a real fire hazard), etc will deaden the sound of the room (diffuse audio reflections), but not "sound proof" it. Acoustic panels from most major suppliers will help with reverbration (studio spares offer quite a good range of panels that are easy to fit). Actual sound proofing isn't something you can do well on a budget, as it would usually involve thickening walls filled with rock wool as well as acoustic absorbing panels.

In all seriousness, if you think you're creating too much noise for the neighbours, turn the amps down a bit (and save your hearing) or wear headphones (a good pair are worth having - and also turn down the volume to save your hearing). Loudness should rarely an issue unless you're playing alongside really loud acoustic instruments (like a drum kit or brass section).

 

[Greg Barker]

I need some advice on how to properly insulate a small home studio on a budget (appartment building)

Okay, I can add to this wearing my architect hat.

First, there are basically two types of sound transmission, airborne and impact. If your speakers are on a concrete slab-on-grade, you shouldn't have to worry yourself with impact noise unless you really pump some power into that slab. Wear sound protection for your own ears if you do that.

The two keys to mitigating transmission of airborne sound are density and controlling flanking paths. All that acoustic foam is really designed to control reverberation, getting the right time in the space to give a full sound without reflected sound overlapping with prior and subsequent sound waves.

I started writing comments about frame construction, but I reread that your construction is concrete, so you could not ask for anything better for reducing transmission of airborne sound. I would avoid mounting speakers on shared partitions and go with Biggles suggestion to "suck it up and see." Reach out to your neighbors and arrange to play and get immediate feedback, then fine tune as necessary. Sound flanking paths will probably be you next target if there is a problem.

Flanking paths are hard to describe in a medium like this, but the best you can do in an inexpensive retrofit is add the insulation pads to electrical switch and power outlet boxes in place (usually used to reduce thermal transmission at exterior walls). The tough thing will be if you have heating/cooling ducts in walls or ceilings shared with your neighbors. I'll just leave it that you have to pay attention to that if it exists. The strategy will depend entirely on how everything is put together.

Good luck and enjoy playing.

 

[DigitalGee]

My two cents: I repurposed a guest bedroom by propping the mattress long-ways against the window, and surrounding myself with thick Goodwill comforters and blankets suspended on portable closet rack from Walmart. I wasn't doing music, however - I was recording book narration. The whole thing cost me next to nothing and was easy to dismantle as needed.

 

[flashrickdaugherty]

I need some advice on how to properly insulate a small home studio on a budget (appartment building)

I don't need a professional coming in with his or her equipement and take acoustic measurements as I'm just an amateur messing about.
I was looking at Thomann's site and found this :

Thomann Diffusors

Diffusors at Europe's largest retailer of musical instruments - fast delivery, 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and 3-year Thomann warranty

www.thomann.de

Thomann Broadband Acoustic Absorbers

Broadband Acoustic Absorbers at Europe's largest retailer of musical instruments - fast delivery, 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and 3-year Thomann warranty

www.thomann.de

It's a small room that also acts as a small office, about 280 cm wide x 280 cm long, height about 280 (perfect cube ), with a double-glazed window.
Is there anything I can do to optimise the acoustics and keep angry neighbours out ?

There's a lot you can do yourself, depending on your budget. Home Depot sells huge sheets of acoustic paneling for about $17.00 each.
There's all types of 1' by 1' foam squares you can get on ebay and amazon. You can hang carpet on your walls. You can do combinations of all of these things. I even took some 2x4's and build a 10' square 4" 'riser' which I stuffed with cardboard and carpet, and finished nicely, so my entire mixing area, chair, etc, was on a small riser which really helped to reduce the noise and chair moving, etc, from my downstairs neighbor. Carpet is cheap.

 

[DavidS]

Can I be a real heretic (although this is a keyboard forum) and suggest that your least expensive way is to get a good set of headphones, and some compensation mixing software so that it sounds like a studio? The results are a lot likely to be better than anything diy related, as well as cheaper.
On the other hand, if you sing, or play the guitar etc as well ...........

 

[gwc uk]

DavidS. Did you not read the initial article...The Question was.

I need some advice on how to properly insulate a small home studio on a budget (appartment building)