soundproofing windows

al9

Member
i need to soundproof a couple of windows, but i need to be able to take the sound proofing down easily... can anyone help me? also what should i use to soundproof them?
 
yeah i can manage without light, theres a practical in the roof,its just cos im moving my drum kit into a new room, and the windows face straight into the family room windows, so no one would be able to do anything in there while i drummed... which is unfair
 
i need to soundproof a couple of windows, but i need to be able to take the sound proofing down easily... can anyone help me? also what should i use to soundproof them?

Sound isolation requires mass, treated space between two layers (called leafs), and tight sealing of the leafs. Foam, or insulation, by itself does just about nothing.

In order to get a proper complete answer to your question, I suggest posting it on John L. Sayers Recording Studio Design Studio Construction Forum here. Read and follow the "read This before you post" before you post your question. A nice thing about John is that he is based in Australia.

See you there!
Andre
 
First, you can't really "soundproof" anything and we should be discouraging this misuse of terminology. More appropriate to be looking to address sound isolation.

What that means then depends upon the situation. What are the noise sources? What levels are acceptable at the receiver/listener? You have to determine the level and frequency information for both the source and receiver to establish what sound isolation is required. You may also have to consider the effect of the environment on those levels.

Knowing what sound isolation is desired, you can then start to look at what isolation you may already have and what improvements may be necessary. You may also have to address practical considerations such as what construction is physically or budgetarily feasible. You may find yourself going back to the previous step and making compromises in the acceptable levels at the receiver or controlling the source levels.

When usually also has to consider the implications of issues such as other construction and flanking paths on the isolation possible. For example, to really get the isolation desired you might find that you get the window to where the rest of the wall or shared ductwork or other concerns become limiting factors. You may even have to watch out that what you do doesn't make things worse, it is possible to do things that would appear to help but could actually make things worse.

The point here is that you need to start by identifying the noise source and what goals you are looking for as far as the received levels. It is a big difference between wanting to just get what you can and needing to achieve some specific result, even if just to justify the effort. You also have to provide a little info on the existing construction and any practical, physical or budgetary limitations. While some improvement is most certainly possible, it sounds like you will likely be very limited in the improvements that are possible.

There also seem to be some basic misconceptions presented. Absorption such as insulation, acoustic tiles and carpet is not usually effective for sound isolation, absorbing sound is different than preventing transmission of sound. Absorption may be used as part of sound isolation systems but is usually a poor sound isolation solution by itself and is quite limited in what can be achieved, especially at low frequencies.
 
he is trying to minimise the amount other people would hear whist he is drumming.
 
I would suggest constructing frames which will cover the windows out of cheap timber, and mount sheets of Gyprock in the frames. Probably 2 layers of 'rock with a gap of about 2cm in between should make a big difference. Gyprock is great for soundproofing because it has a fairly high mass, is constructed from 3 main layers and is relatively cheap. By using 2 sheets, you will end up with approximately 6 layers for the sound to pass through (two of them being fairly heavy and dense.
I have included a section view to help explain what I mean. Let me know if you have any more questions.
 

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he is trying to minimise the amount other people would hear whist he is drumming.
Okay, but is it a matter of simply reducing it any amount or is there some level of reduction necessary for it to matter or to justify the expense? And what is the existing construction? Are the windows solid or operable? How large are the windows and what percentage of the wall do they represent? What is the wall construction? How does it terminate at the top? Are there any penetrations of the wall (back-to-back outlets, ductwork, holes in the wall above the ceiling, etc.)? There may be some things that can be done to first get more out of what is there or to prevent other things from limiting the improvements that can be gained. On the other hand, building a complex frame and/or heavy construction may make little sense if the wall itself is of lighter construction.

Unfortunately, in regards to sound isolation it is all too common for people to feel they "can't afford to do it right" and then to spend a bunch of money on things that don't really solve the problem. I recall one case where someone was all ready to add additional sheetrock, put in acoustical panels, etc. in some offices because they could hear everything next door. I listened carefully and seemed to hear more sound near the floor, so I pulled back a bit of the vinyl baseboard to find that the sheetrock stopped well short of the floor and the thin vinyl was all that was really there along the entire bottom edge of the wall. Fixed that and addressed a few other details and everything was fine. It can be little details like that that make all the difference.
 

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