If not paired with other soundproofing principles, decoupling a wall will help with transmission of mid-high frequency sound but will increase resonance and sound transmission at lower frequencies (more on that below), so it must be done in combination with other principles to be truly effective. Mechanical Decoupling/Isolation: This is one of the most effective ways to combat conduction, and is why the most effective soundproof walls are completely decoupled, so there is no direct path for the sound to travel. In my case I could do little to address this principle, as the nice solid doorway around my wall would always be a good conductor of sound and the weakest link between our two rooms. Sound will also travel through indirect routes largely via conduction, and this is called flanking noise. Conduction is a very efficient way to transmit sound, and as such any wall that has drywall directly connected to the studs on either side will never perform well. Still, putting something in the wall is better than nothing, so I insulated my wall with standard R-13 fiberglass insulation.Ĭonduction: This is the transmission of sound through vibration of solid objects connected to each other. This is most effective when the walls are decoupled, as if there are studs connecting the two walls the effect of the insulation will be minimal. To address this principle I used two layers of the thickest drywall readily available (5/8") vs the more common 1/2" thickness.Ībsorption: Any kind of insulation within a wall's cavity will help absorb some sound, although it will not trap any low frequencies. Thing is, you need it to be REALLY dense to make a big difference, so simply adding a layer of drywall to an existing wall will only give you a slight decrease in sound transmission. Mass: This one is pretty straightforward. Read on for a brief overview of each principle and how I addressed it. There are 5 basic principles of soundproofing: mass, absorption, conduction, mechanical decoupling and resonance. I am by no means an expert, but just learning the basics went a long way. In planning what I was going to build, I needed to first understand more about soundproofing.
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