Thanx everyone, and keep posting if you have ideas. Obviously, many people coud use this info, not just me! Thanx again! ,Lance

Anybody know what these stinky "sound deadening" 1/2"x4'x8' sheets are that I bought at home depot? They were right across from the plywood, kind of a rigid material that crumbles if handled much. I put it in my garage to de-stink before I tried to use it, - its finally not too stinky after six months - smelled a bit like a wet dog.

Is that rockwool?

Eric

ORIGINAL: casper13

ebinary,

I wonder if what you got was Dura Rock / Dura Board.. it is very close to what you described..

Hmm, there are lots of products named DuraBoard and DuraRock on the web, but none sound like this stuff. This stuff is pretty soft - you could push your finger through it with a little effort.

Oh yeah, and these "stinky" sheets are brown - the exact same color as unfinished masonite pegboard. They even have the small checkboard finish of unfinished masonite.

Eric

1. between the sheetrock walls with liner between you have 2X4's. I dont understand how you attatched the outside wall and the inside and the 2X4's. You said somethign about not attatching the 2X4's to the outside wall, only the inside. and then the two walls attatch. How is that done? I dotn get it.

The first layer of sheetrock should be attached to the 2x4 studs just the same as if you were building a normal wall. The outer layer of sheetrock sandwiches the sound barrier material in between. Attach the outer sheetrock layer with 1 1/4" long screws to the inner sheetrock layer, but be careful not to have the screws go all the way into the studs. get it? The reason is that the screws would acoustically couple the outer sheetrock to the studs, which would bypass most of the performance of the sound barrier material. Note that I also mentioned to try putting some self-stick weather stripping foam (1 1/2") on the 2x4's before you apply the first layer. I didn't do this personally cause I didn't think of it till later. Let me know how it works.

2. Are you saying I should put insulation where the 2X4's are? like Roxul? Am I suppose to completely fill the gap between the stud frame and the two walls? Also, should the studs be placed with the 2" side against the wall or the 4" side against the wall?

The Roxul product, being 3" thick, and the 2x4 actual size being 3 1/2 thick, will fill the wall up nicely. The more room the Roxul stuff has to work with the better, so I would not compress it by putting the 2x4's flat against the walls. You need the full 3 1/2" depth for the Roxul to be at it's maximum effectiveness. Don't do 4" Roxul inside the wall because compressing the Roxul could actually make it less effective. Try using some kind of tacky glue to attach the Roxul to the inner wall, which leaves a 1/2" air space inside the wall. Personally, I applied 3" Roxul to my floor joists above the vocal booth but did not push it all the way up to the floor. I let it hang down a few inches. This creates a "bass trap" as well as a sound absorber. The same effect should somewhat apply when you put the Roxul stuff inside the wall pushed to one side.

Anybody know what these stinky "sound deadening" 1/2"x4'x8' sheets are that I bought at home depot? They were right across from the plywood, kind of a rigid material that crumbles if handled much. I put it in my garage to de-stink before I tried to use it, - its finally not too stinky after six months - smelled a bit like a wet dog.

It's called "soundboard"--I have it in between double drywall in my studio....
CAA

Got it! Thanx so much man! You made my plans. I'll let you know how it went and take pics when it is done. Thanx, Lance

ORIGINAL: rickgn

It should work that way, between your two layers of drywall on each side. It seems that the sound barrier material has a bit higher STC rating though, which would block more sound from getting through. Two reasons for this: Sound barrier material is 1) flexible and 2) heaveier per square foot. Flexible mass is the best way to kill sound. I also noticed that the specs for the sound board state that you need install the screws for the outer layer of drywall all the way though to the studs. This effectively connects the outer layer directly to the studs, bypassing most of the sound deadening properties of the sound board. Installation techniques are just as important as the materials you use.

Not connecting with the studs seems like the outer drywall that will remain exposed could easily become loose... no? Would staggering the outer drywall seams off the center of the studs and using anchor screws be a better choice?

I'm talking about the 3" thick stuff and trust me, HD does not stock it and niether does lowe's. It's a specialty item that comes from places where contractors get their supplies. It also comes in 2" thick 2'x4' sheets but this would only be useful if you are applying it INSIDE the booth, wrapped in fabric, in place of studio foam. Use the 3" stuff inside the walls.

Where do you get this stuff at? This is not your everyday type of material. I have called many places in my area (Detroit, MI) and they don't seem to be any assistance on a supplier. Would you mind providing the name of the supplier that you recieved yours from?

Roxul doesn't seem to be any help either. They don't reply to emails asking for suppliers.

Thanks for any additional information you can give on tracing this stuff down.

I have found many sites on how to grow hydroponics with it. lol! That business isn't as reqarding as music. lol!

Thanks!

Roxul doesn't seem to be any help either. They don't reply to emails asking for suppliers.

It took about a week for them to reply when I filled out the form.

I have a great website that anyone interested in building a control room or vocal room should check out. http://www.acoustics101.com/index.htm.

P.S. Roxul lead me in the direction of a supplier of their products in the Detroit area.
If anyone is interested in the location I am more than happy to distribute their number. The supplier has all of the material needed to make your vocal booth/control room spectacular! And they have great prices too!

-Thanks again!

patrickhamm
another thing I didn't mention about the blanket method is that the whole booth fits neatly under my bed. If you are doing home recording with limited space (like say a 1-bedroom apt?) this is another advantage to this method.

I was wondering if you might be able to give me a few pointers on making a makeshift "vocal booth" with blankets.I live in a one bedroom apartment and have been having trouble getting vocals that didn't sound like crap for some time.The area I have to work with is a living room wall that has a large window in the middle(with blinds that cover the glass),maybe I could cover the whole window with a blanket?i AM USING A RODE MIC and am not sure how I can get blankets all around me and even over top of me.I have 4 pieces of aurelex foam as well.
Maybe it's a lost cause but I came across your post and if you have a few minutes sometime I would really appreciative of any suggestions.Thanks

Might be 10 years old, but some questions are eternal.
 
Does your apartment have a closet? Hanging overcoats are more effective than blankets.

Thanks Rob! I was thinking about those and hadn't checked into where to get them. Perfect.
 
@letyourlightshine    Check this article out. It may give you some ideas and guidance, too........
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug11/articles/qanda-0811-2.htm
Michael

Just to tag onto a zombie thread, I've just  cleaned up my home studio space.  Without a full sized bed it is a bit more ringy - imagine that.  So I plan on adding some rockwool (yes, you can find it at Lowes/HD or at least have it delivered to your local store) wrapped in fabric and stuff that into some big burlap coffee bags I had (I like the design on them).  I plan to put them horizontally in the upper 4 corners, and probably stick a couple in a small hall off the studio leading to a small tracking room.  Actually, there are a couple of spots in the room that sound fantastic when miked - I just want them to be larger and the mix spot a bit flatter.
 
What sort of fabric should I use for the inner layer?  Burlap won't hurt, will it?
 
I also plan to hang heavy curtains over the 2 windows and the entrance to the hallway.  There is no way I'm investing in a proper job of soundproofing.  Even my guitarist isn't very loud and I share our diners with the nice old lady next door so she doesn't care.
 
Any comments/questions about my poorboy method? 
 
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