Thread: Sound proofing

Nope...Carpet is good for sound baffling NOT soundproofing.

Trust me, soundproofing methods aren't cheap.

Is the garage insulated?...Concrete Floor?...and what about the Door(s)?...

Give us a description of the garage. (as much detail as you can give)

In theory you need a surface that is pokey. I know, not very scientific...Like the drink holders from Mcdonalds (shape wise, not material or suggestion) the spike you see absorb sound as sound bounces randomly. The more surface it can bounce off of the better, As it wastes more energy before exiting the garage into the eardrum of a neighbor. I think they sell foam pads that connect together....Not sure where they sell it...


Great questions MZ, you beat m to them, if the garage is insulated just put the sound proofing foam on top, otherwise insulate that motha!

Concrete floor=more flat surface more sound (right?) means more sound padding (ceiling maybe?)

Door insulation is important because it will reverberate any sound inside.


Not trying to be a now it all MZ just making sure I know what I'm talking about.

Please correct anything I got wrong to get the most accurate information!

Heres an idea, what about
Roland TD-3 electronic drums can be purchased new for around 900.00. (less than soundproofing I would guess)
They are good quality and perfect for rehearsals my son even uses them for small gigs.

they practice in the basement , I have some bass traps on the wall and I dont have to turn the tv up and for the most part, can hardly hear them. You will get better sound in a small room this way and your neighbors wont even hear you.
Reason- adjust volume down for the drums and guitars arent overpowered by the drums.

If you dont have a PA you can use a keyboard amp for the drums.

Here is what they sound like in a small room.

Shameless plug opportunity #2

Do you have a high budget? The more money you have to soundproof it, the better it will look, the more durable it will be, and most importantly, the better the sound will be. Find a way to dull or mute your drums, because those are typically the biggest problem in terms of noise. They are loud as hell, and every instrument has to turn their gain up. I personally have an electronic set, and have a volume knob =P so somebody with an acoustic set will have to give you tips for quieting the set.

If you have more of a budget, you can actually buy special bass traps for your corners, sound proofing for the wall, and even pads to put under the drum set. Obviously, some carpet would be helpful (beware of mold), and it would definitely help to stick some thermal insulation between the beams in the wall, and drywall over it - open insulation will probably vibrate to the noise and spew irritating particles into the air. Experiment to see where the best place to put the sound proofing elements is.

If you're like the rest of us, look up DIY tutorials on making your own bass traps =) The above responses also mention egg cartons which are pretty damn good - but you would need a ton of those. Hanging carpet off the wall would probably dampen the sound, but I wouldn't count on it doing the whole job alone. As long as you have some kind of jagged (but not sharp) surface, it will bounce the sound waves in many directions many times, and absorb energy. A flat bouncy surface is excellent at directing noise, and is no good.

There seems to be some confusion between sound proofing and sound absortion / acoustic treatment.

Foam, basstraps, difusers (egg cartons etc) are only effective at balancing frequency and reverb levels within the room.

Sound proofing is all about mass and density.

A room made from foam panels would sound nice and dry inside, but the sound level on the outside would be high. A room made of brick would sound terrible on the inside but the sound on the outside would be very low level.

For a garage, the best way to soundproof would be to create stud Walls/ceiling/floor and place a sheel of sound barrier lead substitue between the stud an the original with an air gap. This would be quite expensive.

The cheaper way would be to build stud Walls and ceiling with a gap of around 1ft. Use 2 layers of gypsum/plasterboard overlaped so that the joins don't meet up. Heavily insulate and use silicon sealant on the joints.

For the drums, create a stage by laying dense rockwool slabs on the floor and cover with ply/chipboard.. This will be much cheaper and will give good results.

Hope this helps

ah.. and your problem is solved. that was probably the most sound advice you could get, if you don't cut corners and do what this guy said you will have a hell of a room.