Soundproofing an already built room?

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:23 am

Hi,
I'm getting started into recording, I'm gonna purchase some gear soon, but one of my concerns is about soundproofing...

I'm actually gonna use my room as a studio, which is about 8x6x8 feet, with really bad insulation in the interior walls and wood floor, and I can't rebuild anything, I just need some advice for maybe some sort of material to put over the existing walls, the cheapest the better, as long as it does a good job and doesn't look too crazy, cause I'm actually living in there too...and the room will be used both for recording and playback.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:13 pm

Does anyone have any advice?

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:31 pm

Your talkin' 'bout a bedroom boss. There just isn't anything, short of moving, that even the best advice given here could help you correct in an 8X6 room.

If you have insulation at all, that is better than none.

Work on yer chops and save up for a bigger room, that's the best I can offer ya.

Brien

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 1:05 pm

Actually I have a closet bed to save up some space.

And I'm 18, I can't really go on to buying a role new house or something...

but thanks for the answer anyways.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:02 pm

I said bigger room.

I would suspect 18 is as good an age as any to set a goal or two:) You can have a 10'X12' shed built in the back yard for about 1,700.00(USD).

"Where am I gonna get that kinda cash" you ask?

Not my goal boss so I could not tell ya where the money will come from.
Or you could build it yourself?

In-house recording, you just can't have gear without space to use it.

Brien

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:47 pm

Thanks again but my backward is fully taken by a pool.

I was asking the question for advice on traps or whatever their called to keep the sound from building up and echoing everywhere.

Cash isn't really an issue I have time to get some anyway.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:06 pm

Slice,

OK... first and foremost... If you're REALLY serious about this and have permission from your landowner/parents...

READ THE STICKY at the top of the forum!

Next, get this committed to your thinking; Soundproofing is NOT the same as acoustical treatment.

Figure out how much soundproofing you have and need. Take care of that first.

Work on your acoustical treatment.

If you aren't all that serious, then just hang another layer of gypsum on top of the existing layer and live with the bleed from flanking noise. At least apply a 2/3 coverage of Green Glue.

Then make yourself some superchunk bass traps in the vertical corners and along the ceiling/wall junctions. Cover with something like a fire retardant burlap from Gilford of Maine.

It won't be perfect, but it will work better than nothing.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:18 pm

Sorry for the misunderstanding I'm a bit new to this, I really meant acoustical treatment.
My point isn't to be perfect for now, it's to be better than nothing.

Thanks for the advice MadMax.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:16 pm

OK...

I'm NOT the resident expert... far from it, so read and read and re-read until you're clear... OK?? Also... READ the STICKY at the top of this forum.

Use the search function in the forum... you'll find lots of answers in here have already been asked.

As small of a room as you have, you're going to do yourself a great deal of good by increasing your rooms ability to absorb low frequencies. You NEED to put as much absorbtion in that room as you can stand... but this is ONLY going to really help with getting your mixes accurate.

Anything that your might record that involves a mic is going to give you a more accurate frequency response, but it's also likely to sound very dead.

What this means in terms of equipment is that you are more than likely going to use/need to use a reverb and/or delay to make the sound more natural.

There's a lot more to it than that, but this isn't something you just "know" or learn in a few short years.

Again... use the search function... it'll help you formulate more precise questions.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:26 pm

Well you just about answered pretty much all my questions anyway thanks.

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