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[djarrett]

I am assuming that you are in a more suburbia area? Perhaps the first thing would be to look for facts about builders in your area. Some builders automatically take extra steps in the construction process to minimize noise levels in a home. If the basement is concrete block construction ... make sure that the builder filled the voids in the block with insulation (a poured substance that looks like vermiculite)

 

Then you will want to know the R value of insulation used in the exterior walls. R-value determines the thickness of insulation used.

 

After those considerations ... the rest is up to you. I suggest some sound absorption foam panels from Auralex. They are cheap ... and they *do* work (I speak first hand to this).

 

Additionally, make sure that if you have carpet installed that you spend a few extra dollars and get padding installed under the carpet. If you have a dropped ceiling, you can install a layer of insulation yourself ... It is no fun, but will be worth the effort!

 

Know that this house hunting with these types of requirements can be trying at times. Have patience and good hunting!

 

DJ

[Lee Flier]

Actually I would have to add that if you're planning to record drums, you should NOT put carpet padding in your room. It KILLS drums sounds. If you have adequate insulation in the walls and ceiling of a basement, you shouldn't need it. I have my studio in my basement, cinder block walls with an inner wall inside and some air space between them. Air is the best insulation. I have an acoustical tile drop ceiling and the acoustical tiles absorb a lot of sound, plus there's insulation in the ceiling. The floor is just the concrete slab with that bitumen-clay tile like you see in grocery stores and hospital floors. I have a very thin rug under the drum kit to keep it from sliding around, and that's it. Recording drums in rooms with padded carpet gives me nightmares. I have had no complaints from neighbors with my setup.

 

Re: yard work. My back yard is quite large but it's wooded. No maintenance. I don't know if you live in an area where there are a lot of trees, but if you do you might try looking for a place with a large wooded lot. You won't have yard work, and the trees do a lot to shield you from neighbors.

 

--Lee

[djarrett]

Quote:PopMusic:

P.S.: I should note that I do not have a full drum set yet -- just a crash, ride, and high hat. So I don't know how loud a kit would be in an average basement with all the windows closed... I'm hoping it's not going to be an issue for the neighbors, especially if I'm playing at 11:30 at night.

 

I think you should be prepared for the worst! A good plan is to approach your neighbors in advance and inform them of your concern to disturb them. They will most likely be willing to work out times with you that suit all parties concerned.

 

You will make for better neighbors from the get-go!

 

DJ

[Lee Flier]

Hmmm... I'm hoping to have an all-in-one tracking/mixing room, and I've found that, in order to hear a mix well, a carpeted floor is almost a necessity. (My last apartment had all hardwood floors and was dang near impossible to critically hear *anything* with all the reflections in the room.) What would you suggest in order to do have a room to be used for both tracking and mixing? Carpeting on half of the room?

 

I have an all-in-one room as well. The bitumen tile floor is WAY less reflective than hardwood or ceramic tile, and I have area rugs around. With area rugs you can put them down when you're mixing and take them up when tracking if you need to. I have my drum kit at one end of the room with only a thin rug under it as I mentioned, but at the other end is where I have my mix station and I have a futon near it and some other stuff to deaden sound, as well as an area rug.

 

I AM dealing with some standing wave issues during mixing but that has more to do with the walls than the floor. Putting bass traps in the corners and along the wall across from my mix station should take care of it.

 

Yeah, having a wooded area as part of my property would be great... I'm going to have to learn more about the area, but it seems as though the neighborhoods are really overdeveloped with very little land, and you're usually right next to your neighbor. I hope to find a house that gives me more than a few feet away from the neighbors, though...

 

There are a lot of neighborhoods like that here in suburban Atlanta, too. I avoided those like the plague. Newer houses are cheaply built, and as you say, your neighbors are right on top of you.

 

What I did was to buy an older (about 40 years old) brick house in a neighborhood that is in a desirable part of town but is more established (and the houses are not packed in so tight). The older house is more sturdily built and soundproof. But because of the location the value of my house has nearly doubled in the 7 years I've owned it. Just shop around for the right neighborhood and don't listen to realtors. They all want to sell you on those subdivisions with the postage stamp sized yards. If you decide you want an older house, tell them that, and if they don't listen, get a different realtor. After going through several, I found one who understood what I wanted and who turned me on to this neighborhood. It was an area I hadn't even heard of, but I could tell immediately that the value could only increase over time. Homes here generally sell within a couple of weeks and sometimes a couple of days! So don't assume that only the newer homes are going to sell fast - the realtors would rather have you think that because they have often deals with the builders.

 

--Lee

[Lee Flier]

* I want central air. My current apartment has it and now I can't live without it! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

Well I don't know why you wouldn't think an older (like 1950's or 60's) house wouldn't have central air. Mine does.

 

* Maintenance issues. Aside from the routine stuff that goes with owning a house, I'd like to avoid the *big* maintenance stuff (like a new roof) by selling it before that day happens. Granted, it's a crapshoot even with newer houses, but I think my odds are better at less mantenance with a newer house.

 

I totally disagree! Of course you have to use some caution when looking at older houses, but many of them are built like tanks whereas the newer ones are just CHEAP and shoddily built. Look for an older house that's been well taken care of and updated over time. When I bought my house it had a new water heater, A/C and the roof had been replaced 5 years earlier. I have had NO maintenance problems here in 7 years, other than routine stuff. On the other hand, EVERYone I know with a new house has had all kinds of problems - leaking roofs, bathroom tile cracking due to inadequately reinforced floors, cheap fixtures breaking, all sorts of crap.

 

Something to think about anyway.

 

--Lee

[djarrett]

Hey, PopMusic:

I have to agree with Lee here (although you will ultimately do what you feel you have to).

I was told to buy in a better, newer neighborhood, but instead opted to buy a home built in 1965. I bought a home that was upscale when originally built. I spent some time restoring (basically updating) the appliances and bathrooms and did update the HVAC. In 6 years, my home has doubled in value. (appraised last week!)

It has been the best investment I could have ever made!

Because it is an older home, the lot is bigger, but I maintain a wooded area in the back and the only upkeep is the front yard. I have 1.7 acres because of the age of the neighborhood.

I can practice with full band and the neighbors do not even know!

 

You may consider looking for an older home that has been well maintained!

 

Just a thought.

 

DJ

[lockbody]

Just to add...

My wife and I are about to close on a house very much like Lee and DJ have:

 

38 yrs old

1.4 acres on a wooded lot

full basement

etc...

 

The ONLY thing I was concerned with was that I would be able to practice in the house we bought. I have a very, very loud band. Plus, I want to be able to record loud bands, if necessary, at my house. We've looked at a LOT (around 45 open houses, alone) of homes in the past couple of months and let me say that the new homes in whatever price range you're looking in won't be as well constructed as an older one. Period.

 

We always thought we were "city folk" but I'll tell you, the view from the deck of this house overlooking our lot (and listening to the owls and other wildlife) will be worth the added 20-30 minutes I'll have to drive to/from work everyday.

 

Don't dismiss a home in an older neighborhood.

 

Bob

[b3wiz]

I live in a very quiet neighborhood. I am surrounded on 3 sides with thick spruce trees and there is a woods across the road on the 4th side, but because it is so quiet here I knew that I would have to sound proof things if we were going to live here in peace and harmony with the neighbors.

 

I called a friend of mine who is a producer/engineer/studio designer who has built studios for Paul McCartney, Whitney Houston and other big names. His home studio is in a quiet residential area too and had to reckon with this problem. He told me that he had to encase his studio with 3 layers of sheet rock to keep the sound inside. He tried 2 layers and it wasn't enough.

 

So, I took his word for it and am glad I did. You can't hear my whole band rehearsing 10 feet outside of the studio.

[felix stein]

http://www.auralex.com/

 

Download the Acoustics 101 PDF files.