yet another band practice/basement ?

[Katherine Carlin]

Hi,

My husband is determined to be a rock star, and Im suffering because of it...we need to soundproof our basement, but we want to the ductwork to still be accessible in case we ever need to do repair work.  We would love to do a drop ceiling, but are worried that they will take up a lot of head room.  Any ideas or suggestions?  Is there a special type of ceiling tile that will soundproof without blocking access to the ductwork?  Thanks, Katie

[Boborther]

Katherine,

I need to be frank with you, when it comes to soundproofing there are always compromises involved. My point here is simply this, the best way to soundproof a basement practice room from the living areas above is to float the ceiling below, using either the SSP sound clips and metal furring channels or resilient channels RC-1's. These are 2 entirely different systems for a float, so don't get them confused.  
Now as far as the ducting, think about all the electrical wiring, pipes, and other duct work that are permanently concealed behind plaster or sheetrock walls and ceilings. If you needed to get to them you would have to break into the walls  to do repairs, or maintenance and such. My question is this, what's the difference between the pipes and ducting conceiled in walls upstairs and the ductwork in the basement? I would do a floated ceiling and completely conceil the ductwork in the basement. There is really no alternative if true soundproofing is your ultimate goal.
Read about a floated ceiling by clicking on the links below.
Thanks for your interesting post, and I hope I wasn't too hard on you Katherine, but sometimes reality in itself is a little harsh, know what I mean? Smiles!!

http://www.soundproofing.org/sales/supersoundclip/supersoundclip.htm

http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/channel.htm

http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/garage.htm

http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/basement.html


Bob Orther
Super Soundproofing Sales/Technical Associate.
Ph: (760) 752-3030    FAX: (760) 752-3040
URL: www.soundproofing.org
e-mail: boborther@soundproofing.org
Orders only (888) 942-7723
When Peace of Mind is all that Matters!