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How to Make a Soundproof Room

How to make a soundproof room requires a step by step strategy towards your noise transmission goals. The search term for how to make a soundproof room needs to be clarified. First, there is no such thing as sound proofing. Nothing wilh noise is ever “proved” or as the name implies eliminated. Noise issues are managed to reduce their levels below what we term nuisance value.

The noise level acceptance scale for nuisance value differs from project to project, usage to usage, and individual to individual. Noise is and its impact is subjective in nature. What drives someone nuts may not be considered by another. The first step in the process of how to make a soundproof room is to quantify and qualify all noise transmission issues. Noise must be measured over a seven day time period for both frequency and amplitude.

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Building a Soundproof Room

To begin the process of how to make a soundproof room, we must use our phone to take noise measurements. We will download the apps from Acoustic Fields into our phones. We will take noise measurements during each day for a complete seven day picture. We will take two measurements per day. We will take one measurement at the quietest part of each day. We will take a noise measurement during the loudest part of each day. A measurement between these two ends of the spectrum is always welcome.

Record Inside and Outside Noise Levels for 7 Days

The measurements that will be taken consist of frequency and amplitude. The frequency tells us where on the audible frequency range the noise lies. It is its address. The amplitude or strength of the frequency is the other number measurement that is taken. It tells us how loud (strength) the frequency of issue is. It’s how large of a house exists and that address of frequency. You record the frequency and amplitude data on our on line data sheet and send it to us.

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Measure Noise to Soundproof a Room

The noise frequency and amplitude data over a seven day time period will then be sent to us for us to examine and work within our database of over 300 built and measured rooms both for noise transmission and pressure and reflection issues. We set the interior room noise level at what the client requires for their usage and then begin the barrier design process to determine which material types we will require and how we will construct the barrier using those material types.

Choose The Right Materials To Build your own Soundproof Room

Every material; chosen, its thickness or density, and where it goes with the barrier “sandwich” is determined by the frequency and amplitude of the noise numbers that you took over the one week time period. A barrier to reduce noise transmission is a series of materials with different layers of materials at different thicknesses.

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Soundproof Room Within a Home

Using our noise measurement process with our apps and your phone, recording your numbers into our online data sheet, you then send them to us. We then design the barrier that you will build for your particular noise measurements. The barrier sandwich is then installed between the studs of a wood frame wall, floor, or ceiling. The barrier is then secured to the wood frame by screwing through the studs into the barrier sandwich.

Build Your Soundproofing “Sandwich”

The whole sandwich is sealed inside the wood frame with liquid rubber spray sealer to insure the structure has the correct rigidity and density to treat your noise measurements. Noise issues above 125 hz. is easier to treat than lower frequency noise issues below 125 hz. When you build a barrier, it must be strong enough and dense enough to mitigate lower frequency energy. It must also be airtight to avoid any leaks. Think of your room as a boat you will place within the ocean. The boat must be strong enough to manage the pressure from ocean waves along with having no leaks.

Low-Frequency Barrier Technology
Low-Frequency Barrier Technology

With any project on how to make a soundproof room, you must measure twice and cut once. You can not guess with noise issues. If you guess wrong, as most people do, you will in most cases have to tear out what you have built and start over. You do not want to spend one dollar more than you have to with noise.

Save Money on Your Permanent Build

Since it is a permanent build, you can not take the barrier technology with you. It becomes part of the existing structure and will not be counted in any appraisal for additional asking price. We guarantee all of our barrier designs at Acoustic Fields. If you take the noise measurements per our processes and send them to us for analysis, we will guarantee your barrier will stop the measured frequencies and amplitudes or strengths of each noise frequency.

Dennis Foley

I am an acoustic engineer with over 30 years’ experience in the business. My technology has been used in Electric Lady Land Studios, Sony Music of New York, Cello Music and Films founded by Mark Levinson, and Saltmines Studios in Mesa, Arizona, along with hundreds of others.

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