Beste option v.s. box-in-box

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Streutker
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Joined: Wed, 2021-Mar-24, 08:07
Location: Netherlands

Beste option v.s. box-in-box

#1

Postby Streutker » Wed, 2021-Mar-24, 08:32

Hi all,

My name is Nils and I came across this forum looking for usefull information on how to build my home theater room.
I read all about the MSM principles (this forum was very helpfull for that , so thanks) and learned that I wanted to isolate frequency above 25 hz. So I created a plan to build a room within a room.

Today I came to the conclusion that it is not worth it to build a room within a room.
The reason is that my room isn't to big too begin with and that I am not able to make a floating platform on the floor to keep the resonance frequeny at a low enough point. Next to that is that one of the walls that is connected to the house of my neighbours , is already a double wall with air between it. But I can only guess what the resonance frequency of that wall will be and if it is contructed the right way.

So , I am considering my next best options ! I was hoping you guys could help me or show me in the right direction .

I also have a couple of other questions I hope you can help me with.

1. How can I determine the isolutions of all frequency's in concrete?
My attic room that I want to use has a thick 11 inch concrete floor. How will it manage to isolate low frequency in the 20 to 100hz range ?
This is actually the first thing that i ran into considering my options. Since i knew a flooting platform is no option. What use would it have to build all the wall to withould frequency's till 20hz if my floor can only isolate till 30hz (so to speak)

2. Since my main concern is isolating the sound to the hallway next to room , is it possible to make a double isolated wall on only this site? Will it have any effect if all the other wall are normal?

3. what are my next best options instead of building a box in a box ?


I hope you can help me and hope to hear from you soon.



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endorka
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Beste option v.s. box-in-box

#2

Postby endorka » Wed, 2021-Mar-24, 13:07

First I'd recommend measuring how much isolation is required.

Get a proper calibrated decibel meter, or something like the UMIK-1. Start your system playing in the room & measure the volume. C weighted, slow. Then go to every adjacent room, including your neighbours, measure & note down the volume in each of those. You might want to take notes about the perceived nature of the received sound as well. For example your neighbour might not hear while you do. Or it could be "can't be heard during day, but can at night". Or "sounds very low passed".

Measuring ambient sound in each room provides a useful guide as to how much isolation will be required to get the sound below perception.

If you'd like to determine the frequency attenuation profile of current walls & floors, it is possible to do a full spectrum sweep on room EQ wizard with the sound source in one room and the measurement mic in the other. Compare this with the spectrum of sound with the mic in the same room as the source. Place mic in several places & take the average in both rooms to get a more accurate measurement.

I measured a very similar setup to yours last year. It was good news, the party wall between mix room & neighbour was very effective. The sound could only be heard in the adjacent neighbours' room when volume in mix room was well above 90 dB. It was very loud indeed in the mix room at those volumes.

Cheers,
Jennifer



Jag94
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Location: Los Angeles, CA..

Beste option v.s. box-in-box

#3

Postby Jag94 » Thu, 2021-Mar-25, 19:05

Hey Nils,

Welcome to the forum. Jennifer's advice is spot on (as usual). The first thing I recommend to people anytime they talk about "soundproofing" is to first figure out how loud your source is actually going to be. No sense in wasting time and money building something that isn't necessary, or not doing it correctly and wasting money on something that won't work. It's really important to get an idea of how much isolation you actually need first before you make any decisions.

Unfortunately isolating just one wall doesn't work so well. You have to think about your isolation as a whole unit. The floor, ceiling, 4 walls, doors, windows, etc... is all part of the thing. If you only treat one of those things, all the others will be your weak link, and you'll notice you didn't get much isolation at all.

A good way to save space is to use clip/hat channels on your studs. You'll need to remove the existing drywall/plasterboard to expose your studs. Then fill the stud bays with insulation, then put your clip/hat channels on the studs, and your multiple layers of drywall on those. This, of course, is all dependent on how much isolation you need.

If your floor is 11 inches of concrete, you may not need to worry about it. A lot of people get caught up in "floating a floor" and most of the time they don't realize how expensive it is, what it involves, or whether it's necessary or not. If you don't have it already, get the book "Home Recording Studio: Build It Like The Pro's" by Rod Gervais. It is the holy bible when it comes to building sound isolated rooms, and he talks about less expensive alternatives to "floating a floor".

You're doing the right thing by researching and gathering information first. Take your time and create a plan of action... don't just start building. Do it right the first time and you'll save yourself time, money, and headaches.




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