Monday Mailbag – Soundproofing For A Music Room

Hi Mike,

What options do I need to consider if I’m going to help my Dad soundproof his music room? He’s in the process of building a home studio entirely from wood and it will also house a separate home theatre room. What materials do we need to consider for both, what kind of costs are involved and should we pause on the build until we have a solution pre worked out?

Thanks
Graeme

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Hi Graeme,

Anytime you are trying to slow sound pressure energy down, the first thing you do is put something between you and the noise source. To soundproof your Dad’s room, you will have to place a barrier between the sound source in the home studio and the rest of the house. Anytime you use barrier technology, you must use 75% thought and 25% action. Building it is a lot easier than designing a barrier that has the necessary sound transmission loss required to meet your expectations. One must put the thought and energy into the design phase. A good design will save you money in labor and materials down the road.

You will use the same barrier techniques for both your home theater and music room. Building materials can be block, poured concrete, and standard frame construction techniques. The chosen method will depend on many variables such as the existing foundation support structure and the room available to construct the barrier in. Have a professional design the room for you and then take the material list from the design and do your own material costing from the design. I would also suggest a time measurement of sound pressure levels from outside your father’s room over a one week period to insure the room designer knows what he or she is up against for his barrier technology design.

Cheers
Mike