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View Full Version : Cheap ways to soundproof a room?



EnriqueFuentes
07-23-2013, 09:14 AM
Hey there, I was wondering what are some cheap alternative ways to soundproof a room for broadcast?

mcphillips
07-26-2013, 02:54 PM
Moving blankets (2 or 3 deep) on the walls are a good start, particularly if you already have the blankets.

Donovan
07-30-2013, 08:34 AM
My wife and I installed bed sheets on the walls by hanging PVC pipe around the top of the walls. At first we were testing with curtains, but found that bed sheets are actually cheaper and work just as well. Here are a few shots of the studio with the red sheets hanging on the walls.

http://www.anairo.tv/studio-tour

TommySulivan
08-03-2013, 04:57 PM
what is better for sound proofing Sound dampening foam or blankets?

oscarmartz
08-07-2013, 10:31 AM
I hung blankets around my room. Seems to have fixed a lot of my issue

Brutish Sailor
08-17-2013, 11:21 PM
Hanging thin wool curtains from the ceiling is cheap and effective. I use a combination of this and squares from bed padding to damp, without coming off too dry. Also, if you got the time, Egg holders from your local farmers market work well, and they usually throw these crates away. Get a large amount of those, and lay them side by side, to completely pad the room. Voice comes out dry. DON'T PAINT THEM, ruins the purpose of why you have them, you want them to absorb noise.

If your local farmers market doesn't have them, try a local restaurant that does breakfast.

Your looking for the big ones like these: http://www.makingthishome.com/2010/04/28/eggs-room-temperature-with-feathers-please/ first two pictures.

Couldn't find a stand alone picture.

andrewzarian
08-18-2013, 11:18 AM
I recently bought some heavy curtains and they claim to cut out notice by 40%. I dont know if its 40% but they are cutting down on room noise. My wife picked them up from target.

Dan Ortego
09-03-2013, 03:57 PM
Just for once I wish I could come up with a hobby that didn't end up costing me an arm and a leg. Anyway, since I'm retired and live alone and I have no sounding board that I have to answer to, I’ll just save up and buy a few acoustic panels. Clearly, some are better than others so I plan to give ‘RealTraps’ a try. No, not the high-end option but rather, their Guilford MiniTraps 'spouse friendly' version. Yes, that's how they describe them.

Brutish Sailor
09-03-2013, 05:25 PM
Just for once I wish I could come up with a hobby that didn't end up costing me an arm and a leg. Anyway, since I'm retired and live alone and I have no sounding board that I have to answer to, I’ll just save up and buy a few acoustic panels. Clearly, some are better than others so I plan to give ‘RealTraps’ a try. No, not the high-end option but rather, their Guilford MiniTraps 'spouse friendly' version. Yes, that's how they describe them.


What is your end goal? To do a station....or podcast....or.....

I have a lot of ways to cut on budget. I used to run a pretty sweet group called "Tin can broadcasters"

I see streaming and all other forms of casting like an auto hobby (actually writing and journaling a lot about it) Its either cash at the shop, or a lot of studying and time under the hood. One way or the other, you take either one of those routes, you cant go wrong, when you do a little research. But your going to get out of it what you put into it.

Really, while the idea of "untreated foam" gets a lot of jeers, it might work for you to improve what your trying to do. Your mic might allow you to forgo some stuff. Back to that auto reference, dont be the guy with the crappy street racer that has the nice seats, and fancy dash, and 20 race stickers in the window.

Practical for your purpose. In our "community reference" dont be the guy that buys a massive pipeline and bandwidth expecting a million listeners on your first media release. You save where you can, and if you need help, that's what community is for. Were here for ya.

jamesdelfresco
09-27-2013, 07:56 PM
I have tried the blankets and it works really well. It doesnt look good but it works

AgentPete
11-24-2013, 03:42 PM
Books.

(Not e-books – the physical kind – if you can still find them).

Our studio is lined floor to ceiling with them, and we don’t need any other sound damping.

Dan Ortego
01-18-2014, 06:42 PM
As important as acoustic treatment is, it's not as exciting as purchasing a new microphone or other cool gadget so I tried to wish the problem away. Frankly, it wasn't until I started all of this when I realized just how much echo is generated in my pithy studio.

Before diving straight in with sound absorption panels I started with an inexpensive Audimute pad to address a problematic wall that has a pocket door inside. Can't hang anything on that wall of substance because even the shortest of nails would interfere with the doors' travel. The pad helped but it looks like...

Onward: In the print/task area I hung a pleated fabric shade to minimize special treatment. The built-in cabinetry is nice but it creates an echo chamber. The accordion design of the shade added a bit of diffusion but that's more of a theory on my part. I gave my window the same treatment and I plan to add one more above the glass pocket-door entry. The shades I chose are Levolor 'room darkening' which provides a secondary benefit of eliminating bleed-through glare from the window(s). Ordered them from Home Depot when they were on sale!

Audimute Wall Pad:
http://www.audimutesoundproofing.com/sound-absorbing-foam.aspx
http://sienavine.smugmug.com/Studio/i-cJrtCP2/1/X2/DORTEGO_2014_00003-X2.jpg

Window without Treatment:
http://sienavine.smugmug.com/Studio/i-ZF2ZSCF/0/X2/DORTEGO_2014_00005-X2.jpg
Window with Treatment:
http://sienavine.smugmug.com/Studio/i-hv47fQS/0/X2/DORTEGO_2014_00006-X2.jpg

Task Area without Treatment:
http://sienavine.smugmug.com/Studio/i-zsDx5Vk/0/X2/DORTEGO_2014_00007-X2.jpg
Task Area with Treatment:
http://sienavine.smugmug.com/Studio/i-G2GFsCq/0/X2/DORTEGO_2014_00008-X2.jpg

The use of pleaded fabric shades are not by themselves effective sound treatment, but they reduce the number and intensity of specific reflection points, manage light, and provide a degree of esthetics.

exreality
01-19-2014, 05:36 PM
Check this out: cheap and effective. The tutorial (once he actually starts building) is recorded using his mini sound booth. Serious difference!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTeUeRxAS7M

AlBurr
01-19-2014, 07:43 PM
That is cool exreality... I have heard, pardon the pun, that if you build one these you should allow for sound to come out of the back. In other words cut some holes in that storage container or use another material for the box. It's amazing how many ways people have done this...there must me hundreds of youtube videos on creating portable vocal booths. It's ART...It's SCIENCE...it's both...

Here's one with the IKEA approach...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWgLCPaOAzo