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Soundproofing

bingerbinger Posts: 179
edited April 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
I'm cleaning out my garage this week, turning it into jam central for the warm weather. I'm looking for relatively inexpensive ways to keep the noise down to a dull roar so I don't wake the neighbors. Anybody got any ideas?
I want to point out that people who seem to have no power, whether working people, people of color, or women -- once they organize and protest and create movements -- have a voice no government can suppress. Howard Zinn
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Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    egg crate mattresses all over the walls and windows.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    egg crate mattresses all over the walls and windows.


    Egg crate or any other form of foam mattress-pad will work great on the walls. However, I'd recommend getting some dense foam from a lumber or building-supply store, and cutting it to fit in the windows. You'd probably want stuff that's at least 3-4" thick for the windows, and I believe you can just buy it in a 4x8' sheet and cut it to size yourself with a serated blade.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    There is no inexpensive way to soundproof a room. conservative costs of doing it right are about $60 a square foot. The best you can hope for is to attenuate the sound by about 8-10 db without going for it.

    Culprits are windows, doors, anything that can open. Get some carpets to dampen the sound vibrating across the floor...egg crate has really bad STC ratings...try fiberglass instead if you can swing it, or more carpets.You want materials with high absorbtion coefficients whenever and however possible.

    Good luck :)
    new music: http://www.myspace.com/blackbirdsymphonique

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  • DirtLikeMeDirtLikeMe Posts: 91
    It depends what you think is cheap. It also depends on by how much you want to decrease the decible level.

    I have looked into soundproofing in the past and found out that it costs a ton of money. Just simple foam for the walls adds up when you have to cover an entire room.

    Here is a link you can check out for sound proofing a garage for band practice:
    http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/garage.htm

    This site has all you could want to soundproof a room from bass traps to echo eliminators:
    http://www.soundprooffoam.com/
    And if hope could grow from dirt like me, it can be done
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    enharmonic wrote:
    Get some carpets to dampen the sound vibrating across the floor...


    Another good recommendation. Some thick carpet can really help with absorbtion. Even better is carpet padding, the stuff they put underneath carpet. Tack that stuff up to the wall, and you're in business. I'd check out a carpet store and see if you can buy their scraps at discount.

    Egg crate is still better than nothing, and it's cheap. It is true, however, that it doesn't absorb a lot of sound. It is, however, pretty good at diffusion (preventing echo/reverberation).
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • cableguy119cableguy119 Posts: 114
    In 3-5 weeks most colleges will be getting done for the semester. They throw out tons of carpets beacuse of stains or in some cases people just don't want to haul them home. I know Penn State has a yard sale of usable items collected at the end of the Spring semester that the students left for trash. The Proceeds of this yard sale go to a local charity and the rest ends up being thrown out as planned. But that means tons of area rugs. Cut to fit hang on some screw in hooks and the sound proofing will do nicely. Just an idea. Yeah go dumpster diving for carpet.
    So many amazing shows! Thank you.
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