Things are coming along slowly but surely with the new studio build and in this installment, our designer Farrell North dives into the techniques he’s used to help soundproof the room. Achieving complete sound isolation on our budget was not going to happen but with some ingenious tricks and some old fashioned insulation, we were able to significantly reduce the noise coming from the room when the monitors were cranked.
The Insulation Trick:
Insulation in the ceiling and front wall was key to our success. Since these were essentially empty cavities behind the drywall that was already there we had to figure out an inexpensive solution to stop the sound.
Rock Wool Insulation – This stuff works great and is very inexpensive, we used this to fill in the new wall that was built to create the barrier and the side and back walls by our window. The effect was immediate.
Cellulose Insulation – This type of insulations was a little more expensive because we had to hire a professional to come in and blow the material into the hollow spots. The insulation itself has a fire retardant chemical and sort of resembles down feathers, but smaller particles. (Image Below)
Measuring The Sound:
If you don’t have a ton of cash to spend, the guys at RoomEQWizard.com have some free software that will help you get some very accurate sound measurements in your room. In the video below you can get a quick glimpse on how it works and what type of gear you will need to make it work. The Radio Shack Sound Level Meter can be found on eBay or there are other more current models out there – Amazon has a ton of them for a very reasonable price starting at $25 and going up from there. Check them out here.
Tune in to the next episode as we begin building out the custom desks, install the lighting rigs, and begin to pull the room together before the final tuning phase.
Special thanks to our partners that joined us on this journey and helped to make this studio top notch and to Farrell North our incredible and very patient studio designer.
Universal Audio | Fluid Audio | Rode | Primacoustics
The Magnetic Studio Project Full Series:
The Magnetic Studio Project Part 1
The Magnetic Studio Project Part 3
David Ireland is a professional strategist, creative, and marketer. He began his career in 1995 as creator and publisher of BPM Magazine. In August 2000, BPM Magazine merged with djmixed.com LLC, an online media company based in Los Angeles, which later evolved into the Overamerica Media Group [OMG] in 2003. In 2009, Ireland left Overamerica Media Group to serve as the VP of Marketing at Diesel. In 2011, he returned to his roots in media and cofounded the online electronic music publication Magnetic Magazine and created The Magnetic Agency Group. In June 2018, Ireland joined Winter Music Conference (now owned by Ultra Music Festival) as the Director to lead the reboot for 2019 and usher in a new era for the iconic brand. He served as Chief Marketing Officer at Victrola for three years, guiding product innovation and brand growth. He currently serves on the advisory board of Audiopool, a new music tech startup focused on AI-generated music licensing and artist revenue models.
