Soundproofing a basement for recording and practices?

[trauma08]

My band and I practice in my basement. My basement is completely underground, so all the sound escapes upstairs and out that way! My basement is 1091 sq ft and in a "L" shape and is got concrete floors and has some kinda spray on insulation on the walls but nothing on the ceilings. My home was built in 1933 and has oak wood floors. What reccomendations for cheap soundproofing does anybody reccomend?

[D Charles]

I'd get the spray on expanding foam installed in the basement ceiling. Not only will it insulate, but it will seal every little crack and hole which is where sound escapes. Then you might seal under your door into the basement.

 

Remember that sound is like water; it can escape through any small opening, you need things air tight to contain it.

[SkullCap]

Be careful if you use expanding foam, it's highly flammable and your house has to breath - there needs to be a place for the ground moisture to evaporate to.

 

Are you using just a small part of your basement or the whole thing to practice? If you're using just a small part you could cheaply build a partition wall out of 2x4's, cover it with plywood and rigid foam board insulation or carpet - very low tech and it won't cancel all the noise but it will help. You could also cover your floor joists with rigid foam insulation and or a thin plywood.

[Lee Knight]

Hang 2 thicknesses of drywall on the ceiling/floor from resilient channel. Make sure you've sealed it off completely here. Plug basement windows. Put on a solid core door and weatherstripping including a bottom strip. Or better yet a sealed threshhold.

[Strange]

It is common, in comercial settings, to install two layers of 5/8 sheetrock running in opposite directions. In combination with proper insulation, it helps by further sealing up the joints. It might actually be better to use two thickness of sheetrock though, say 5/8 and a 1/2 layers.

[GZsound]

The double layer drywall is the best idea..and make sure you use resiliant channel.. and insulate between the floor joists.

 

Seal the seams in the first layer before installing the second layer in the opposite direction. Caulk around the edges.

[CrashingReality]

The best value in the history of soundproofing is moving blankets. They are like $10, very large, extremely durable, and very good at killing sound.

 

The big secret is sloppy installation. That is, you mount them to the wall/ceiling in a wrinkled up way, so the surface is not flat. Very effective.

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

The best value in the history of soundproofing is moving blankets. They are like $10, very large, extremely durable, and very good at killing sound. The big secret is sloppy installation. That is, you mount them to the wall/ceiling in a wrinkled up way, so the surface is not flat. Very effective.

 

That's possibly the least expensive way of adding absorption within the room in an effort to improve the interior acoustics; the "sound of the room" - however, it will do little or nothing in practical terms for preventing sound from escaping the basement and reaching the rest of the house.

[Jimbroni]

Alot of good acoustical advice here. However ....

 

Be careful what you wish for. IMO its not good idea to cap your ceiling acoustically.

 

Bass / sound build up in the room could very easily become a problem. New room modes you will have to deal with, etc. You will have to use alot of bass traps to accomodate the potential bass build up in the room and you may not have the real estate to do so. Bass traps can take up a lot of room.

 

Not to mention home maintenance issues like wiring or plumbing will all have to be carefully considered.

 

You may want to simply go with an absorptive approach (insulation, anderson acoustic ceiling tiles) on the ceiling to deaden sound going thru the floor as well take out reflections that will make the room have that boxey small room sound. This will not sound proof your basement from the upstairs though, but is more for making the basement sound better.

 

You can reduce noise going upstairs by walling in the sides of the room to prevent sound from traveling up the stairs, also a door between your upstairs and downstairs will help. Also try to avoid a perfectly square or rectangular room design. This will help manage room modes.

 

And a double wall system is indeed the way to go to create acoustic barriers.

 

 

Another thing I've done in basements, is use those peel and stick damper patches on the furnace and duct work. Have your bass player find the note that makes that furnace sing and place damper patches on that thing until its dead.

[Jimbroni]

Oh yeah cold air returns. In old houses alot of times those are basically tin spanned across the ceiling studs. If thats the case ripping those out and replacing them with plywood will get rid of alot buzz from the bass.

[WRGKMC]

2 suggestions. If you have enough height Double sheetrock and build a second ceiling with the same if you want to really reduce the sound upstairs.

I did my garage with doubble walls and the leakage is barely audiable. For budget purposes I used Ceiling tiles and coated with foam rug undermatting on walls and cieling. Wound up being too dead like being in a coffin. I eventually added reflective surfaces over the foam in strategic areas like around the drums and on some walls to get back some resonance. For those on a budget, the foam is extremely cheap/ maybe a few dollars per square yard unlike the acoustic foam which can be 10s of dollars. It comes in some wicked colors too.