How do you soundproof a fireplace?????

I am moving into a new house this summer and planning on makig a recording studio out of the sitting room, only problem besides the fact that its only 4.28 x 4.07, is that there is a fireplace!!! My plans are to add to the existing wall, with layers of rockwool, followed by drywall, green glue, then drywall. Same roughly for the ceiling, and the floor is neing left the way it is, concrete with wood ont top! (well might change floor boards from wood, but basically same. Anyway, the fireplace, I would perfer not to completely block it out, e.g built the "new wall" in front of it, as in time if we move, you won't have a chimney above for no reason! Is there any other way of getting it extremely soundproofed besides that?!? It really does have to be as close to 100% soundproofed as possible as with neighbours less than 40 feet away, and drums hammering constantly (as I'm a drummer, there could be huge complaints. PLEASE HELP!!!

Block it of at the top of the chimney first. Hang a mic at the very top of the chimney, a speaker in the bottom...and whala. Echo Chamber! :mrgreen:

Just build a frame large enough to fill the opening caulk and seal it maybe throw some insulation to kill resonance two layers of 5/8th greenglue if your using it elsewhere and there you go. Treat it like any other wall section. When its all said an done you are harming nothing really and when you leave break the hold caused by the caulking around the plug clean off anything sticking to the opening and move out.

bluesbaz wrote:

Just build a frame large enough to fill the opening caulk and seal it maybe throw some insulation to kill resonance two layers of 5/8th greenglue if your using it elsewhere and there you go.

I am thinking of filling it with loft insulation. Then putting some sort of a blocker over the top of the chimney to stop water getting in, probably some sort of a coneshaped thing to go over the chinmey. Then at the opening in the room, I'm not too sure. As you said use two layers of 5/8" and green glue which I will be using in the walls anyway. Its just the frame part I'm a bit confused about. How do I attach the frame onto the fireplace? Or do I need to or what? Its a cast iron fireplace with oak surroundings! here is a picture of it (by the way, this is the room without anything done to it)

Is that a gas or wood burning appliance? I don't see this chimney as being a stumbling block but I do see that whole wall being one. Where geographically do you live? Thing is that the fireplace is most likely an insert and inserts use metal ducting. So even if you plug the hole, sound that gets into the wall gets into the metal duct and escapes into your attic, or upper floor and finally out into the air, far above the neighbors house. The duct is attached hard to the existing structure. It will probably be more of an issue to you and yours then to those at some distance away. This is a guess, only a guess ;)