I am building the theater room at the same time as my PJ. One thing I notice with other people's home theater is that the noise from the subwoofer transmits through walls very easily. COOL!

Cool, but not when the kids are downstairs watching a movie and the adults are upstairs trying to carry a conversation. One thing I thought is that I will have to turn down or shut off the subwoofer when this is the situation. But, I was also wondering if installing insulation between the floor joists would help. Has anyone tried this yet? Or, are there any other ideas?

Thanks for the help.

Sam

I saw a program on HGTV that said to use denim insulating foam to keep sound from traveling through walls. Maybe you could try that?

-Elliot

Go to your local home improvement store, there are special insulations and wall covering for that. I got a friend who is in the recording industry, I will ask him and let your know if there are any industry tricks to lower the cost cause I would bet that the stuff from home improvement stores isn't cheap.

Here are a few links to some things.

www.soundprooffoam.com
www.quietsolution.comDIY article
www.soundproofing101.com

Just a few things from Google. BEWARE music studio foam. It's VERY expensive. See link below.

www.musiciansfriend.com

Thanks pitman2!

http://www.uhfmag.com/Issue63/soundproofing.html

Thanks so much for the great information. I just spent a couple hours reading these resources. What I am looking for is more sound absorption. BUT!!!, the materials are so costly!!!!

I am thinking a HT on a budget. What does everyone think of a lowpile carpet on the walls and strategically placed pieces of foam that are approximately 1-2" thick and wrapped in fabric.

I would think these pieces of foam and carpet would be very beneficial to stop reverberation and sound bouncing off from the walls.

Any comments?

Thanks.

Sam

I had a friend that was a drummer at school he had a drum set in the bedroom, he put egg cartons around the walls.
Don't know how good this was, I told someone else about he this person for there son's sleep out he already knew about it,
there is also sound batts (like pink batts)
http://www.pinkbatts.co.nz/_sound_insulation.htm

and sound proof gibb

By far the most cost-effective sound proofing for a large room is double layers of the thicker drywall/sheetrock (3/4"?) I've seen it recommended time and time again by DIY pro's. Stuffing some insulative material behind the sheetrock would certainly help it a bit more.

A buddy of built a zone within his basement using carpeting, some plastic trash bag material and aluminum foil with great success. It looked nasty but it did the job. He did carve out a hole for a small exhaust fan to vent all the cigarette smoke.

I don't recommended carpeting the walls because it traps too many particles in the air, looks nasty, and is hard to keep properly clean.

I'd go with double sheetrock idea especially if you're building from the ground up.

Sorry for the delay, my buddy says sand is the best, however I don't think that will be happening. So he says this is the next best thing : http://www.owenscorning.com/comminsul/prod...t=271&system=81

You have been reading so I am sure you already know this but he says it needs to be solid yet be able to absorb some of the sound. He says for best results double up. such as cutting strips for between the floor joists and then cover them with a full sheet.

I like this stuff. As you can see by the picture it can easily fit between the floor joists.

I also have read the other posts as well about carpeting on walls and such. I can see the point about it collecting dirt.

I am still thinking about the walls, but for right now these are my thoughts:

* Concrete floor with low level loop carpeting
* walls are drywalled and then have a layer of fabric glued to the surface (Less dusty?)
* Acoustical panels consisting of either this ductboard or ceiling tiles wrapped in fabric strategically placed around the walls.
* The room will be a room within a room and will have an independent stud wall.
* Door to be a MDF solid wood exterior door.
* Drop ceiling. (There have been mixed theories out there about this)
* Now thinking about the ductboard to fit between the floor joists.

All above are subject to change and welcome constructive criticism.

Thanks.

Sam

Sounds like a plan, let me know if there are any other questions. It makes my buddy feel good to know that his services are being used. He just graduated from fullsail down in orlando.

Found some very interesting information relative to STC. A double wall is superior over other techniques.

Read this link: http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/soundwalls.html

Some related experiences you may appreciate:

I recently upgraded the drop ceiling tiles in my finished basement. The old ones were the cheapie soft fiberglass type, noise in the basement easily transmitted thru to the first floor upstairs. Upgrading to a mid-grade dense ceiling tile made a tremendous difference, loud noises have been either eliminated or reduced to a much more tolerable level.

I'm sure if you tinker with decent ceiling tiles you'll find a good solution. I wish i could remember where i found bulk unused egg-carton sheets online. It was real cheap and would be perfect to tuck away above ceiling tiles. I'll be sure to link it here if i find it again.

On another note, my pop's is a flooring contracter so i have some good advice there as well. You're off to a great start with concrete flooring, some decent quality .5" or .75" padding will insulate the cold floor better and further reduce ambient noise. You don't have to buy that expensive/smelly horsehair padding used in offices or some basements, the conventional pad is great for concrete flooring as well (don't let the salesmen tell you otherwise!)

Even if you decide against true "wall to wall" carpeting you could still use padding underneath an area rug. Just cut the padding 2-3" shorter than the carpet on all sides and the carpet will eventually settle to the floor around it (gravity).

Good luck and keep us posted.