How to build a sound studio at home with Tecsound
What is Tecsound?
Tecsound® is a high-density, polymer-based asphalt-free synthetic soundproofing membrane, which is visco-elastic and highly adaptable, and provides good acoustic insulation in the different construction elements without increasing thickness.
Tecsound Soundproofing Applications
- Soundproofing against airborne noise in vertical walls with low surface density.
- Soundproofing against airborne noise in ceilings and lightweight roofs.
- Reduction of impact noise level in all types of floors, sandwiched between floor slabs and loose-laid flooring.
- Damping of impact noise caused by atmospheric agents on metal decks.
- Combined with sound-absorbent materials, it offers products with high acoustic performance.
- TECSOUND applications in the industrial field cover from the soundproofing of booths to the acoustic insulation of machine-rooms, gutter pipes, sound damping of metal sheets, etc.
If you don’t plan a soundproof system properly you run the real risk of spending a whole bunch of money on a room that will not work as a soundproof recording studio.
One of the benefits of TECSOUND is that it is applied in an even layout rather than applied in a random fashion.
The first layer of plasterboard installed with TECSOUND covered. Builders installing the second layer of plasterboard on top of TECSOUND.
Soundproofing a room requires many processes and materials that must be installed with absolute precision. An important soundproofing process is adding mass, especially in a timber structure.
Two layers of plasterboard covers a good proportion of the mass aspect but a material needs to be sandwiched between the two layers of plasterboard for optimum soundproofing performance. TECSOUND is a mass loaded sticky back vinyl sound barrier that adds a lot more mass to the plasterboard construction and let me tell you, this stuff is incredibly heavy.
One roll of TECSOUND 5 meters long is almost too heavy to lift! We’ve installed just over 750KG of TECSOUND on the walls, ceilings and next week it will be on the floor as well.
The Results So Far
The floor soundproofing will be the last process of the build. We will be installing one layer of TECSOUND directly on top of the floorboards with one layer of DCT ETHAFOAM on top of that followed by decorative wood flooring. We didn’t opt for ripping up the original floor and replacing it with a floating floor, instead, we chose to “float” (decouple) the final decorative wood floor on TECSOUND and DCT ETHAFOAM, a smart compromise/workaround we feel.
The soundproofing results so far with a custom door fitted and the floor unfinished are already amazing. General garden airborne noises such as neighbours lawn mowers, aeroplanes flying overhead, children playing, dogs barking, distant traffic are 99% gone. Inside a slight rumble of sound can be heard from external sounds directly next to the structure but I am confident that the floor construction will seal the studio and complete the soundproofing beyond expectations.