If you love recording music or doing anything that requires blocking out noises, then soundproofing might be the thing for you. James Haidak believes that someone can never realize how noisy a place is until you build your recording studio. Background noises that you never noticed before suddenly become annoying and noticeable when you hear them through your condenser microphone.
James Haidak believes that the best solution for it is to soundproof your studio or room. Soundproofing will make your room quieter by blocking out background noises. However, you should keep in mind that it is not the same as acoustic treatment. Acoustic treatment will make your room sound better on your recordings by absorbing excessive ambiance. Stay tuned for more of James Haidak’s blogs if you want to know about acoustic treatment.
So, how did James Haidak soundproofed his room?
James’s design consists of a floating room within a room, which seems impossible for most people. But he made it possible. He made the outer shell with a wooden frame insulated with rockwool and double layers of Diamant drywall. Then, he left 10-15 cm of dead space on every side, vital for noise reduction.
On the other hand, the inner cube floats on rubber blocks. Because of this design, the inner room does not directly touch anything outside, reducing the vibrations. James Haidak also insulated the floor with rockwool and placed rockwool boards on the rubber blocks. The inner room features double layers of drywall with varying thicknesses on each layer, improving sound reduction.
Besides these features, James Haidak also insulated the room with rockwool and applied green glue to the drywall’s inner-most layer. Doing so allows the two layers to vibrate independently. It is also a cost-effective way to achieve up to 90% noise reduction. James also applied green glue sealant to reduce external noise further. Then, he laid down pinewood floorings, which is known to provide warm organic reflections to a recording studio. Lastly, James Haidak treated the inner room with GIK acoustic panels to achieve the best modal distribution given the space available in his room.