Roxul Rockwool vs. Owens-Corning Quiet Zone

Hi guys, I hope someone can clear all this up for me quick, I'm probably gonna have to make a decision in the next 12 hrs... I'm trying to decide what insulation to buy, and their differences. It's going inside my control room walls, double stud wall construction (1/2"sheetrock~1/2"sheetrock~9.5"space~5/8"sheetrock~5/8"sheetrock) OK, so the 2 layers of 3" insulation will shrink that space to about 3.5". Note: the sheetrock will then be covered with 703 panels for acoustics. As for the insulation in the walls, I'm primarily concerned with keeping control room music from escaping to the outside (and the neighbor's ears) So what should I go with, and how much of a price difference is there in these products? My control room walls total 300sf of surface area. So if the good stuff is expensive, I may just put it surrounding the control room, and use the less expensive stuff surrounding the live room, machine room, and vocal booth. Rockwool Quiet Zone

No insult intended, but tell me your joking. You want to make a purchase in 12 hours and are now asking for research material from a forum where people may or not be around to answer your questions, and you want (maybe?) back up data or reference data to study/analyze?

I'm trying to decide what insulation to buy, and their differences

Ignoring for a moment the differences, what you want is the type of insulation generally designed for in wall installation for for sound and fire rating improvement. These materials are approximately 2.5 lb/ft^3. Quiet zone is one of them, Roxul's "Safe N Sound" is another. Also Thermafiber SAFB and Fibrex SAFB. Just about every insulation company has a product in this category. For a detailed explanation of why this density: http://www.usg.com/Design_Solutions/2_3_7_insulationperf.asp The NRC tested 350 walls including variations in insulation. The report IR-761 (huge!) showed that rock wool (mineral fibre in the report) was slightly better, in the densities they tested. http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/fulltext/ir761/ This summary on the insulation types based on IR-761is from CMHC 02-108 (sorry no url, trying to get this to you ASAP)

• Generally, at low frequencies, the increase in the transmission loss of a partition obtained by adding a sound absorptive material inside its cavity is equivalent regardless of the material used. Above 250 Hz, mineral fiber and blown cellulose give the best results; mineral fiber insulation provides slightly better transmission losses than glass fiber, especially around the critical frequency. Also, in the case of glass fiber, a greater transmission loss can be achieved by using denser batts.

So what should I go with, and how much of a price difference is there in these products?

You have the criteria; 2.5lb/ft^3 insulation. Prices are impossible to detail. They vary wildly from region to region depending on location of factories, local raw material (for the insulation near the factory), amount of competition, and the housing market activity in an area. You have several leads in this post. Call the building suppliers and ask in general terms (IE. fire rated sound absorption insulation around 2.5 lb/ft^3) and note the prices. Some companies get a large premium for their product because of their company's name brand recognition.

:D Thanks for your response, this is not a joke. I know I was gonna look stupid, but just had some last minute confusion. I have been researching building this studio and checking out this forum for about a year, but there are just so many different things to focus on... I went with the ROCKWOOL, IIG SAFB R-12 3", $17/bag (48sf) The confusion started yesterday, I thought I know I was going with the R-19 pink stuff, but started reading on the forum someone suggesting rockwool was better for in the walls, but more expensive. When I called around and found it...long story short, I didnt distinguish between the guy saying "bags" and "batts' on the phone, and ended up thinking the rockwool was gonna cost me $800 to cover 300sf! :shock: Then I went to Lowes and saw the pink quiet zone stuff at something like $32 for 100sf. So obviously I wanted to justify the worth of spending that much more, was it really that much better?? A second call this morning sorted out the confusion, so I got about 600 sf of coverage for about $225. :wink: Now back to work. Thanks again for the response, sorry to sound like an idiot :oops:

Looks like Andre's got you covered - and don't worry about insecurity, this stuff can be confusing as hell. One of the things that helps keep me from being judgemental is a clear memory of how dumb I was in this field 20 years ago. Good luck... Steve

knightfly wrote:

One of the things that helps keep me from being judgemental is a clear memory of how dumb I was in this field 20 years ago.

I am trying to find a thread, and have tons of stuff I am learning today! Still Learning: Andre

knightfly wrote:

One of the things that helps keep me from being judgemental is a clear memory of how dumb I was in this field 20 years ago. Good luck... Steve

Steve - That was one of THEE best examples of knowledge and good manners I've ever seen on a forum. 8) More people should take after you! Many people come to this forum - and they are, well - "dumb" to studio building, and or "proper" forum conduct. :roll: At the end of the day, this is a place to get some advise and help from others who've walked the path and have a certain level of expertise. Well done. :wink:

None of the replies so far have directly answered the question. I have the same exact queston. I'm holding off clicking the "add to cart" button at a materials web site, hoping to get a reliable answer. The Roxul is about half the price. If the absorption characteristics are more or less equal, I'll go with the Roxul. Anyone?

Sir, Andre answered the question directly and completely. If you are still not able to make a decision, then you should read and re-read his instructions, until you understand the simplicity of the question and the ease of the answer that exists right in front of you and I.

No problem. After measuring and mocking up diagrams and realizing the space I have to work with: I quit anyway! lol

you were answering a post from several years ago...