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Soundproof Drum Room??


Circus Hands

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Anyone built a soundproof room for playing drums in? Things to look out for etc?

I realise it won't be completely soundproof, but I'm looking for a large reduction so that I can practice at home in my basement. I got a costing from a soundproofing supplier, but it's really expensive so I'd rather hear about some experiences before I splash the cash!

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Carpet on the walls and ceiling is a good start. If you look in the press and journal (or any other local paper) adverts you'll see people giving away carpet for free if you collect it from them. A few lengths of wood from B&Q to secure it.

A very good thing to have is a second door to create a room within a room. Build a frame to distance it from the actual door and fix wooden sheets to both sides. Carpet this as well on the side your drums are on. The second door creates an air gap which really stops the sound escaping. I've seen this second door air gap anything from a few inches to a few feet so whatever best suits the room will work fine :up:

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Carpet on the walls and ceiling is a good start. If you look in the press and journal (or any other local paper) adverts you'll see people giving away carpet for free if you collect it from them. A few lengths of wood from B&Q to secure it.

A very good thing to have is a second door to create a room within a room. Build a frame to distance it from the actual door and fix wooden sheets to both sides. Carpet this as well on the side your drums are on. The second door creates an air gap which really stops the sound escaping. I've seen this second door air gap anything from a few inches to a few feet so whatever best suits the room will work fine :up:

Yeah I'd thought about carpet but was unsure if it would actually help. And it is a room within a room I'm going to build, so hopefully it'll work. I've got a new kit sitting at my parents that I can't play - so frustrating!!

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Yeah I'd thought about carpet but was unsure if it would actually help. And it is a room within a room I'm going to build, so hopefully it'll work. I've got a new kit sitting at my parents that I can't play - so frustrating!!

Try to make the inner room as free from direct contact with outer room as possible. Much of the noise spillage comes from sound traveling through framework, posts, joist etc. Spaces filled with insulation!

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Try to make the inner room as free from direct contact with outer room as possible. Much of the noise spillage comes from sound traveling through framework, posts, joist etc. Spaces filled with insulation!

To stop the sound going through the frame a lot of people use neoprene.

Check out Sound On Sound website, they have a few articles on soundproofing home studios.

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  • 2 weeks later...

this site is pretty good for buying foam, which I know can be VERY expensive.

eFoam, all sorts of foam: Acoustic Sound Proofing Foam

If you were doing the room within a room thing AND used this foam to treat the inside walls then I think you'll be doing well. Insulating the space inbetween the two rooms would be even better!! (you could just use standard house insulation or rockwool for this? pretty sure B&Q had a good sale on just now at something stupid like 1 per roll?)

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this site is pretty good for buying foam, which I know can be VERY expensive.

eFoam, all sorts of foam: Acoustic Sound Proofing Foam

If you were doing the room within a room thing AND used this foam to treat the inside walls then I think you'll be doing well. Insulating the space inbetween the two rooms would be even better!! (you could just use standard house insulation or rockwool for this? pretty sure B&Q had a good sale on just now at something stupid like 1 per roll?)

I'm sceptical. The "soundproofing" looks like ordinary foam to me, so I assume it'll have all the soundproofing capabilities of ordinary foam. The lack of tech specs for it is not a good sign. Not that it's going to have much effect unless you entirely cover the room in it.

Filling the voids is essential though. Whatever sound gets out of the room needs to have it's energy dissipated or it'll travel through every space it can.

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to clarify, although the foam will help i use it more as a treatment for the walls to help prevent standing waves etc when recording and have put it inside a 'vocal booth' to help create some dead space to record vocals/guitars into.

However, if you did cover the whole room in it then I think it would help a little.

But yes insulating the gaps is where you'll help reduce most of the sound waves escaping.

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to clarify, although the foam will help i use it more as a treatment for the walls to help prevent standing waves etc when recording and have put it inside a 'vocal booth' to help create some dead space to record vocals/guitars into.

However, if you did cover the whole room in it then I think it would help a little.

But yes insulating the gaps is where you'll help reduce most of the sound waves escaping.

Hmm, ok - I was slightly confused from reading up on the gaps between the inner and outer rooms. Some seemed to say that the best sound insulator would be air - thereby leaving the gap unfilled. Others seem to say that filling the gap with rockwool type stuff is the way to go. This sounds more plausible to me to be honest. I'm not sure that treating the internal room is the way to go, as it's unlikely I'll be doing any recording in it - just making loads of noise!

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Hmm, ok - I was slightly confused from reading up on the gaps between the inner and outer rooms. Some seemed to say that the best sound insulator would be air - thereby leaving the gap unfilled. Others seem to say that filling the gap with rockwool type stuff is the way to go. This sounds more plausible to me to be honest. I'm not sure that treating the internal room is the way to go, as it's unlikely I'll be doing any recording in it - just making loads of noise!

An airgap only works if the airgap is sealed. Like double glazing. Since it's unlikely that your outer room is sealed the next best thing is to give any sound that makes it into the airgap a hard time.

Sound like travelling through solids, that's why you use neoprene to decouple the touching solid structures.

Sound likes travelling through air, that's why you put up walls.

Sound hates travelling from air to solid and vice-versa. That's why a sealed airgap would work, you force the sound to dissipate a lot of energy in the transition from air-solid-air-solid-air. Rockwool etc forces more of these transitions but, since it isn't as dense, is less efficient at it and there is also an element of physical coupling. It will stop so much sound "leaking" out of gaps though.

You'll need something in the room for your own benefit as well. You know how "echoey" empty rooms are. Cheap/free carpet and anything else that'll absorb and/or diffract the sound instead of reflecting it will do.

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