has anyone tried this for soundproofing? Acoustiblok

I've look at it before.

If I recall correctly, the problem is a roll of that stuff is VERY heavy, and shipping on it ends up making it rather expensive.

And while it rolls out nicely, because it's so heavy, working with it seems a bit difficult

I ended up going with quietrock products. Still expensive and heavy, but a bit easier to work with, and I could find it locally from an industrial building supply company.
 
I would be thoroughly shocked to find that this product was anything more than mass loaded vinyl. Which does work well as a way to add mass and, to a lesser degree, isolation to any standard three pillar approach to sound proofing (the three pillars being mass, isolation and air tightness). So, yes, I have a layer of the 2lb per square foot version of that product in my studio walls.

That said, it is just one product that provides mostly one pillar: mass. So, I wouldn't expect that I could apply one layer of this between studs and sheet rock and have all of my problems solved. Add this to an already complex build with sheet rock, green glue and hat channels and then you'll have something effective. So, this is a great product once you've cross the cost/return point of about $5,000 per 100 square feet of studio space. Up tot that point, I would stick with piling on less expensive materials such as sheet rock, green glue and channels.


BTW, it is relatively simple to stop the medium to high frequencies of a running jack hammer with air tightness and even a meager amount of mass, so this demo isn't really as impressive as it might seem. I would have expected the same or even better results from a box made from an eight dollar panel of sheet rock. Stopping your bass or floor tom from getting through is a whole other universe of problems.

Bottom line: there is no "one product that does it all." Well, except for lead. In fact, you will even need to buy some expensive 2" lead tape to close the seams of this product in order to use it effectively. Add the up the costs on that some time and let us know the feeling that you get in the testicle region.
 
Here is a guide line for the acoustical isolation, absorption and construction of a noise reduction package targeting the sound transmission of percussion instruments and specifically acoustical drums in a studio or room using Acoustiblok or a lower quality MLV (not all are created equal).

The audible spectra that a drum set will create is extremely wide and consists of powerful impulsive sounds from 50hz-15khz.the detail below will address the entire frequency range we are attempting to absorb and contain.

• Remove existing drywall (we need a large air gap from source room to receiving rooms)
• Remove existing door to the room.
• Eliminate the top hat lighting.(install track lighting inside the finished room).( This eliminates the holes in the barrier system.)
• Inspect all open stud bays for openings(j-boxes, electrical runs, holes from bay to bay etc.),seal all openings with "Acousticaulk" (this prevents barrier leakage)
• Insert 2" 8lb fiberglass board in the stud bays, hold it off the back of the drywall in connecting rooms. You can cut it into and around obstacles in the stud bays(wires, pipes etc.)( this absorbs any cavity resonance of the stud bays before it sees the other connected rooms.) Do the same in the ceiling/floor joist.
• Insert a layer of 1" 6lb fiberglass board on top of the 2" board from the last step in the same manner.( this absorbs any sound that might be present off the back of the studio walls and some cavity resonance.)Do the same in the ceiling/floor joist.
• Install one layer of Acoustiblok 16oz barrier to the studs of the walls in a horizontal manner.Install the material also on the ceiling joist.Minimize seems, overlap seems, and seal with Acoustigrip tape.(attach it loosely from stud to stud leaving a little play in the material. Don't pull it taught.)
• Install another layer of Acoustiblok 16oz. In the same manner as above and stagger the seems.(this will complete the inner wall barrier treatments.)
• Frame out the doorway with a 2x10 to accommodate two doors! Install one outside fiberglass door with a threshold that seals. Have it swing out. Then install another door (same style) that swings in. (this creates a high STC airlock and de couple the inside door from the outer barrier of the room and house.) This is a critical step and must be performed!!!
• Install RC-1(resilient channel) on the walls @ 24" horizontal centers. (helps create an acoustical break) wrap it up around the door framing in the room.
• Install RC-1(resilient channel ) on the ceiling @ 16" horizontal centers.(helps create an acoustical break)
• Install 5/8ths gypsum on the RC-1, minimal screws. Use Acousticaulk on all butt seems of drywall. Hold all joining corners of the room off each other by 1/16th of an inch, including the ceiling.(this allows all the walls and ceiling to move freely and not couple becoming one mass that would allow the low frequency of the room to resonate more efficiently and flank into the surrounding rooms with more intensity)
• The other part of the room that will be critical is the floor. I have a detail for a floating floor that doesn't touch the walls and has resilient mounts to de couple the sub floor. If the floor is concrete this is still an issue due to flanking forced transmissions. I attached a photo a studio with Acoustiblok on the walls and a detail on the floor if you want to take this on as well.
• Your client now must line the interior of the room with 2"-6" absorption panels on top of the drywall inside the room. This will help him absorb a fair amount of energy in the room before the boundaries of the room encounter it. This will also aid in tuning the rooms reflections and tonality to his taste.

Rule of thumb, if you have over 12% of a high STC boundary compromised by lower stc materials (windows, doors, electrical penetrations) it will reduce the STC by 25-45% depending on the transmission loss of the other components. A chain is only as good as its weakest link!!!

This may seem like a lot, but it's just some details that make all the difference in the world. There is a reason for every step I've highlighted. I can make it as simple or much more complex if you like. I'm here to help. The project management and oversight will either make or break this type of room. Make sure you charge enough to oversee it properly.
 
Okay, so what is really providing the isolation in that system is the RC. As Brundlefly has said, clips and hat can significantly outperform that when coupled with a couple layers of conventional type X drywall for the mass. I'm getting better than 40dB attenuation out of my outbuilding using offset sheet metal studs mounted to the common header and footer. Which was fairly cheap. I put clips and hat on the ceiling. Running that all the way around might have gotten me 3-5 dB more attenuation from the walls based on how well the ceiling works. This is with 2 layers of 5/8" type X and a medium amount of green glue.

I know a guy who used lead cored drywall, typically used in medical offices around x-ray machines. That room kills the kick drum.

The idea is to get the most cost effective mass possible. The Rod Gervais "superdoor" uses lead sheet as that is the most cost effective way to get 21 sq ft of mass equivalent to a serious wall construction onto a 1 1/4 standard solid core door. But doing all the walls in lead would be seriously expensive for a home studio. The most cost effective mass is $7 a sheet drywall. Once you get up to 3 layers of 5/8 you kind of reach the point of diminishing returns and adding other things becomes the next step.

Also, from a decoupling/absorption standpoint, standard fluffy wall insulation is more efficient than compacted rigid insulation. That is not where you want the mass. The idea is to have the sound hit a high mass surface that is hard to move. When it does move the sound goes into a damped airspace that absorbs as much as possible (hence, distance is more your friend here) limiting the amount of sound that hits the outside wall. which is also made as massive and hard to move as possible. You can calculate compliances and resonant points and all, but because of the very broad range of sound a drumset puts out, it really comes down to how effectively you have managed the 3 main points Brundlefly listed. Mass-decoupling-mass.
 
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