Which Is A Better Option

[Flynman]

Hello everyone!!! This my first post. Hope it makes sense.I have an attached garage that I am turning into a studio. It is approx. 20x20 w/11 ft high ceiling. Framing is 2x6 walls and 2x12 ceiling joists. Would I get better results if I stripped current walls and then built it like this:
1) quiet batt
2) Isolation rails
3) 2 or 3 layers sheetrock 1/2in & 5/8 with greenglue.
4) ceiling 2 layers sheetrock and then acoustic drop ceiling.

Or I am I better off building a room within a room inside the current structure. I'm thinking that the room within a room would cause triple leaf situation because it would be : exterior plywood, air gap,sheetrock, air gap, then new sheetrock on new interior wall? Any thoughts would be appreciated.


           Thanks
          Keith

[Mark Daveis]

Triple leafs can be very good if designed properly using low resonant frequency materials like rubber and mlv. I have built a light weight double room within a heavy concrete room and have got a stc of over 90!
A room within a room is always best but really depends on how loud the noise will be and how much bass.
I would recommend bricks or concrete blocks if building a fixed structure as it gives plenty of mass and is very cheap and you don't need to mess with the GG which goes everywhere on a large project.
If there are any mechanical connections other than sound clips springs and so on then having an air gap is useless because the sound will conduct through the connected parts and it wont be a double or triple room.
With a room of that size I would just use solid brick or concrete and avoid the extra expense of GG as you will have enough mass anyway

[Flynman]

Existing garage is 2x6 construction. So building with concrete is not an option. Looking for simple solutions.

[Randy S]

Keith,
Here is a solution for you that will yeild quality results.
1) Cotton Fiber Insulation.
http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/natural_fiber.htm
2) MLV#1 sound barrier in a continuous layer, lead tape for seams and caulk for perimeter.
http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/flooring.htm
3) sound isolation clips and Drywall furring channel.
http://www.soundproofing.org/sales/SSP.htm
4) 5/8" drywall / Green Glue 3 tubes per 4'x8' sheet / 1/2" drywall.
http://www.soundproofing.org/ggpages.htm

Feel free to give me a call at the office if you have any questions.
Regards,
Randy S.
760-752-3030

[johnbergstromslc]

Avoid a triple-leaf construction.  If you build a 'room-in-a-room', tear off the existing drywall first.  It's been mathematically proven that for a given mass the most efficient soundproofing construction is double leaf.  Ideally, you want 2 massive layers, independent of each other, with a large airspace and full of soft, absorbtive insulation.  Don't forget sealing and use 'airtight' electrical boxes if possible.

If you go with isolation clips you'll still want to tear off the existing drywall.  If you don't, the wall will suffer - as much as 20 pts STC.