article on Soundproofing a Room from Wired.com

[hotrodperlmutter]

i have been trying to think of ways to make my 'jam' room more friendly for my girlfriend when she's home, and have been running through different scenarios when my head allows for it.

i came across this interesting (albeit a little vague) article from wired.com that appears to have answered a few questions i had.

Soundproof a Room

the original article (also linked at the bottom of the first article, but i missed it):

Soundproofing an Apartment

any thoughts on the info provided here?

i was actually just planning on gluing carpet to my concrete wall, and adding baffles or egg cartons to the sheetrock walls. i'd eventually like to record in there, but i'll see how far i can get with keeping the noise local.

[Al_]

That article has some good info--basically adding mass and sealing gaps around doors and such where sound can leak out. Your concrete wall is likely the most massive in your space so not sure what the carpet will do. If you're concerned about reflections/standing waves you're better off putting up some broad band absorption (Owens Corning 703 or similar rigid fiberglass insulation) and bass traps in the corner. Carpet will just suck out all the high end and leave youwiht a muddy sound. Your sheet-rock wall may require fortifying to get it's sound transmission down; and not sure what's going on with your celing. the best soundproofing would be a room-within-a-room construction; but not sure what your budget is or how far you want to go. Egg crates are useless.

[johnniespring]

soundproofing a room that was not designed to be soundproofed will be very expensive. the simplest option is to jam when she is out or get her to listen to some music with headphones as far away as possible if she is in while you jam.

i used to practice at a local council owned studio. there was a pro studio in the building above. complaints about noise led the council to explore sound proofing options for the practice studio. the cost made them decide to stop bands using the studios. it now runs as a general IT, DJ skills and electronic music production training centre for unemployed people who do not realise that the courses they do there will not help them find a job in the music industry.