Howdy, I got my tables and am now waiting for my mixer to arive. In the mean time I have lots of free time to think about things.

I was wondering if anyone had any links or suggestions on sound proofing.

From what I understand, primarly the big issue with sound carrying is the low ranges.

I have a 6'x12' room to sound proof if I can find a smart way to do it.

..............................................Back in the good old days of egg boxes glued to the walls!

I was going to say egg boxes as well, or Foam wedges, or acoustic tiles, but now you are looking at spending some pennies.

I always thought that egg boxes were to help the acoustics rather than sound-proof the room - but then what do I know about rocket science - only that half the time I live on another planet!!!

Paul S

In my happy heyday of Hospital Radio - some bright spark come to the conclusion that gluing thick carpet to the wall was a good soundproofing idea

And, as daft as it may seem, it did actually work. It's quite an effective, yet in expensive idea, and although a little strange, not as strange as 50 egg boxes glued to your wall

....And if all else fails, there is always the padded cell

QUOTE (Chris_Pointon @ Jun 2 2003, 06:37 PM)

In my happy heyday of Hospital Radio - some bright spark come to the conclusion that gluing thick carpet to the wall was a good soundproofing idea And, as daft as it may seem, it did actually work. It's quite an effective, yet in expensive idea, and although a little strange, not as strange as 50 egg boxes glued to your wall ....And if all else fails, there is always the padded cell

I am looking for a temp solution atm, so I am thinking about building a sort of hanging mechanism. Basicaly it will hang from nails in the studs in the wall, these nails will be the same hieght and locatio of picture hanging nails.

I'll then just find a light sheet material and apply the sound proofing to it, perhaps pyramids or wedges. At the top/bottom to seal against the ceiling/floor I'll be putting foam on it.

Plus I am going to get a heavy replacement door and apply the material right to it, saving the old door to put back on.

'Sounds' ('cuse the pun) like a lot of trouble to do to to practice mixing - why don't you just keep the volume down!!!
Paul S

You're quite right in your original post, that stopping the low frequencies (Bass!) is the difficult, if not impossible part.

Treble and midrange frequencies can be stopped/reduced by any "absorbant" material, such as the old cardboard eggboxes, foam rubber, carpet tiles, blankets, etc etc.... this is due to Treble and midrange frequencies mainly "airbourne".

Bass, however travels alot through floors and walls in the form of vibrations and theres not alot that you can do (especially on a temporary basis) which will prevent vibrations.

So...If Bass is (part of) the problem, I'd recommend that you attack the problem at source...(or course in these hot summer nights, when both you and your neighbours are likely to have all the windows open, then treble and midrange could be the bigger problem)

Some Options:

1) Mix/practice using headphones....especially easy if your mixer has a "Split Cue" facility, where "what the audience hears" is played thru one ear, but the cue'd channel is played through your other ear. No speakers needed...so no escaping noise.

2) Use several pairs of tiny, little speakers around you, rather than a single pair of the type that would have impressed the guys that put up Stonehenge... Each speaker will produce less vibration/noise, so theres less to escape.

3) Slip sleeping tablets into the neighbours water supplies...

4) Turn down the volume, but move the speakers closer to you...more to EAR height too, if you can.

5) The "Rent-a-Rasta" plan....get some tall, dark guy with a dummy "Boom box/ghetto blaster" to walk around outside/lean on lamposts while smoking, and bobbing his head etc... everyone will think that the sounds are coming from him.

If you want to go for the hanging effect then a cross between your idea and Chris's will still work fairly well.

Hang the carpets, it will still deaden sound as if it was stuck to the wall, in fact the gap bewtween carpet and wall will be another space that the sound will have difficulty travelling through, so it may actually work better than glueing to the wall.