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Neil K. Hess · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 11:54 am Post subject: Dawbox insulation

So I just ordered plans for a 4x6 dawbox. What things would you suggest considering for insulation and why? I have heard acoustic foam and 703 and just not sure which way to go, or maybe another route entirely.

Thanks![/list]
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Bish · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:20 pm Post subject:

Personally, I would avoid foam. There are better results to be had (with respect to volume/cost) with other products. The volume thing is worth bearing in mind if you're fitting out a box. Some may say that OC products are not good for a box because of formaldehyde... I'll let others comment on that as I had no issues when I purchased mine. There are alternatives in the Johns Manville range... but as I say, I've got about 144 square feet of 2" OC 703 (panels, cloud and corner super-chunks) wrapped in burlap in my room, and all is well. People have posted recently about a recycled denim product... it may be worth looking at. Any of these will require some "handyman" efforts, but if you're putting a box together, you seem to be taking on these duties. Sounds like a plan... keep us posted.
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Jason Huggins · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:24 pm Post subject:

Totally go with the recycled denim. You can get it at Lowes, it has the same sonic absorption specs as the 703 and it isn't harsh like mineral wool can be. It's pretty cheap too! I have Rockwool brand mineral wool panels (4") and I had to get an air purifier after I vacuumed in my room. It kicked up dust and irritated my lungs.

Neil K. Hess · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:02 pm Post subject:

Thanks fellas. The recycled denim does look like an attractive option. Smile

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Kim Fuller · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:16 pm Post subject:

Ulf just used some recycled denim for new window plugs in our studio and was very happy with the level of noise blockage.

georgethetech · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 10:45 pm Post subject:

Neil, how much and what frequency ranges of noise do you need isolation from? The DAW boxes I've seen built were made with thin material, couldn't stop much more than fan noise from a computer.
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todd ellis · Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:29 am Post subject:

just did my whole studio in recycled denim & am SUPER happy. as someone who has worked a lot with the other stuff - the RD is so much easier. it doesn't cut as well as the pink stuff, but it rips pretty well ... and none of those nasty chemicals and small particles floating around.
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Neil K. Hess · Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:06 am Post subject:

Jason Huggins · Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:43 am Post subject:

I can tell you from experience, make SURE you soundproof effectively if you are going to be below someone walking. I built an 8x8 room will 2x6 staggered stud construction, offset seams, acoustic caulk, double layer 3/4" inside and single layer 3/4" drywall, and I can STILL here my kids walking around above me. I built the room completely isolated from the wood structure of the house.

If you have anyone walking above, you'll hear it if you don't do a better job than I did. I don't know what the Dawbox plans included, but I'd recommend double layer inside, double layer outside, staggered studs, AND green glue inside and out. Even if it's just your wife up there right now, if you ever plan to have kids...they will be loud...they're kids...can't be helped. If you do it right the first time, you won't have to think about it ever again (unless you move).

A couple things to remember when selecting a space. Where is the dishwasher and refrigerator? If they are above your space, you'll hear them if you don't do it right. Does your wife listen to music? How loud? You probably don't want to impede upon her happiness during the day, so isolating from her sound (rather than asking her to change her life around your career) is probably a better bet. (Even if she works now, is she going to stay home if you have kids). When do your neighbors do yard work? During the time you'd like to be recording? Do trucks drive by on nearby streets? The vibration will penetrate if you don't isolate well.

I'm just thinking long term here. If you are going to build something, make sure it is done RIGHT the first time. My space is good enough (the ONLY thing I can hear is when my kids run around or if they are loud at the top of the stairs to the basement...but that is because I have a hollow core door to the basement), but I still have to talk to my kids regularly about walking "softly" above me instead of running around. Don't skimp...then you won't have to rebuild.

Matto · Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:06 pm Post subject:

I can tell you that unless you build a WAY better DAWBOX than I did (quite doable), the booth will not cut out footsteps above. The kitchen upstairs was the bane of my existence in the old house I lived at. For one job I recorded a 10 hour audiobook directed over phone patch - when I was done I bought the people above a giant bottle of Baileys, to thank them for NOT walking in the kitchen for the whole week.

The DAWBOX plans are pretty messy. Make sure you check the measurements thoroughly before you start as there were lots of inconsistencies with mine.
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georgethetech · Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:26 pm Post subject:

The DAWBOX plans result in a flimsy booth, and a very frustrated builder.
Those I've met who've built them say the same things about vague plans and taking far longer than they expected.
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ballenberg · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:09 am Post subject:

Overhead footsteps are the very hardest--I've been in a major NYC studio and heard high heels walking above me in the booth--Green glue helps--so does beefing up floor joist cavities ( if they're accessible) with extra drywall and insulation. But even with all that, footsteps may penetrate. Heavy carpets help a lot--stop the sound at its source

Jason Huggins · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:37 am Post subject:

Good point about the carpet, can't do that in my case, but it is a great thought for sure. I am going to try throwing 8" rockwool on top of my room here in a bit. I have a bunch left over from my build. We'll see if that dampens the *thuds* at all.

Bish · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 8:15 am Post subject:

I agree with all the comments here about overhead hardwood floors. My studio space is fairly well insulated from exterior noise... I'm in a basement, so am fairly well isolated... but the only thing that screws me up is someone walking on the hardwood floor above my head. Luckily, it's not a high-traffic area, but I decided some time ago that I was never going to be able to solve it completely, so I should stop throwing money at it and just work around it. Cutting it down or muting it is a pointless (and costly) exercise because unless you can eradicate it from the recording completely, there's no point. There's little to be gained from taking the -15dB clunk down to -25dB... and getting it down to better than -55dB is going to be expensive. Time for a cost/benefit analysis.

The comment about the NY studio made me laugh... sometimes you've just got to live with something... "Hold on... wait for the subway rumble to pass." Smile

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ballenberg · Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:12 am Post subject:

New idea for shoe design: Attach carpet or rockwool to bottom of soles.

Optional, a snowshoe-like construct made of two layers of drywall with GG plus 8" of Rockwool, that clips on to the shoes of family members walking overhead.

Even if it doesn't actually work, by the time they figure out how to attach it to their shoes, your session will be over.