Sound panels

[BflatBass]

I'm building a little room in my garage for practicing and thinking about ways to deaden the sound from escaping the room. When watching some demonstration videos online im noticing some people using sound deadening panels placed on walls in various places.
Does anyone have experience using sound panels? Can anyone refer me to specific material that would help in choosing and placing them?
Thanks for any help.

Cheers,
Robert

[Pre59]

They're made to control the sound reflected by the walls, not to stop it escaping. To contain the sound completely you need to make a room within the garage with a gap all around it, or line it with purpose made sound insulating materials.
There's plenty of info on the web about this, since the rise of the bedroom recording studio.

[2bobone]

I've been thinking about your "little" practice room that you are building in your garage. As others have observed, those foam panels are only about treating the acoustic of the room itself, not keeping the sound from escaping the room. I recall reading a book years ago about building a professional recording studio and how they would literally "float" the studio within another structure using neoprene spacers between the building's floor and the studio's floor. One of the cheapest ways to keep sound within the studio [and from keeping exterior noise from entering the studio] was to use common plaster board [Sheet Rock] in multiple layers ---- either glued together to create additional mass ---- or with a spacer in between sheets to keep the first sheet from transmitting vibrations to the second sheet, etc. etc. You could even use three sheets or more. If your budget allows, you could purchase plaster board that has a lead sheet imbedded within the plaster. A friend once designed a home theater using this material in the basement of a home directly under the living room and no sound from the home theater was detectable upstairs in the living room ! Another problem will be a heavy door with weather stripping around its circumference to block sound from leaving the room. Hanging sheet rock on a common wood door itself to create mass is a solution. The hardest problem of all is air circulation to keep the occupant alive ---- especially one who is huffin' & puffin' on a trombone ! They had designed ductwork with all kinds of fancy filters to attenuate sound transmission. The studio I read about was intended to be constructed in an industrial building next to a railroad track ----- and it worked perfectly, so your "little" project should turn out well using these cheap but effective tips. Good luck and happy huffin' & puffin' !!

[Molefsky]

I use my condo's garage as a practice space. I have the door permanently locked and have hung comforters from the local thrift shop to function as baffles. I then got some generic, grey blankets (the kind made from shredded recycled coke bottles) and layered them over the comforters to give a matching plain grey color to it all. I put my shelves etc inside that baffle layer so It's like the room is just slightly smaller. I've had funk bands rehearse in the space; I've had trombone sectionals etc and never had a neighbor complaint or anything from my significant other who is a highly distractable reader/sleeper. Much cheaper than purpose bought sound panels.

If you're building a space however, maybe look into the Wenger room within a room units they sell.

[CharlieB]

Inside the room:
Carpet on the floor.
Large carpet panels hung on the walls. Experiment for number and placement. Too many and the room will feel
dead.
Sound attenuating walls:
Mass is one way. Brick, multiple layers of drywall board, etc.
Another is double-wall framing so that the studs don't transmit vibrations through the wall. Fill the space between
with mineral wool sound batts (cheap at Home Depot)
As already noted; a heavy door.
The ceiling:
A consideration If there is living space above the garage, or an attic that connects to one.
Ventilation:
A good practice routine is to rest the chops periodically. Open the door. ) ) )