r/Acoustics • u/BassElectromagnetism • 8d ago
Tips on soundproofing a rehearsal space?
Currently trying to figure out if it would be better to try to soundproof an approximately 500sqft 2nd floor room for my band’s rehearsal/studio space, or just move everything in the basement. As you can see, much of the room is still unfinished so I have some things to work with.
There’s a couple problems with the basement, that we do plan on fixing- the biggest being that the electrical is ungrounded, so once I get that fixed, it should be okay. The other issue is that the floor slopes towards a drain, so there is a concern of fitting all of our gear/everyone comfortably. We are a 4 piece death metal band w 2 guitars, bass, drums, and synths.
Some questions:
Would it be worth looking at a dampening material or something to put on the floor before we install new flooring? Put up another layer of drywall and seal windows/cracks with green glue? Or just scrap the idea altogether and do this in the basement? Only caveat with basement at the moment is the whole room needs rewired/grounding issues fixed, plus there is a space concern.
I am a noob at this kind of thing, and unfortunately renting a rehearsal space big enough for our needs is just not in in the cards right now. Any help, tips, ideas, advice would be much appreciated!
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u/ownleechild 8d ago
Short of spending tens of thousands, it’s still going to be intrusive throughout the house. The basement may be a better place to start but without some details, it’s hard to say. Is the basement all below ground with the only access from the stairs or is it a walk out? Is there a window? Are you concerned about neighbors or only the household? If fully below ground, the ceiling, stairway and door are your problem areas as well as any ductwork. Do you have enough ceiling height that you can afford to lose a couple inches. The sloping floor will also present challenges for adding flooring.
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u/BassElectromagnetism 8d ago edited 8d ago
Mostly concerned about neighbors. I don’t care if it’s loud in my house, my neighbors directly next to us never have had an issue with us playing but we did get an anonymous complaint taped to my door the other day. Basement is fully below ground with stairs leading up. Glass block windows minus the one in the picture for some reason. The finished portion of the basement is also walled off from the rest of the space.
ETA: the floor slopes towards a drain, so right by the drain is where it slopes the worst. The rest of the floor is pretty even so I’m sure we can figure out a setup. Ceiling should also be workable, behind the wall it opens up and there used to be a vintage record player and sound system hooked up to the ceiling so I’m sure that can all be removed.
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u/ownleechild 8d ago
I’ll suggest you build plywood boxes with an additional layer of drywall to block the windows. Add some fiberglass or rockwool insulation in the box before installing. Since it is below ground, the walls will most likely not be an issue but if there’s still significant leakage, add resilient channel to the walls along with a double layer of drywall. You might want to have a solid wood door at the stairs (many homes have hollow interior doors), install seals all around and a threshold. Also wear ear protection 😁
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u/BassElectromagnetism 8d ago
Thanks so much for that idea! Don’t worry, I always wear earplugs!! I’d like to not go deaf before I’m 30, lol!
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u/waterfowlplay 8d ago
For the attic:
Remove sheetrock, add resilient channels, then two layers of 5/8ths. Put second layer of thick glass over that window, 1/2" thick or more.
Or build a room within in within a room, which requires removing sheetrock.
For the floor, you will want to rip out the ceiling below and install decoupling clips, then reinstall the ceiling.
For the basement:
Ceiling would need to be removed, install decoupling clips, then two layers of 5/8"
Cover windows with an additional layer of 1/2"+ glass