Soundproofing

Soundproofing rooms is a science that, when done correctly, really does work.

This came up in another thread and I thought I'd make it its own thread since I have this issue (but unrelated to poly) in that my bedroom is directly above my grown daughter's room.

Neither of us want to hear the other getting intimate, but apparently its much louder on her end than it is on mine (sound travels downstream?)

At any rate - does anyone have any soundproofing ideas for a house with no ducting, without necessarily ripping apart the ceiling?
 
There could be a long list of reason she hears more in her room...start with the her floor and supporting structure sit on a foundation and your room/floor sit on the wall structure.. ...walls you both share, etc, etc...

1) what is she hearing ....voices ...talk level or screaming? Furniture noises?

2) what type of structure is it? Age

3) What type of floors do you have ..tile /carpet hardwood.

4) What type of doors ...hollow core, etc.
 
You can't properly soundproof without taking down all the walls. =P But some acoustic foam might help you out a little. But it's more for specific frequencies when you get into that kinda thing, and all about the right place to put them. =P Good luck with that.
 
MBG, I think you should google it. There are tons of websites about soundproofing, some very technical. I was looking into it because I live in a small apartment and live next to and below very noisy neighbors. The best thing to do is get a professional to look at your space and make recommendations. It doesn't always necessitate ripping up floorboards, but from what I recall, wood is a big conductor of sound. Sometimes sound will still travel along beams even when soundproofing is applied to walls. And there needs to be air space in between and sound baffling material used. You may want to add specially made ceiling tiles to her room and make sure you have carpet in yours. Google around and you will find lots of info on it.
 
My friend just put sound proofing in her floor boards to cut down the sound between her and her tenant in an upstairs downstairs situation. It was basically a wire that attached from one end of the supporting beams to another. The sound travels along the wire and defuses it. Works like a charm although I am not sure of the science behind it.
 
cindie,

You may not believe this but I'm the guy people call to correct these type of problems. In highrise building steel studs and concrete (fire codes) are the the enemy for sound transmission not wood. Air gaps do nothing to slow down sound...they provide a break from one surface or material to another. Frequency and the decibels of the problem sound or sounds is the starting points. A sub woofer from a home theater is way different from voices or a barking Shih Tzu and would be treated differently.
 
cindie,

You may not believe this but I'm the guy people call to correct these type of problems. In highrise building steel studs and concrete (fire codes) are the the enemy for sound transmission not wood. Air gaps do nothing to slow down sound...they provide a break from one surface or material to another. Frequency and the decibels of the problem sound or sounds is the starting points. A sub woofer from a home theater is way different from voices or a barking Shih Tzu and would be treated differently.

So, someone would have to invite you over and recreate the noise and have you listen to determine how to fix them? I think I would just benefit from some duct tape -- over my neighbor's big fucking mouth.
 
So, someone would have to invite you over and recreate the noise and have you listen to determine how to fix them? I think I would just benefit from some duct tape -- over my neighbor's big fucking mouth.

This sounds extremely snarky. The answer would be, YES! You take your car to get fixed and the mechanic has to "re-create" the problem or they can't fix it (hense why intermittent issues really suck). Same goes for any service person. You tell them the problem, they investigate, do tests and come up with solution.
 
This sounds extremely snarky. The answer would be, YES! You take your car to get fixed and the mechanic has to "re-create" the problem or they can't fix it (hense why intermittent issues really suck). Same goes for any service person. You tell them the problem, they investigate, do tests and come up with solution.

Snarky? Why? I was injecting some humor, I thought. The OP started this thread regarding sex sounds. So, I was imagining someone calling a pro and saying, "hang on, you stay there and listen," while they run into the next room and fuck someone so the pro can hear it.

Never owned a car so thanks for enlightening me on what a mechanic does. Geez, is everyone cranky today?
 
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Sounds associated with sex was only directly stated one time. And only hinted at another time and in that case the couple was complaining that they could hear their neighbors. And in that situation it was later determined that they didn't want to be heard ....instead of what they were hearing.

Yes we like to hear and measure the sound at the source (if possible ..neighbors sometimes feuding at the point) and on the clients side of wall.

And as of yet no one has offered to recreate sex sounds for us to measure but that would be funny....unfortunately I didn't have the type relationship with those people where I could make such jokes or suggestions.

Dogs, musicians, partying neighbors, loud TV/stereo's, loud domestic conflicts are some of the complaints I've heard.

In highrise building constructed late 60's early 70's they used a sound attenuating insulation that was placed in between the metal stud and was held in place by compression.....over time they can slid down inside the wall. At the bottom you have a double layer...at the top completely open. So site visit ...listen and or measure sound cut into wall to take a peek ....work up battle plan.

I'd go with the duct tape ...very cheap and very effective:D
 
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