What is the best material for soundproofing?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- I test out many different materials for sound proofing.
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Very interesting. The main thing I will add/critique here is that larger sheets of drywall/MDF/plywood will have more resonance and tend to vibrate at lower frequencies. I discovered these issues when I was in the process of soundproofing my 4'x 6' bedroom window from outside noise and neighbors (i.e. cars passing by the outside alley blasting loud bass music). I have to do this every summer when the rowdies come out of hibernation. I've discovered that smaller pieces of drywall and plywood do not resonate as much as one large piece did. It's also easier on my back to install it in smaller sections. I seal it all with rubber weather striping and acoustic calking. The result... much less resonance/vibration at low frequencies. I've learned a lot over the last few years from simple trial and error. I'm still in the process of improving it. I've gotten greedy and will take any dB reduction I can get.
Hey, great video. I loved your first one. The main flaw in this test is that you didn’t seal the layers you were testing. In the first video you did this by screwing everything together. You might be surprised by some of the differences in results if you clamped the materials to the top of the box. I would also recommend putting the mic on the dB meter directly in front of the material for the most accurate reading.
Re: Green Glue: it’s a completely different substance than caulk or sealant. It gradually expands between the layers and creates a damping layer similar to the rubber you used. It takes about 30 days for this to happen, so you would have to buy a tube of real green glue and prepare those layers in advance to test how effective it is.
Re sound source: if someone is thinking about what materials to use for a home theater, workshop, music studio, etc bass frequencies will be the top concern because they are the hardest to absorb. It’s more complicated to test the full spectrum, but you would find each material absorbs different frequencies at varying amounts. The stiffer materials will generally do a better job with bass frequencies.
Last consideration: soundproofing is a result of the whole system. The test you’re doing here can help with picking materials for the walls, and is a great primer for anyone doing research. Just a caution that windows, doors, HVAC are a lot more complicated and have their own unique requirements.
I’m a big fan of the videos you’ve done, and I think there’s not enough proper testing on TH-cam, so thank you for putting in the time and effort. My comments are not intended to be negative, just an FYI about some of the limitations of how the results from your testing can be applied.
Awesome video as always, thank you.
Below is a comprehensive list of everything you did wrong:
I am adding the few things they missed here:
My best experience with sound proofing theater rooms was with staggered studs, rock wool insulation cut to fit snugly, and then two thicknesses of drywall with accoustic sealant in between the layers. Using two thicknesses of drywall blocks more frequencies. A combo of 3/8 and 5/8 was the best.
Thx for sharing. 2 thicknesses? rather than 2 layers of 5/8?
It does not matter to me I am deaf, but I like your work you and your family has a great Christmas
Thank you for the work and results. Good clean setup and no nonsense work flow. Well done.
If you go for another round consider making a top frame from, eg., double 3/4" ply, with the internal window the same as the sound cavity.. Four carpenters clamps to hold the frame, test sample and sound box together and that should remove any serious doubt about samples not lying flat, etc.
One general principle I was taught is that sound proofing needs density. Fluffy stuff will work but you need a lot of it to get enough mass.
Your results go a long way towards confirming this advice.
Great test, thanks for sharing! I've personally got R-13 fiber, 1" foam, then 5/8" drywall. I was mostly worried about insulation, but it does an amazing job of sound proofing as well. Given your test, I might add another layer of drywall, but it seems like the difference wasn't that substantial. I also can't help noticing that doing just about anything was better than nothing. It's a shame your meter wasn't able to get a good reading, but 130 db -> 100-90 is a pretty amazing drop.
I'm not going to complain about you doing all this hard work and providing it to us for free, thank you. One additional thing that would be useful would be a price for the materials, perhaps in a dollars per square foot unit. Then you could do a bang for your buck metric, would would be a helpful metric when making a decision. I bet the drywall solutions would really shine then.
The speaker was actually a better test because it covered a broader range of frequencies. A quick way to differentiate the noise quality instead of just quantity is a frequency sweep + cheap measurement mic. Room EQ Wizard is free software that makes the process really easy.
I bet your family/neighbors freaking love you for this...
Don't be silly, they love him for his good looks and stylish footwear.
Im lucky, I found owning an old brick home built in the 1940s is the best soundproof. My friends have a brand new built house, and you can literally hear everything outside, they are always getting complaints from neighbors just for their TV. My house you can blast the 7.1 surround sound with sub woofer, step outside, and barely hear it in the yard, let alone in a neighbors yard.
Perfect! I am curious if it was possible to make sound proof panels that are made of fingertips? At least putting MY fingertips in my ears works great anyway?
Your channel is the best…I don’t know why, but if you have a video release. I watch it before anyone else. Maybe it’s the dense information easily conveyed…??? I don’t know. But just wanted to say good job.
Thanks. I try to cut the bullshit as much as possible.
Fascinating results, dude! 😃
Thanks a bunch for all the tests!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Merry Christmas and happy new year!
Thanks. Ditto
Love the video. Would have also loved to see a double drywall test!
I did 2 layers of half inch and 5/8?
Be advised, the horn frequency has A LOT to do with the results of your testing. Massive materials like 5/8 drywall are better at medium frequency asborbtion so the horn doesn't get affected as much as other materials.
As far as I understand and my experience in setting up a studio in my house has taught me, what has helped me the most to isolate both the sound that comes in from outside and to reduce the volume of the sound that can be transmitted to my neighbors is the sum of different materials and therefore densities, including air, mineral wool, and 2 layers of drywall. so I think that high-density mineral wool may be what can give you the best results with a layer of plywood or drywall.
I found this really surprising. I just renovated my basement with safe and sound insulation, strapping, sonopan, and 1/2" drywall. The results were less than desirable, it mutes the sound a bit, mostly talking, but foot steps or things dropped on the floor above, the difference is hardly noticeable. A bit of a disappointment for the money spent. I believe my biggest issue is the air ducts are an air penetration I can't remove.
remova os dutos de ar e vede as paredes. abra a porta 10 a 20 minutos por dia com um ventilador super potente com a vazão necessária ou duas vezes ao dia no maximo. faço isso e traz uma diferença muito boa para o isolamento.
That scare me cause I just did that. Next step is the ceiling. I do read that ceiling noise, specially impact, it's not doing much. Reason is the joist are so big that the sound travel easily. To block that, you do that on the flooring side.
But what about noise going up, how much do you hear in the room above VS before?
Did you decouple the basement ceiling from the floor above
like my comment says, I strapped the ceiling the break the connection of the joists to the sound proofing.@@Brucey69
You may be able to line the inside surfaces of the ducts, with soft rubber matting (maybe mouse pads), or some other absorbent material. The other thing that may help... is to hang a few boards of stacked plywood, about 3 inches under the vent (maybe using bungee cords, or rubber strapping). In this way... any sound that runs down the vent... will be partially bounced back into the vent... after it hits the Plywood. Additionally, some foam might help diffuse any remaining noises... yet the foam should still allow for air to move through it. You will likely have to change the foam out every year or so... as it gets clogged up with dust (washing it might work too).
They make a car Undercarriage rubberized spray that also might work for lining a vent. However... I have no idea if there would be a long term off-gassing / smell. You could spray a small section of cardboard, and let it sit in the house... to see if the smell remained for a long period of time or not.
As for your choice of materials... The Sonopan really isnt enough to stop very loud noises, IMO. It would be best to add one more layer of Drywall. The stuff is very dense, and should reduce the remaining noise.. maybe by 40% more.
Also.. another idea, is to extend the vent, in a maze like pattern, inside of a well insulated box... similar to what is shown in this videos test box. The maze like pathway, will help to diffuse and absorb sounds, as the sounds try to bounce off of each internal wall. By the time the air / sounds come out of the other end of the box... there should be little sonic wave energy left (yet the air should still be flowing freely).
It would be intersting to know if you get the same results for a lower db emision, for example to use a speaker at almost the lower volume. It looked like you got rid of almost 30db, so if you produce a 30db it should be silence
I am going with 1 inch plywood + 1cm of old carpet (cotton wool). Cotton wool is known for great absorption over wide band, superior to glass wool.
Really miss your build videos!
It's been hard to find time with moving into the new house and doing renovations but I really want to start building more soon.
I totally get it. Best of luck to you!@@DIYBuilds
Round 2
FIGHT!
Thanks so much for making this video. Very well thought out and scientific. You saved me a lot of time! 👍
Please make a video dealing with low frequencies (loud bass), because this is what most people have problems with these days. You would get millions of hits too. It would be fantastic if you could test 1/16" lead sheeting glued to plywood and drywall.
also test with lower bass frequency and I'm sure your results will change
For best results in sound proofing irregular surfaces are needed in order to reduce resonance / echo effects. If you were to simply drill some holes in the first layer of the plywood sheet and keep the second flat, you would see a major improvement over what you have now. It seems counterintuitive but it will work.
One suggestion I know I made on the last video that maybe was missed... An air gap between your insulation helps as well! When I started working from home during the pandemic, we built a soundproof office, and we basically framed out two walls with an air gap in between. It's been great!
Air is not a soundproofing at all, it's an insulation if and only its none moving air. If the air move and travel, it's not insulating anything (it's also why pink fiberglass must not be compress, it's all the air bubble inside the materials that help with heat transfer).
Soundproofing require masse and air have none. You could have done the samething without leaving the air gap and it would yield the same result. The thing is what you did to create that air gap created soundproofing, but it's not the air that's doing so. In fact, air is the enemy of soundproofing cause it allow the noise wavelength to move freely.
Erm.
So that last peice of plaster board you routed out.
I'd argue that invalidated all the results.
Well invalidate is a bit harsh but thats just not a great way to build a sound chamber.
Tbh I'd try putting the meter inside the box and horns outside an repeat.
Remember how sound travels. Vibrations.
That is definitely a good idea. In terms of my method of testing being scientific, no its not, but totally invalidated results, also no. These results are still useful to draw comparisons from.
I wish you would test MLV and rockwool
I'm thinking you have to separate the different layers possibly with spacers because the material itself is conducting the sound from one side to the other. In reference to your last video as an example, did you notice how the 1/2" drywall by itself reduced by 22.9 db? So, hypothetically, if you built a box within a box and separating the two with maybe little squares of sonopan as spacers, that could potentially reduce by almost 46db. The only issue is that drywall doesn't cancel out every single frequency but I'm getting ahead of myself..
Do an ASIC miner (Antminer S9) with ventilation, or just a soundproof box with ventilation.
I'm not sure about this test, it feels like there was too many air leaks. I feel like this test should have been more impressive.
I think your box was leaking sound from layers not being airtight and I believe it was also leaking sound from the bottom which invalidates the entire test. For example stacking multiple layers of drywall should make a big difference but in your test it barely did anything, with that logic stacking 10 layers won't do anything when in reality it should practically make it completely soundproof unless it's ridiculously loud like 160 dB. Another criticism is only using one type of sound, in which case it's high pitch noise which is infamous for being really easy to soundproof, it even falls within STC rating. Something like sub bass and bass noise (20-250 Hz) would be a better test because it's very difficult to soundproof and requires decoupled walls with multiple layers of drywall. I would like to see a V3 of this test with addressed criticism.
Some audiophile speaker cabinet builders use what they call constrained layer damping. “Typically a viscoelastic or other damping material, is sandwiched between two sheets of stiff materials that lack sufficient damping by themselves.” -Wikipedia
You should leave air space between your materials to allow the sound waves to die down while adding sound absorption materials on the inside parts of the air pockets to also absorb extra sound. Also, the materials touching allows for sound vibration to travel through them. The best way is for the materials to not touch each other.
I think that's what the sonopan and green glue does
Great Video ! Thank you for sharing. Apex Soundproofing requires materials with HIGH density, such as Rock Wool, or even lead. I would love to see you trying these materials, and you may want to revisit the the box itself, since I don't believe you have sufficient soundproofing... At any rate, great video, and thanks again. Keep up the good work mate :)
Have you tried Sorbothane? It's crazy expensive though.
Materials used, frequency horn, hmmm. Round 3 please!
Would the voltage drop in the battery make a difference on the horn volume? Could be a variable.
I agree but I measured with a multimeter and it stayed constant.
I didn't think the horns would make much of a dent, but I wasn't sure how long you ran them in total.
Probably 5 minutes between all test over 3 days.
This would be very welcome with more interesting materials, that actually make up most of a construction, not just the finishing plates, which hardly do anything … rockwool and PIR would be a lot more interesting
Try testing rockwool and acoustic foam
I'd be curious about "moving blankets" and insulation batts.
Haven't watched this yet (watching this now), but pleeeease tell me you tested mass loaded vinyl (MLV). Everyone overlooks this, and it literally fully stops sound.
I stapled MLV to plywood and lined my metal workshop, and rockwool in the ceiling. I can run any of my powertools in my workshop at 3am, and my wife doesn't hear a thing.
Where to buy it?
@@LovePrincess-nh9hx I've ordered several rolls of it from Amazon. The brand I've gotten was "Soundsulate". It is heavy AF, and found that it was best applied with staples. The plastic cap nails just ripped under its own weight.
Ther is a material which seems like you didn't consider on both tests... EPDM Rubber, a 5mm thick one (5kg/square meter (1250kg/cubic meter) should give you (alone) average 25dB of absorbtion, but not all frequencies gets the same tamed by the same amount, bass frequencies are much difficult to treat. there is a product called TopSilent (made by an italian company) but I believe you can find comething similar in any country.
u should try cotton, i saw a video, that show how cotton, or others organic fabric are better than any synthetic materials for sound damp, i need to find it back. i can't remember the name of the chanel.
thx
It's too bad you didn't include rockwool insulation.
I am hoping to see what a normal house build would look like. I.e. plywood sheathing, which is the exterior of the house, followed by R22 rockwool insulation, followed by sono pan, then drywall.
Can you try that?
Of course this isn't taking into account whether the siding is wood, vinyl or hardi board and on top of that, alot of homes are going into energy efficiency with exterior rockwool insulation (because I too just had this done with a R6) or foam boards, which I think would drastically reduce those annoying car horn sounds and traffic.
I am just trying to figure out if sono pan would be worth it or not.
Queue up the many comments about isolation. Mass separated by nothing and then more mass with very little connecting them.
Sound Leakage at the joints between the box and the cover is the down fall
Bath towel layers?
I am not from canada. I am from europe. We dont get sonopan here. I have a huge base noise. I can get plywood. Any ideas of insulation panels that i could instal inside and or also outisde of the house? 😊
I don't know if you can get it in the UK, but try 1/16" lead sheets glued to 3/4" plywood. Worked very well for me blocking out loud bass music. It's going to be very heavy though.
What is the weight of Sonopan to 3/4" plywood per sq foot or your bow top samples. Thanks
is sonopan finally able to be purchased in the us?
Not yet. But you see so many vids on YT promoting it.
thanks!!!!!
A double wall would vastly out preform any of these.
You need to seal the edges or the sound will escape and invalidate the result.
I don't think its an accurate test to just throw the pieces on top. In a real scenario, the sound proofing will be nailed down, or secured in some way which would add an additional level of protection. Since its not secured down, the horn itself is so loud it would probably cause the panels on top to vibrate which would allow noise to escape around the edges. and you have the sound detection device right at the edge too, it should be opposite the sound proof layer you're testing. the sound proofing material should be between the the horn and sound measuing device.
Pl accousti seal is not green glue at all. It's not for the samething. It is a sealant, you use it to seal the perimeter all around compared to green glue that you use 2 tube for 4x8 sheet. It's not at all a good test.
parabéns amigo mas o teste esta enviezado. voce nao vedou as camadas de drywall, apenas colocou uma sobre a outra. Todos os dados captados pelo decibelímetro foram inúteis. Não existe isolamento sem vedação. ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Homasote
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