Welcome to the Drums Unlimited blog. If you are here, you are probably interested in how to soundproof/acoustically treat a music rehearsal space. Read on to find out how we did it in our Peckham rehearsal room.
Step 1- Analyse your room. The room that we were turning into a studio is a high ceilinged photography studio with a 17 foot brick wall on one side. Our main points of focus were soundproofing the two walls which adoin other businesses, and acoustically treating the room to get a better sound quality.
Step 2- Address weak points such as doors and windows. Sound waves travel through the air so any air gaps are bad news. We had a 2 foot gap above one wall which we had to fill in using recycled plasterboard and a timber frame. For the door, I purchased some cheap weatherproof seals to go around the edges to cut air flow, and covered the door surface in acoustic foam. This method uses easy to acquire materials and needs no tools to complete. WIN!
Step 3- Soundproofing the walls. Any sound boffins will know that to truly soundproof a room you must build a room within a room, with an air gap in between. This wasnt an option on our budget, so after much research online I found some heavy 500g/ms stage curtain on Thomann. When hung pleated, the curtain can cut the amount of decibels heard outside the room, and greatly improves sound quality in the studio itself.
Step 4- Ceilings and floors. We have a wooden floor and a very high ceiling, so it’s essential that we soften the sound. Rugs were layered on the floor, and for the ceiling the plan is to make a draped fabric false ceiling. All we need now is a high enough ladder!
Step 5- Acoustic treatment. I made some DIY acoustic panels from recycled materials, which I’ll be doing a post on soon. Until then, thanks for reading!
The key to soundproofing and acoustic treatment in music rehearsal spaces is soft surfaces.
Music Rehearsal Studio 