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#1
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Will isolated sheets of fiberboard help reduce sound?
The sound leakage from my basement is okay in terms of not disturbing
neighbors "too much," but I'd still like to reduce it further so that I can record later into the evening. Most of the sound seems to escape from window locations. I'm talking mainly about bass drum and toms, but also my guitar amp. I know you need mass to reduce sound. If I cover the windows and interior walls with, say, 8'x4', 1" sheets of high density fiberboard (compressed sawdust), will I get any appreciable reduction of sound through the windows/walls? There will be gaps above the boards (10 ft. ceiling) and the entirety of each wall will not be covered. Perhaps 70% of the walls can be covered with the fiberboard sheets. Would there be a better choice than the fiberboard? Heavy fiberglass sheets, perhaps? Thanks! |
#2
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As far as I know...
Yes, you need mass, but it needs to be uninteruppted mass. Think of a boat - if you have a leak, the water gets through. Even a small hole can reduce the effectiveness of a wall by 6dB or more. I used plywood in my walls and ceiling and it worked fine - but I didn't have holes. I would expect fiberboard to work in a similar way. Absorbent sheets, such as rigid fiberglass (Owens Corning 703 or 705) will help to absorb reflections which will reduce the transmitted sound a little, but the openings will still dominate by far. They will typically help it sound better *inside* the room, depending on how they are used. In the same way, heavy moving blankets suspended from the ceiling and covering the walls will cut some of the sound down - but the bass frequencies in particular are a real pain to handle. -lee- |
#3
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As far as I know...
Yes, you need mass, but it needs to be uninteruppted mass. Think of a boat - if you have a leak, the water gets through. Even a small hole can reduce the effectiveness of a wall by 6dB or more. I used plywood in my walls and ceiling and it worked fine - but I didn't have holes. I would expect fiberboard to work in a similar way. Absorbent sheets, such as rigid fiberglass (Owens Corning 703 or 705) will help to absorb reflections which will reduce the transmitted sound a little, but the openings will still dominate by far. They will typically help it sound better *inside* the room, depending on how they are used. In the same way, heavy moving blankets suspended from the ceiling and covering the walls will cut some of the sound down - but the bass frequencies in particular are a real pain to handle. -lee- |
#4
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Hellen,
If I cover the windows and interior walls with, say, 8'x4', 1" sheets of high density fiberboard Lee nailed it. If you have even a tiny leak that will negate any benefit from adding mass. If the problem is mainly at the windows, which makes sense, then just focus on covering the windows and forget the walls. Use 3/4 inch MDF or equivalent, cut a few inches larger all around than the window size, and put it over the windows. You'll need caulk or equivalent to seal it to the walls air tight. --Ethan |
#5
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There will be gaps above the boards (10 ft. ceiling) and the
entirety of each wall will not be covered. Perhaps 70% of the walls can be covered with the fiberboard sheets. Then don't bother. I can tell you from experience that unless you do everything in your power to maintain an airtight fit you'll be wasting time, materials, and money. Joe Egan EMP Colchester, VT www.eganmedia.com |
#6
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From: "Ethan Winer" ethanwat
Lee nailed it. If you have even a tiny leak that will negate any benefit from adding mass. Does that mean that with "leaks" (ie, less than 100% coverage, or in my case, perhaps 70% of an interior wall covered with MDF board), there will basically be no sound reduction at all? Or will there be "some" impact, just not nearly as much as 100% coverage? I'm just looking for some sound reduction. If covering 70% or so of the walls with some very dense board (a la MDF) will provide some reduction, I'll probably try it. If it will provide next to no reduction, then obviously I'd be wasting time and money. Thanks! |
#7
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Hellen,
Does that mean that with "leaks" (ie, less than 100% coverage I meant actual leaks, like openings. Then cover the glass with MDF or sheet rock, because glass passes more sound than sheet rock walls. Once the windows are covered, then you can look into beefing up the walls. For that you can just use more layers of sheet rock. --Ethan |
#8
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On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 04:02:16 -0400, Hellenason7 wrote
(in article ): From: "Ethan Winer" ethanwat Lee nailed it. If you have even a tiny leak that will negate any benefit from adding mass. Does that mean that with "leaks" (ie, less than 100% coverage, or in my case, perhaps 70% of an interior wall covered with MDF board), there will basically be no sound reduction at all? Or will there be "some" impact, just not nearly as much as 100% coverage? I'm just looking for some sound reduction. If covering 70% or so of the walls with some very dense board (a la MDF) will provide some reduction, I'll probably try it. If it will provide next to no reduction, then obviously I'd be wasting time and money. Thanks! It ain't the covering. It's the combination of isolation and covering. Like peanut butter and jelly; if you don't have both, it ain't a sandwich. Ty Ford -- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric stuff are at www.tyford.com |
#9
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#10
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If covering 70% or so of
the walls with some very dense board (a la MDF) will provide some reduction, I'll probably try it. If it will provide next to no reduction, then obviously I'd be wasting time and money. With only 70% coverage of the offending sound leak, you will basically accomplish no discernable improvement in sound transmission. It really does need to be an airtight seal to get real results. Scott Fraser |
#11
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I don't know the numbers, but offhand Mikey's numbers (10-20% reduction) sound
about right. Another option, especially if you are able to wear headphones for the guitar would be a PODxt from Line6 to cut that part of the sound down. The drums, especially the kick, are still the killer. Of course, there's always Vdrums for that too..... -lee- |
#12
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#13
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#14
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On or about 11 Sep 2004 23:32:38 GMT, Leoaw3 allegedly wrote:
Yes, you need mass, but it needs to be uninteruppted mass. Think of a boat - if you have a leak, the water gets through. That's not a bad analogy. Where there is an air gap, there is a hole for the pressure difference (sound) to squirt through. Noel Bachelor noelbachelorAT(From:_domain) Language Recordings Inc (Darwin Australia) |
#15
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On or about 11 Sep 2004 23:32:38 GMT, Leoaw3 allegedly wrote:
Yes, you need mass, but it needs to be uninteruppted mass. Think of a boat - if you have a leak, the water gets through. That's not a bad analogy. Where there is an air gap, there is a hole for the pressure difference (sound) to squirt through. Noel Bachelor noelbachelorAT(From:_domain) Language Recordings Inc (Darwin Australia) |
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