wall construction insulation type

Hi all. My question is regarding insulation type for wall construction. I have read many posts regarding Owens Corning 703 and (here in Europe) Rockwool and Steinwool being used for room treatment and bass traps. Could someone please clarify something for me? Do the same criterion apply for in-wall construction? Is a higher density insulation better inside the wall or will using a less dense (and dare I say it...cheaper....there, I said it!) type of insulation achieve the same results? I can't seem to find any posts where somebody really says it. Cam.

The general rule that I've seen quoted is to use mineral wool with a density of something like 48 kg/m^3. More important than the density is the depth: You want to use as much as you possibly can, deep and wide and thick, filling the entire wall cavity if you have the money for that. - Stuart -

Hi Stuart. Thanks for the response. I kinda figured that was what I would be looking at. Less is never more when building a studio. :lol: -guy walks into hardware store "how much is this screw?" -salesman "it's 8 cents" -guy "I'm building a recording studio" -salesman "oh, then it's 8 bucks" Cam.

-salesman "oh, then it's 8 bucks"

:) ... "And you'll need about two thousand of them, at least..."

Density is not critical in walls. Lighter insulation is fine. Andre

Hi Andre. Hmm, now you've got my hopes up. But you've also got me wondering if it is going to be a question of: a) it works the same no matter which type of insulation you use, or b) it'll work.... but if you can, get the denser stuff. I'm getting to the point where I will need to purchase a fair bit of insulation and the prices (as I'm sure most of the people on this forum have discovered) of different types/densities/manufacturers range from almost bearable to heart attack. If it won't affect TSL values to have lighter density insulation in the walls I would rather spend the money on something else, something important, something to make the actual recordings sound better.....like beer. Cam.

cvanas wrote:

Hi Andre. Hmm, now you've got my hopes up. But you've also got me wondering if it is going to be a question of: a) it works the same no matter which type of insulation you use, or b) it'll work.... but if you can, get the denser stuff.

It is closer to: c) they work about the same. The difference is minimal or music isolation. Have a look at low band table 1 in the USG Density Report (attached). Andre

Hi Andre. Thanks for the report. I read it a couple of times and, correct me if I'm wrong, it seems to say that the density of the insulation will effect different frequencies differently :shock: . High frequency transmission loss is benefited (up to a certain point) by more dense insulation in the wall cavity. For low frequencies this appears to be the opposite, more density transmits more bass freqs. I'm going to try and get a bit thicker insulation but with a little less density than I previously thought. It may even save me a little bit of money. Thank you for all your help! Cheque's in the mail. Cam.