Do-it-yourself Soundproofing: Is it Possible?

So you’re tired of getting in trouble with your roommates and neighbors because your sub is just too powerful. Have no fear because I’m here to give you the know-how when it comes to sound proofing your personal space. We’ve all heard stories about saving egg cartons and pinning them to your walls in a meager attempt to soundproof a room, however I’m here to dispel that rumor once and for all.

It just doesn’t work… at all. The misconception comes from how similar those cones on egg cartons look like the foam rubber used in recording studios, but the reason the foam works and the egg cartons don’t is because of the density of the material causing the foam rubber to absorb sound waves. But don’t get too excited. Foam only absorbs the high frequencies, or “high’s.” When it comes to the lows, which are usually the culprit when it comes to noise complaints, there is almost nothing you can do.

When you place you big hulking sub on the floor beneath your computer at home, its sound waves reverberate through the whole structure around and that noise becomes amplified in every other room in the building. That’s why when you attend a house show around town it can seem louder outside than it is inside. The sound travels through the whole house, which acts as an amplifier projecting the sound around the neighborhood. Because bass waves are so powerful, they shake the neighbors’ windows too.

Now how do we fix this problem you ask? Well sadly the answer is that there is pretty much nothing you can do about it. The only way to sound proof a room is to build the room with soundproofing in mind. There is almost no way to retro fit to block out bass noise. What about foam and mattresses and all the other things I see up around peoples house to sound proof? Well you see that only works to make the room have less of an echo so the sound quality in the room is better but it’s not effective at stopping bass. Underground basements are about the best you can do. Being underground, the density of the walls can stop the frequencies of the low’s and keep the sound down outside. With that in mind I wish you the best of luck in your future soundproofing!!