QuaranTD
Member
I'll start by saying that the department I am least qualified in and try not to waste anyones time in is sound. I've done my best to educate myself so I can hopefully ask the right questions as this particular problem falls in my lap currently. I am almost certain that the solution to our dilemma does not exist without hiring and paying for the appropriate engineers and designers and I am banging my head against a wall, but here it goes...
We are an old space bordered by neighboring lofts on three sides. Sound separation has always been an issue and addressed with varying degrees of success and effort at many times throughout our history. At this point our issues are generally minimal with amplified sound however we recently had a show in residence that utilized a drum kit. Our neighbor that lives in the loft adjacent to the back wall of the stage about 2 stories up has complained numerous times and this show is coming back for a longer run. I never doubted the validity of their complaints and set max levels and rescheduled rehearsal hours and lengths to accommodate their concerns. Rehearsals are rarely a huge problem but 8pm shows where energy is high seems to do the trick. I was never able to experience it from their side as they were always quite hostile. I was then told this had been done by an acoustician in the past and I recently found the report from well before my time.
The wall in question is, as far as we know, a 2 wythes brick party wall with insulating concrete and MLV + quilted fiberglass 1/4" tolerance sound blankets on our side, and furred out gypsum on our neighbors side. A sound sample at 100dBA in the space registered approximately 15dBA above the low ambient noise conditions in their room (*they also have no window and so are not exposed to outdoor ambient noise, but that's another issue), and was worse between 125Hz and 250Hz. Making a drum kit literally the worst thing we could put in the space.
Unfortunately building out a decoupled back wall with 2 layers of gypsum and mlv is out of the question for a host of reasons, some valid, and others not : /
Is there any way to effectively add mass without permanently losing space? Since the problem is in a lower range is there a semi-permanent solution that could be installed anytime a kit is brought in? We are already putting EPDM rubber under the kit platform to slightly dampen any vibration transferred through the floor.
I am ready to be disappointed but their concerns are real. Any helpful solution that I can put in place would be appreciated and contribute a more peaceful month for both myself and our neighbor.
We are an old space bordered by neighboring lofts on three sides. Sound separation has always been an issue and addressed with varying degrees of success and effort at many times throughout our history. At this point our issues are generally minimal with amplified sound however we recently had a show in residence that utilized a drum kit. Our neighbor that lives in the loft adjacent to the back wall of the stage about 2 stories up has complained numerous times and this show is coming back for a longer run. I never doubted the validity of their complaints and set max levels and rescheduled rehearsal hours and lengths to accommodate their concerns. Rehearsals are rarely a huge problem but 8pm shows where energy is high seems to do the trick. I was never able to experience it from their side as they were always quite hostile. I was then told this had been done by an acoustician in the past and I recently found the report from well before my time.
The wall in question is, as far as we know, a 2 wythes brick party wall with insulating concrete and MLV + quilted fiberglass 1/4" tolerance sound blankets on our side, and furred out gypsum on our neighbors side. A sound sample at 100dBA in the space registered approximately 15dBA above the low ambient noise conditions in their room (*they also have no window and so are not exposed to outdoor ambient noise, but that's another issue), and was worse between 125Hz and 250Hz. Making a drum kit literally the worst thing we could put in the space.
Unfortunately building out a decoupled back wall with 2 layers of gypsum and mlv is out of the question for a host of reasons, some valid, and others not : /
Is there any way to effectively add mass without permanently losing space? Since the problem is in a lower range is there a semi-permanent solution that could be installed anytime a kit is brought in? We are already putting EPDM rubber under the kit platform to slightly dampen any vibration transferred through the floor.
I am ready to be disappointed but their concerns are real. Any helpful solution that I can put in place would be appreciated and contribute a more peaceful month for both myself and our neighbor.