I built a basement listening room with similar dimensions to yours in a previous home, following a Rives Audio design. The walls were built with staggered studs, where the outside was on one row of studs and the inside was on a different row of studs. The inner wall was two layers of sheet rock of different thickness separated by a layer of Green Glue. Rives didn't specify stuffing the walls. Since the room was under my wife's office, I stuffed the cavities between the joists with UltraTouch insulation. The ceiling was two layers of sheet rock with Green Glue. Rives specified a solid door for the room, and I added gaskets around the edge of the door jamb and a sweep on the bottom of the door. Rives' design also included soffits down the long dimension of the room stuffed with fiberglass, triangular bass traps in the front corners, and half round bass traps on the long wall at 1/3 and 2/3 of the length. The front wall was convex, made of masonite bent into a gentle curve. The space behind the masonite was stuffed with fiberglass. The design called for a row of Ikea Billy bookshelves across the back wall, for CD and LP storage. The bookshelves were set at a slight angle to the wall; if you looked down on the shelves they looked something like the teeth of a saw. The shelves made the entire back wall of the room into a giant diffusor. Lastly, Rives' design had four acoustic devices providing absorption and diffusion suspended from the ceiling over the middle of the room, above and in front of the listening position. These were made from 1' x 6' boards. A 2" thick layer of Roxul rock wool, covered in cloth, was glued to the upper surface of the boards. The boards hung at an angle with the rear edge higher than the front. My electrician put the room on a separate subpanel from the rest of the house, and it had five dedicated AC lines with hospital grade outlets. It was by far the best sounding room I've ever had. We weren't going for a sound - proof room but it was exceptionally quiet, and no one in my family ever complained about the sound leaking out, even when I played my system very loud.
Building a new room
Hello All,
I will be using a contractor to build a new dedicated audio room in the basement. The room dimensions will roughly be 19'X14'X8'.
Three walls are already finished and are concrete walls behind dry walls. I am thinking of making the third wall with 2X4s and double dry per side with Green Glue used between them. Also plan to add 10-gauge wire for a dedicated audio circuit. I believe this should be 20-amp circuit?. Also will not go with can light. Instead would prefer the ceiling spot lights. Do not plan to run a separate ground, as of now.
What insulation have folks used before for sound proofing? I was at Menyards for picking the Green Glue and came across UltraTouch+ denim insulation. Does this work better in dry walls and in ceilings?
What other points am I missing or should be taking care? Please share your experiences.
I will be using a contractor to build a new dedicated audio room in the basement. The room dimensions will roughly be 19'X14'X8'.
Three walls are already finished and are concrete walls behind dry walls. I am thinking of making the third wall with 2X4s and double dry per side with Green Glue used between them. Also plan to add 10-gauge wire for a dedicated audio circuit. I believe this should be 20-amp circuit?. Also will not go with can light. Instead would prefer the ceiling spot lights. Do not plan to run a separate ground, as of now.
What insulation have folks used before for sound proofing? I was at Menyards for picking the Green Glue and came across UltraTouch+ denim insulation. Does this work better in dry walls and in ceilings?
What other points am I missing or should be taking care? Please share your experiences.