Bob recommends employing multiple techniques when soundproofing a home studio properly, including installing decoupled walls, floating ceiling and soundproof door to create your “room within a room”.
Soundproofing keeps outside noise at bay while keeping internal sounds within the studio, providing for more stable recordings by eliminating ambience. Absorbers are wall-mounted materials that absorb certain frequencies.
Mass-loaded vinyl (MLV)
Mass-loaded vinyl is one of the best soundproofing materials you can purchase for home studios. Not only is it versatile and can be used in various ways, it is also made up of vinyl impregnated with various metal particles to increase its weight – usually an 1/8th of an inch thick and one pound per square foot; making this much denser than sheet lead, giving it increased noise reduction capabilities.
MLV can effectively reduce both airborne and structure-borne noise. Its use ranges from people talking to loud music; soundproofing walls and ceilings is another common application; professional recording studios as well as do-it-yourself projects commonly employ this material safely as long as the safety instructions are observed.
MLV’s primary component, barium sulfate, acts as an effective sound barrier and is non-toxic for easier handling than elemental barium. Furthermore, MLV is easily cut and shaped for installation in hard-to-reach locations like corners or curves.
To maximize the potential of MLV, always caulk the edges to create an airtight seal and stop sound energy from passing through gaps or holes. Furthermore, caulk seams between pieces of MLV for extra protection against cracking in walls and ceilings.
MLV can be utilized for many residential soundproofing projects. It can be installed into walls of home theater or music rooms to increase their Sound Transmission Class Rating (STC), used as part of a noise barrier fence around your generator or window or used to soundproof one of them. MLV is also an excellent solution for wrapping around noisy water pipes or air ducts to reduce their amount of noise produced, and provides sound isolation as an acoustic curtain solution in bedrooms or other rooms with sound isolation as a key priority.
Isolation foam
When recording music, having a soundproof studio space is essential to producing quality recordings that will impress clients. By blocking outside noises from infiltrating recordings and limiting echo and reverberation, echoes and reverberation issues won’t contaminate recordings and make details hard to hear in songs. When combined together, these issues can compromise recording quality significantly – creating professional-grade recordings which impress.
Professional studios typically construct their rooms to achieve ideal acoustics; this approach may not be practical in home studio settings. Luckily, however, there are various soundproofing hacks that can improve the acoustic quality of recording spaces at home.
These hacks include using acoustic foam to minimize external noise in your home studio and sealing air gaps that allow sound leakage into and out of the room. You could also add acoustic panels on walls and ceilings for sound absorption purposes.
One of the easiest and most reliable ways to soundproof your home studio is through installing mass-loaded vinyl (MLV). This noise reduction material can reduce up to 30dB with just one layer applied properly; four-foot rolls make installation simple.
If your room is large enough, consider building a separate soundproofed studio to isolate recording sessions from the rest of your home and increase resale value while giving yourself an oasis dedicated to recording. If your space isn’t large enough for this approach, consider using acoustic treatments and foam to reduce sound transmission through ceiling and floor panels.
If you’re planning on soundproofing your home studio, be aware that this can be an expensive and complex project. Hiring a contractor and purchasing materials are just the start – to achieve optimal recordings you may also require purchasing additional acoustic equipment to optimize results from recordings.
Door and window seals
Door and window seals are an inexpensive yet effective way to soundproof your home studio. Available at most hardware stores, these products can make a significant impact in reducing noise inside your room. It’s simple to install them onto doors and windows for instant soundproofing! There are various thickness options available but for optimal results I suggest searching out thicker products which absorb more sound waves.
There are some outstanding DIY kits on the market which provide high-density foam that is self-adhesive for soundproofing doors, windows and can reduce air and noise infiltration while helping save energy costs. They’re easily installed using simple household hand tools. Furthermore, these products work wonders in helping keep noise out, keeping windows clear of air infiltration while saving energy!
Sound-absorbing neoprene rubber gaskets provide another viable option, providing sound absorption while simultaneously preventing vibration. This method is ideal for older buildings with irregularities around the door that create gaps around its perimeter; additionally, this solution will significantly boost performance of standard lightweight door assemblies.
At the bottom of a door, silicone sweeps can help seal off the gap between floor and door to reduce sound transference while simultaneously keeping out dust and insects. This is particularly effective if your room opens out into other parts of your house; they help create an acoustically balanced environment and are vital if running an open studio setup with outside noise being introduced, or is connected directly to other rooms within.
Purchase and install a door frame sleeve to reduce vibration and sound transmission, such as one made of polyethylene or nylon that fits over its top edge to help mitigate vibration and noise transmission. Installation should be relatively straightforward without interfering with door opening and closing action.
Note that DIY soundproofing techniques cannot fully isolate a room, but should allow you to record music comfortably in an apartment recording studio. Their effectiveness can be significant.
Floor isolation
Soundproofing your home studio can be daunting on a limited budget, as there are various methods of soundproofing which all address different kinds of noise and problems. A good place to begin would be with soundproofing walls, ceiling and floor to reduce unwanted noise and make your studio more usable. Once this basic work has been accomplished, then further treatments such as acoustic treatment could further refine recording spaces for optimal recording results.
Home studio soundproofing requires striking a balance between absorptive and reflective materials. By controlling reflections to prevent them from echoing around the room and mitigating bass anomalies more accurately, you can achieve more accurate results and produce more accurate music recordings. Acoustic treatments like sound diffusers and absorbers may help, however to create the ideal environment, complete isolation may be best as this will eliminate sounds such as those produced by family members, pets, as well as outside noises from entering.
As part of your home studio setup, it’s also crucial that your studio doesn’t share space with rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundry areas in your home. This will reduce noises that could interfere with your work and prevent you from reaching a state of flow while working. Furthermore, try not locating it too near heating/cooling ducts which create vibrations which affect acoustic properties of the space and its overall acoustics properties.
Soundproofing specialists can advise you on the ideal solution to meet your individual requirements for home studio soundproofing, such as mass-loaded vinyl (MLV), isolation foam and acoustic insulation. Curtains or drapes equipped with sound-absorbing materials should also help block unwanted noises from entering.
One of the best ways to soundproof a home studio is by creating a “room within a room.” This method uses decoupled walls, suspended ceiling and floating floor to isolate airborne and vibration sounds. To do this, separate frames need to be constructed in front of existing frames with gaps at least 10mm wide between them and walls/ceilings/ceilings/etc.