New Studio Room - Soundproofing/dampening Questions

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DrummerJoe13
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:25 am
Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA

New Studio Room - Soundproofing/dampening Questions

Post by DrummerJoe13 »

Hello,
I recently had an accessory building (detached structure) built on my property in my backyard. It was just finished a few weeks ago. The total size is 14' x 28' and is separated into two rooms. The entryway door is on the left-hand side and enters into a room that's approximately 13' x 13' and then there's an interior door that accesses the music/studio room. That room is approximately 14' 8" x 13', with 9' high walls, and vaulted/angled ceilings. If I had to guess, the center of the room is probably 11-12' high. The music side is constructed as follows:

Wood Studs, 16" OC with Roxul Safe n Sound insulation in walls and ceilings. Initially, my contractor was going to do a layer of plywood and then a layer of sound dampening drywall, but during construction, the drywall contractor suggested using RC, so the walls are actually a layer of plywood, then resilient channel, then a single layer of Soundbreak XP drywall attached to the resilient channel. The ceiling is just a single layer of the Soundbreak XP drywall attached to the studs. Also on the ceiling is 4 recessed/can lights. The floor is engineered hardwood with an acoustic pad underneath. There are no windows in that room, and the door into that room is a solid steel core door.

I play drums and guitar, and plan to record and mix in that room as well. The methods they used definitely helped a bit with escaping sound, but I would like to get the "soundproofing" a little better if possible when I'm playing my drums. I understand that complete soundproofing is near impossible without the "room within a room" technique, but now that the room is already built, and I've already spent a lot of money, that is not an option. I just want to get the best possible results and have as little sound escaping as possible.

I realized doing the lights in the ceiling was probably a bad idea after the fact, but that wouldn't be hard to just remove those and seal the holes, if that is suggested.

I want to know if adding a second layer of drywall to the walls and ceilings with green glue would make enough of a difference to justify the cost. Also, if that is the right path forward, should I use another sound dampening drywall like the soundbreak xp or quietrock as the 2nd layer, or does it not matter as much?

Also, the HVAC is going to be a mini-split heat/air system, so there will be a hole drilled through the wall for that, but it will only be about 2-3 inches. How could I ensure that spot is sealed efficiently?

The building is about 30 feet from the rear of my house, and probably 50-60 feet or more from neighbors. Considering the floor is on a concrete slab and completely detached from the house, would I need to worry about floor vibrations in that case?

I appreciate any assistance you can provide.

Thanks,
Joe
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Re: New Studio Room - Soundproofing/dampening Questions

Post by DanDan »

Will the studs, particularly the ceiling, carry the weight of a second layer of drywall?
If and when you acoustically treat the interior you can expect a small but helpful drop in sound levels entering and leaving. Maybe 3dB.
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