need to make a room "dead''

[EmptinesOf Youth]

k im lookin for the cheapest way to do this, were turnin my drummers extra room into kind of a studion for us. i was thinking buying thick comforter blankets and stapling them to the walls would work but im not sure...any ideas? its a square room (which i know is bad) at about 15x15x8.

thanks

ryan

[Funk Jazz]

check out the Acoustic Forum and Ethan Winer\'s acoustic treatment for rooms . you'll find everything you need to know there.

[whitefang]

Need to make a room dead?

 

Put on some Yanni!

 

whitefang

[fogman]

I am an architectural designer. What kind of money are looking to spend?

I can give you numerous ways if you want to PM me or email me.

 

The cheapest way that's pretty good is attach a bezillion egg cartons to the wall.

 

If ou wish more formal scientic ways, let me know!

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

What are you actually trying to achieve?

 

The answer to that question will determine the level of success that you can expect.

 

A "dead" room sucks to play in, because we rely upon reflections for our own comfort level with sound. Know what would happen in a dead room? You'll turn up.

 

Now, chances are that it would be impossible for you to create a dead room out of a spare room anyway, because of the acoustical realities involving what it takes (and how much space it takes) to absorb given wavelengths. So you're likely going to just absorb all the high end, while the low end bounces around.

 

If your goal is to prevent the sounds of your band from traveling around the house.... well, just forget about it. That ain't gonna happen. The best that you can do is to get PODS and a digital drum kit, and have everyone use headphones. Then the rest of the house just has to hear you singing and jumping around.

 

Bill

[A String]

I'm with Fogman...egg cartons are the way to go for a "Dead Room". Blankets would just absorb the high end and make everything sound like crap. Now if you are talking about sound proofing, you can try blankets...They may help a bit, but there is not much you can do on a dime to sound proof a room properly.

[Guitarzan]

we used Tim Horton coffee trays to kill all the echos in our band room. it sure helped with the boominess. getting rid of our old bass player did the rest.

[Dave da Dude]

EOY,

Topic: need to make a room "dead''

Kill it!

 

Sorry. I tried to resist. Really I did. The third time I just had 'da do it

[Guitarzan]

at first i thought the thread was "how to make a room for the dead"

but you know how observant i am Dave.

[Shoes]

While using egg trays is a popular first thought it's likely better to take any material like that or foam and make larger geometric forms that you jam all over the walls & ceiling.

 

Anything that will screw up the natural action of sound waves will contribute to deadening the space.

 

Dead ... not sound proof.

 

Go to any used junk shop and buy those wooley wall office deviders. You can jam stuff on these and move them about as needed and call them Office Art when not required.

[Guitarzan]

here is our band room, you can see the coffee trays everywhere, as well as the ceiling tile we applied to some areas. it did help get rid of all the bouncing of soundwaves.

Band room

[Shoes]

I didn't get what you meant by coffee trays and thought they were large plastic serving trays

 

Ya.. those things are great because they have a nasty looking shape and pockets in them. You could add to their effectiveness by jamming used coffee cups in the holes too

 

Nice to have a dedicated space.

[Guitarzan]

i do drink alot of coffee, but i did not drink all those! someone gathered them for JIM.

[Afro_Man]

Do a search for whisper room on the low down lowdown and there is a site that specialises in making totally dead rooms, can't remeber the site address off the top of my head though.

[Dave da Dude]

A serious question now, seriously

 

Does it make any difference whether the egg cartons are cardboard or styrofoam?

 

Is a non-homogeneouos (can't remember the right word) okay?

[Big Red 67]

Carpet pad. Don't over do it the room will not be pleasing to listen to.

[Philip OKeefe]

Sorry to be contrary here, but egg cartons and things of that nature are NOT a good idea. First of all, while their shape may offer some diffusion (reducing hard "slap" and "flutter" echoes), they are only going to be absorptive at a very limited range of frequencies - mostly highs. Suck up nothing but highs and you'll wind up with a very unbalanced sounding room. Egg cartons will have no effect whatsoever at mid and low frequencies. Not only that, but chances are they are not going to be flame resistant, and could pose not only a fire hazard, but also a significant risk to your fire insurance policy.

 

Remember the nightclub fire in Rhode Island last year where the untreated foam went up like a blowtorch? It's just NOT worth it to use unsafe materials.

 

IMO, if sound transmission is the issue, you need mass - maybe a few additional layers of sheetrock will help with that (it's going to depend on how much isolation you need as well as the other particulars of you individual situation). If it's interior sonic improvements you're after, you should consider commercially marketed acoustic foam (such as Auralex or Sonex) and / or flame retardant fabric covered compressed fiberglass board such as Owens-Corning type 703 or similar, which can be made into not only high frequency absorbers, but also broadband and bass trap absorbers.

 

For the straight skinny on the subject, Ethan's forum is the place to go.

[Shoes]

The critical work was CHEEP. Dealing with low frequencies is never cheep because it's effectively soundproofing.

 

Economical, free or reclaimed materials typically take the form of these trays or other found items sometimes located at the Sanford residence or abandoned office supply depot.

 

They won't get it soundproofed without money. I've never seen anyone be successful at this without using real building materials.

Double wall, double plate, acoustic strapped, double sheetrock, floating floor & suspender ceilings , insulation with the addition of acoustic panels that can be positioned as needed. That's a studio and likely beyond what they're looking to do on the cheep.

 

Good point on the flame retardant nature of what ever you select; you can buy flame retardant paint that will at least slow the blaze should one occur.

 

This is a little different when you think about economy and a dead room for drums because without going into soundproofing you'll never cut those low end frequencies.

 

Back in the early 80's we built a half pipe in a friends back yard that was 16' wide, 20' from end to end and stood 12' high. Mr.X was able to resheet this monster every couple years to keep it in good shape. His parents never asked where the material came from. Nobody ever offered to say either

 

This statement in no way suggest that somebody with a handle like "EmptinessOFYouth" would understand what I'm not saying here.

 

Stand under me?

[whitefang]

Originally posted by Guitars are like shoes. But louder.:

Go to any used junk shop and buy those wooley wall office deviders. You can jam stuff on these and move them about as needed and call them Office Art when not required.

Yes, indeed. Never recorded, personally, but have seen many photos taken inside studios that had "rolling walls" of what looks like cubicle dividers that the musicians and/or equipment would be set between. If you can't find them to buy anywhere, an enterprising and talented toolman could probably make them out of thick plywood and old carpet.

 

Whitefang

[Billster]

Bill Park and Phil O'Keefe are right on It was actually the biggest room in the apartment, but it was totally claustrophobic with sound.

 

Are you soundproofing, or trying to sanitize and echo chamber?