Hello everyone, this is my first post. I hope I have all the necessary information here as per the "read before posting" instructions.
Here we go... (here is an overview, and the actual questions I have for you are at the bottom.)
1. I have a detached shop/garage on my property that has an office partition that is no longer being used as an office and I'd like to change it into my mixing suite/control room. My goal is mostly to just use this for mixing tracks that I record at a different studio. I am NOT attempting to isolate this room from a drum kit on the other side of the wall, or loud guitar amps or anything like that. I just want a generally quiet space that is comfortable and relaxing to mix records in. I do not need it to be completely isolated from an earthquake or volcano. The purpose of this post is for some general advice to dampen/deaden/reduce sound transfer... not necessarily ELIMINATE.
2. Existing construction is as follows: (also, see picture)
- Concrete slab on grade.
- The construction of the building is 2x4 wood studs, pink fiberglass insulation, 1/2" drywall. (the outside is finished with stucco on OSB. I would rather not rip down stucco, hoping to have all soundproofing done from the inside of the building and generally leave the outside untouched.)
- The partition separating the proposed control roomarea and the rest of the garage is 2x4 wood studs, pink fiberglass insulation. The office side has 1/2" drywall, the garage side has 1/2" plywood.
- the ceiling is 1/2" drywall screwed directly to the ceiling rafters. The attic is filled with blown-in insulation.
3. Dimensions:
- the proposed control room partition is 19 ft (L) x 9 ft (W) x 9 ft (H) (inside, existing finished-wall dimensions)
- the entire footprint of the garage is 40 ft (L) x 30 ft (W) x 9 ft (H)'
4. Budget:
- willing to spend $2000. Flexible on that if necessary.
My questions:
- will it be of any benefit for me to simply green glue another layer of 5/8" drywall onto the existing drywall to help with deadening the sound? This would be nice and easy, but I'm willing to take it a step further if necessary.
- if not, do I need to rip down the drywall on BOTH sides of the partition, or can most of this be done by opening up one side?
- what are your thoughts on the plywood on the shop side of the wall, in terms of sound transfer? I see a lot of folks talk about drywall and MDF board, but not so much about plain old plywood.
- the doors will likely need to be replaced for something that's aimed more towards sound transfer rather than just a regular door. We can deal with doors later if you want to help me focus on the rest of this first.. unless you feel I should take everything into consideration at once to ensure we don't miss anything along the way. If you want to discuss doors, remember one is an exterior door and the other is just a partition door.
Please see photo.
Thanks in advance!
Control room build in existing garage/shop space
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 20815.
Bump.
Please advise of any information that is missing in order to receive a response.
Thank you.
Hi there Byron, and Welcome! :)
That's a good start! Concrete slab on grade is great, and there's no need at all to damage the stucco. It's basically cement, and has plenty of mass. Making sure that the mass is continuous, and sealing it air-tight should be your priorities, not tearing it down! :)- Concrete slab on grade. - The construction of the building is 2x4 wood studs, pink fiberglass insulation, 1/2" drywall. (the outside is finished with stucco on OSB. I would rather not rip down stucco, hoping to have all soundproofing done from the inside of the building and generally leave the outside untouched.)
That's the not-so-good part. That will likely need some changes.- The partition separating the proposed control roomarea and the rest of the garage is 2x4 wood studs, pink fiberglass insulation. The office side has 1/2" drywall, the garage side has 1/2" plywood. - the ceiling is 1/2" drywall screwed directly to the ceiling rafters. The attic is filled with blown-in insulation.
Also not so good: the room is square. 9 wide by 9 high, means all of your modal issues related to width and height will line up perfectly with each other, and multiply each other...- the proposed control room partition is 19 ft (L) x 9 ft (W) x 9 ft (H) (inside, existing finished-wall dimensions)
No. For several reasons, but the first one is that Green Glue is not glue, and cannot be used to glue anything to anything! It's an unfortunate name that they chose for their product, since it confuses so many people, but it is NOT an adhesive. It is very good at what it does, which is called "constrained layer damping", but it is terrible as glue, and was never meant to be glue. Great product, bad name. And the second one is that Green Glue will not decouple the mass from the studs. It is constrained layer DAMPING, not DECOUPLING. What you need to do is to decouple the drywall from the studs completely. The third one is that adding mass to your wall without decoupling it means that you are subject to the equation of physics known as "mass law". Mass law is not your friend. By adding that extra layer, you'd be increasing the total isolation by maybe 2 or 3 dB. No worth it at all. On the other hand, if you first decoupled the drywall, then added that extra layer with Green Glue, you'd be increasing your isolation by maybe 10 dB or so. Very much worthwhile.- will it be of any benefit for me to simply green glue another layer of 5/8" drywall onto the existing drywall to help with deadening the sound? This would be nice and easy, but I'm willing to take it a step further if necessary.
IT can all be done from one side. Take off the drywall carefully: you can use it to "beef up" the other side. Cut it into strips that fit between the studs, and press those up against the drywall on the other side, in between the studs. Use Green Glue here too if you want, but not as glue! When each piece is in place, caulk around the edges, then use small cleats to hold it in place, nailed sideways into the studs.- if not, do I need to rip down the drywall on BOTH sides of the partition, or can most of this be done by opening up one side?
What stops sound is mass. The higher the density of a building material, the better it stops sound. The density of drywall is about 680 kg/m3. The density of MDF is around 750 kg/m3. The density of plywood is around 550. So, because the density is much lower, it needs to be much thicker to get the same total surface density. 1" of plywood has about the same surface density as 3/4" of MDF or drywall. So your plywood is OK, but not very good. If you like your plywood, you can keep your plywood... :) But you might need another layer of "something" over it, to get the surface density up.what are your thoughts on the plywood on the shop side of the wall, in terms of sound transfer? I see a lot of folks talk about drywall and MDF board, but not so much about plain old plywood.
You seem to be talking about keeping your wall as a single-framed wall, with one attached leaf and one decoupled leaf. So, because there's only one frame, you will have to make do with just one door. Therefore, it will have to be very massive, and very well sealed. You will likely have to beef up the framing around the door, to be able to handle the extra load. You will probably need to build the door yourself, but you can start with a standard solid wood door blank, and just add another layer or two on top of that.- the doors will likely need to be replaced for something that's aimed more towards sound transfer rather than just a regular door.
:thu: Yup! That is, indeed, the best way to design a studio! Get all of your ducks in a nice neat row. First design everything, in full detail. Then build. Don't pick up a hammer, or even buy a single nail, until the entire plan is in place.unless you feel I should take everything into consideration at once to ensure we don't miss anything along the way.
.... and they'll both need to be done pretty much the same. If it is possible to eliminate one of those and just wall it up, that would be doing you a bog favor. Having to worry about only one door is twice as easy as having to worry about two! - Stuart -If you want to discuss doors, remember one is an exterior door and the other is just a partition door.