Basement Mancave/Echo Chamber Need Help.

Thanks for all of the ideas. I am especially in awe of Rotarded's efforts. Geez, he set the bar high. The way I feel right now is that I'll be lucky to just hang a blanket over a rafter. But before I do, I can't wait to do what Roncadillac says and beat the hell out of them in the center of the room. At least until I bleed from the ears and pass out. ;)
 
You need to set a budget because there are a ton of options, but you can spend 100k+ making a room if you want. Obviously the whole room inside a room is out, but ball park a budget so we know what kind of stuff to offer.

I used to jam in a concrete room the size of a bedroom. It was brutal and my band was loud. The walls and floors were covered in 30 year old carpets that I think someone got from the ends of rolls at a carpet store. They were super nasty so we decided after jamming for a year to remove them. This is when I realized they really alter the sound and kill some of the echo.

That echo is the sound bouncing around so you are trying to stop that with absorption. Building your own panels is cheap. Roxul Safe and Sound is the stuff you need.
Google sound absorption panels and there are 100's of videos on it

I put about 6 on my ceiling. The reason being I record myself and my overheads sound 100x better now. You have high ceilings so it might actualy not be as bad as you think in there.


Start with as much carpet, and hanging whatever you can on the walls. You want the sound to not bounce around evenly. Playing in a sphere would be a nightmare, followed by a cube, if that makes sense. As you add couches, shelves, things that are not 4 walls facing each other the sound will break up as it bounces around. There is alot of information online about how sound travels.


Build baffles and hang them above your kit, carpet, and hang stuff on the walls and assess.
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Those are also helpful, Like I said, I don't know your budget.

Find an office going out of a business and ask for that acoustically treated cubical stuff they have. Someone asked me once why that material costs so much, It's because it would be annoying as hell to hear an entire office on the phone at once. So that stuff kills sound very well.
 
I think you should make a big hermetically sealed bubble with a port hooked to vacuum so when you enter you can suck out all the air so no sound waves travel. I bet it will wild going through motions but no sound-no matter how hard you hit. You got to hold your breath awhile or wear a scuba mask and oxygen tank. Problem solved. Another out of the box-or in the bubble solution ROFL.
 
MrInsanePolack said:
First get carpet. Something nice, but not too nice in case of spills. I'll explain later.
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I'd highly recommend sealer + area rugs instead of carpet. I have a carpet, and it's been ruined three times over by moisture, toilette overflows from the floor above, that time my washing machine emptied onto the floor, and needs to be thoroughly vacuumed weekly from the dirt that accumulates.

If I had area rugs, I could simply walk them outside and give them a shake and hang them on the line to dry. Any water could be squeegee'd into the sump pit instead of needing to use the shop-vac.
 
KamaK said:
I'd highly recommend sealer + area rugs instead of carpet. I have a carpet, and it's been ruined three times over by moisture, toilette overflows from the floor above, that time my washing machine emptied onto the floor, and needs to be thoroughly vacuumed weekly from the dirt that accumulates.

If I had area rugs, I could simply walk them outside and give them a shake and hang them on the line to dry. Any water could be squeegee'd into the sump pit instead of needing to use the shop-vac.
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EXACTLY!
The reason I went with vinyl plank was because my sump had failed twice, and the float stuck once as well, flooding my basement 3 times in 20 years. I saved the berber carpet once, but not the padding. I was VERY LUCKY that I avoided losing any drum equipment in any of the incidents.Flood.jpg
 
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Something I have been playing with are balloons as ways to improve acoustics. I had a party for my daughter and to keep the three year olds from tripping over the drum stands, I packed balloons all around the set, even taped to the bass drum. I called the balloons yield signs. I got the sense that these functioned as acoustic baffles, because the sound travels at different speeds going through them, as the air is under pressure. Has anyone tried reusable balloons as acoustic baffles: https://www.amazon.com/Balloons-Fla...rds=permanent+balloons&qid=1585230599&sr=8-16
Conceptually you might even be able to tune the balloons with air pressure to match the bass drum. If you get gigs you could also use them to ad a certain aesthetic to your kit. I also have yoga balls and an air mattress, primarily for the kids to jump on, but I'm pretty sure these work as nice sound traps.

Feng shui(movable walls) are great, though surprisingly expensive. I scrounged one that is made of bamboo wired together that stands on end, and is flexible so It can be made into an S curve even.

One thing to keep in mind is the flammability, you wouldn't want to turn your basement into a tinder box.
 
beyondbetrayal said:
Find an office going out of a business and ask for that acoustically treated cubical stuff they have. Someone asked me once why that material costs so much, It's because it would be annoying as hell to hear an entire office on the phone at once. So that stuff kills sound very well.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I worked in an office of 300+ people. If we didn't have those cubicle walls, the whole building would be super loud with typing. It would be enough to drive people mad.

KamaK said:
I'd highly recommend sealer + area rugs instead of carpet. I have a carpet, and it's been ruined three times over by moisture, toilette overflows from the floor above, that time my washing machine emptied onto the floor, and needs to be thoroughly vacuumed weekly from the dirt that accumulates.

If I had area rugs, I could simply walk them outside and give them a shake and hang them on the line to dry. Any water could be squeegee'd into the sump pit instead of needing to use the shop-vac.
Click to expand...

Good call. We don't have basements here, so none of the stuff leaking from above ever occured to me. Throw rugs for sure.
 
GetAgrippa said:
I think you should make a big hermetically sealed bubble with a port hooked to vacuum so when you enter you can suck out all the air so no sound waves travel. I bet it will wild going through motions but no sound-no matter how hard you hit. You got to hold your breath awhile or wear a scuba mask and oxygen tank. Problem solved. Another out of the box-or in the bubble solution ROFL.
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Like I say to my wife, "you are just too helpful".
 
So bottom line, INITIALLY I'm going to Walmart for cheap comforters and a carpet store for one or two large cheap shag throw rugs. Curtains from Goodwill might also be used. Mind you this is all 'INITIAL' move-in stuff as I'll have two dozen other projects happening all at once. After I'm in I hope to construct a room with insulated walls and then go with wall-mounted 'psychedelic' baffles and black lighting. This will be fun! Thanks for the good ideas guys.
 
Check Harbor Freight. The 80x72" packing blankets are $9, but they go on sale for $6 often. I bought 8 not to long ago to clean up the sound in my rehearsal studio. They look good too.
 
ineedaclutch said:
Check Harbor Freight. The 80x72" packing blankets are $9, but they go on sale for $6 often. I bought 8 not to long ago to clean up the sound in my rehearsal studio. They look good too.
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When you are buying a new house that's the kind of economical thinking I need. Thanks, I just need a temporary fix until I get through the move in, you need it now stage. If things go well for me I'll build a room for my drums and this temp fix won't be needed and then I'll use the long term ideas the other guys have. It's all good and I will have it all. It just takes time and everything moves in stages.
 
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