soundproofing for urban people

Inexpensive D.I.Y. sound panels for home studios Looking for acoustic ideas for your home studio? YouTube has plenty of D.I.Y. videos for controlling sound and adding absorption. If you're running a business (especially a restaurant), you need to buy professional, fire-rated sound control panels that conform to local codes. You might also need to speak with an acoustics expert. But for home projects, you might need only a quick hack for a small room. These four videos show a range of materials. Notice that I didn't include any that use fiberglass batts because you don't want those tiny glass fibers coming through the fabric. This video from DIY Perks shows how you can repurpose some old towels into a sound-absorbing panel.: And this guy from JT Guitar leaves no stone unturned as he details everything you need to build sturdy wood-framed panels with insulation in them, including the shopping trip, the tools you need, the measurements (special bonus: metric

It's not too late to insulate.  A few years ago, most American homes had no insulation in them. When a homeowner did insulate, it was usually with fiberglass batts. Then along came some better products. One of them is blow-in cellulose insulation. Does it work? I can attest to this: YES. I've used it in walls and ceilings, and it works quite well for airborne noise. If you live in an uninsulated home and you hear your neighbors voices coming through your walls or ceilings, cellulose will dampen that noise or mute it entirely. It doesn't work for all types of noise. But it doesn't eradicate impact noise. You might still hear the sounds of someone walking across a bare hardwood floor with their shoes on, for example, or hear wall-mounted cabinets opening and closing. There are other solutions for that, and by combining different solutions you can control most structural noise and create more privacy. Low cost Blow-in insulation is inexpensive. You can hire a

What is Rockwool?  Roxul Stone Wool is an insulation product that comes in the form of batts. It's composed of mineral fibers and it's considered to be green, fire-retardant, and very good for sound control. Like cellulose fiber, it insulates airborne noise better than fiberglass. In the USA, you can buy Roxul at Lowes and some Home Depot locations. In Canada, you can buy Roxul in Saskatchewan at  Rona Corporation  in Prince Albert or at  Econo Lumber . Roxul comes in packages of pre-cut sizes that fit the dimensions of your wall cavities (for example, use  these 15 1/4-inch batts  for wall studs that are 16 inches apart). Be sure to select the right size for the job – not just the width, but the depth as well (wall versus ceiling or attic). Rockwool is great in walls This video from Roxul demonstrates how to install Roxul in a wall. As you can see, it cuts easily with a bread knife and can be custom fit around electrical lines, plumbing, and wall outlets. It holds

You don't have to demolish your walls to add insulation to your home.  Many people have asked me about affordable techniques for adding some degree of soundproofing to existing construction. And if you live in a home or an apartment with hollow walls, you might want to blow some insulation into them. At the very least, it will reduce the amplifying effect. That's because when you have drywall nailed on top of hollow studs, it behaves acoustically like the head of a giant drum and it echoes. And this problem plagues millions of American homes. It will not eliminate low-frequency engine noise that penetrates your building frame, such as construction equipment or large truck engines. Here's how you can remedy this echo situation. You can add insulation without even removing the walls by getting a blower and some cellulose insulation, drilling some round holes into your existing drywall, inserting the pressure nozzle into the open space, and blowing the insulation bet