Hey guys,
I just moved into a new home and set up my studio.  Only problem is the house has really thin walls and sound flows in and out of the room like the walls were made of paper.
I have decided to try and sound proof the room (not just "sound treatment", I want to block as much sound as possible)
Does anyone have any suggestions for the type of material I can use and/or any good websites that sell this kind of material.

I've done some Googling over the past couple of weeks and have seen a few sites claiming their products were the best, so it's not from a lack of information.
I just wanted to know if anyone has any preferences or personal recommendations for me?

Oh and I don't have enough money or experience to knock out the walls and do any kind of re-construction work, I'm just looking for the best material I can get to put on the walls.

Thanks,
Lee

Sealing the sound out is the most effective first step.

If you really need to augment the walls a traditional way is too install extra layers of dry wall, usually of varying thickness.

Attic and or crawlspace can be places where sound actually leaks through cracks etc. Seal up the floor molding and the ceiling molding if you need to.

Search out a Book called something like Studio Construction on a Budget by Everest and consider buying a copy before you get started. Many of the practical considerations are covered very thoughtfully in that book.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Studio-Construction-Budget-Everest/dp/0070213828

best regards,
mike

Thanks Mike, I'll definitely check it out.

Yeah, the most traditional, but expensive, way is to make a double wall that isn't directly attached to the other wall (so the sound can't transmit from one to the other).  Then the gap is filled with a different type of sound-damping material.

I also have the book Mike suggested and it will help get you started however, if you're on a budget, don't discount so-called cheap and cheesy solutions like hanging a blanket over a portable clothes rack (I use a couple of new, nice-looking, moving blankets since they're far more dense than a normal blanket).  You can also use similar techniques to make movable gobos with just about anything that's about 4' tall and any similar material hanging over it (like an old comforter).  I've also used a Chinese room divider with the moving blanket which gives the additional benefit of not offering a flat surface. 

Here's a few of the objects I've used:

Doors leak a good deal of the sound, especially if they're not airtight. In fact doors are often the cause of most sound leakage. A good quality seal around the door frame can make a lot of difference, as can a door sweep. You can get soundproof door sweeps:

http://soundproofing.org/...oundproofing_doors.htm

ive built many sound proofing studios, rooms, music teaching cubes that are sound proofed, it all starts with the soundboard, the insulation(sound proofing insulation).
soundboard is not easy to cut either, its almost like drywall but it takes multiple scores to cut it.
sound rooms and sound proofing rooms are also 2 different worlds.
as sharke said, in a sound proofing room, the door is everything, in sound rooms(rooms where sound leak is not highest priority but sound absorption is) the door isn't as critical, either is 2 ft to the floor but the floor needs needs something.
http://www.homasote.com/products/440-Soundbarrier.aspx?gclid=CMCxg4DoqLYCFQyg4AodjAEA7Q

Soundproofing:
The best method is based on the 'Floating Room' design, it's like constructing a room inside a room. Also double door entry, additional drop ceiling and raised floor included. 

BUT the room would have to be large enough to begin with or else it be studio city crammed in a closet...  Welcome to Claustrophobia Studios  

So anyway, the gap between the original room and the newly constructed inner shell-room should be 1ft minimum especially for vulnerable areas....  

Better results of course if the gap is much wider for example; the gap between the door entry (most vulnerable area) may need to be wider and better still, not directly opposite the original door. That type of entry would be no less than 4ft. 

But to save on costs and not lose too much room size without too much compromise, make the gaps largest where the door is and adjoining walls of concern.  For all other walls of NO-concern the gap can be much smaller (4 or 6 inch), same space saving ideas may apply to floors and ceilings unless you have neighbors living above and/or below. 

The inner wall additionally is lined with wool bats and finishing with 1/2 inch Gyprock (plasterboard) or otherwise known in the US as Drywall. 1/2 inch is considered fire-resistant and should suffice for intended use (sound proofing) but 1 inch would be better of course. If you can afford to spend more on material, get heavier concrete panels and/or natural stone/rock. 

When you design the inner-shell wall you might want to angle off the corners, removing the right angles all whilst effectively creating a larger cavity/gap in what is another vulnerable area (corners) stuff those gaps with wool bats. Thereby reducing the need for building bass traps (although outer final room acoustic treatments such as foam or wool will be required.) But this also helps to better soundproof most vulnerable areas (doors, windows, corners) .......   

Not done yet.... 

Next up; Room Acoustic Treatments:
For starters, foam and/or wool bats (preferably) and covering materials + dense-thick low pile carpet on the floor curved up along the skirting. And good placement of the desk and monitors. 

.

There are a couple of other options... 

craigb


There are a couple of other options... 

  
  Hmmm, I think your clothes rack would be more effective; 

I do not know what size rooms you have to work with, but i imagine that unless you live in a big castle or something, then you will not have the luxury of making a studio with a 2 foot gap all around it.

I built an outside studio building from scratch, and if i were to have need to build a studio room inside a normal size house room, then i would use my same methods as it did not use up more space than necessary.

I built the walls and roof with 4x2 timbers.
The outside was clad with 12.5mm OSB timber boards, and then clad with timber cladding.
The inside was clad with 12.5mm plasterboard sheets and then with another layer of 12.5mm Soundblock Plaster board sheets (twice as dense as std plasterboard)
The walls were filled with high density Rockwool 100mm thick (60kg/M2 density).

All interior gaps were sealed up with mastic.

The roof was made in a similar method but with two layers of everything and then a pitched roof on top of that with 2 layers of 11.5mm plywood separated by a layer of roofing felt, and then the top waterproofed with 2 layers of roof felt (top layer Green mineral).

The base is concrete with a Floating floor sitting on it. Made up from 50mm foam flooring sheets, then chipboard flooring sheets and a laminate floor floor for the finish.

The total thickness of the walls is 8"

I have 2x doors into the studio room, staggered at 90 degrees, forming a first entrance room where the PC is situated, and then the second door which leads into the studio room itself.



THE MAIN POINT OF ALL THIS IS:
I can play and sing at full volume, while outside no one can hear anything.

I hope this is helpful to help you decide how to make best use of your space.