A noisy recording environment will make recording good quality music difficult and time-consuming. Soundproofing a room is at times confused with acoustic treatments. The two are quite different, for starters soundproofing will block noises coming from outside your studio, while acoustic treatments will absorb and diffuse noises that bounce inside your room.
Soundproofing has two basic goals one is to keep outside sounds out from your recording and your ears, while the other is to keep noise in and not disturb others.
There are 4 ways of soundproofing and often you will need to use some or all of these methods to properly soundproof a room:
Adding mass – This method will involve adding mass when building a studio. You could for example build thick concrete walls that reduce sound coming in and out of a room. If you have an existing room, you can add mass by inserting sheet block also known as vinyl.
Damping – This process involves using kinetic energy from sound waves by converting it to heat. You will need to sandwich two rigid panels such as plywood with the damping in the center.
Decoupling – Decoupling blocks the transfer of sound by using a dense, pliable rubber.
Filling gaps – Sealing all cracks and holes in a room will seal in sound. Depending on the gaps in your room, different approaches will have to be used to address each gap, for example, door bottoms will block the space between the door and the floor.
The Foam Factory offers a range of soundproofing alternatives that can help to improve the sound quality of your studio while reducing recording times. Their website offers a step-by-step guide on how to measure and purchase soundproofing foam to your preferred specifications.