Hello. I was going to post this on some audio forums (I think I still will), but then it occurred to me that this is the type of thing you guys on SPCR would know alot about.
I'd like to hang a sound absorbing curtain in my room over the entryway, since the door is the part that lets by far the most noise out, as not to disturb my housemates and neighbours.
What would be my best bet to make the curtain out of (while retaining a reasonable budget of course)? The size to be covered is about 3m high x 1m wide, so I'd expect to need a 150x300cm piece of fabric (multiplied by however many layers I need). I guess it needs to be something very thick and heavy, possibly even stuffed.
Sound absorbing curtain
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
Search the http://www.mcmaster.com/ website for ideas. (search "sound" and "curtain" maybe)
Doh, but it's American. There's probably something in Europe
Doh, but it's American. There's probably something in Europe
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Felger Carbon
- Posts: 2049
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- Location: Klamath Falls, OR
At McMasters, FIND "page 3394" without the quotes, and go to the bottom of the page. Be prepared for 3-digit prices (for stuff that actually works, which hanging cloth won't unless you hang the same total weight, and probably spend more).Trip wrote:Search the http://www.mcmaster.com/ website for ideas.
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klankymen
- Patron of SPCR
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- Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Munich, Bavaria, Europe
yeah, I know MacGyver - it says Bavaria in my profile, not Czechoslovakia 
(in turn, I'd be curious to know how many people in the USA are up to date enough with world geography / politics to recognize the error in my statement?). Allthough he was before my time (discontinued when I was 3) they showd reruns in the nineties - I rather enjoyed watching Angus construct nuclear bombs out of a paper clip, used chewing gum, and a lighter .
As a bit of off-topic from the off-topic forum, my CS professor once in a while references MacGyver as being the only engineer (I'm studying EE) ever on television, next to 20000 doctors and 10000 policemen who are portrayed as heroes - despite engineers being the people who really keep the world running
Anyways - I do have ways to order items from the US if necessary, but I would of course prefer to source items locally, provided it is possible.
Thanks everyone for the help so far, I'll take a look around mcmaster.
And, to add some extra information to the thread - the reason why I want to damp the doorway is that - according to my empirical results so far - the door is the major weakness in my rooms capability for keeping sound inside. Directly below me is the living room, and when loudly listening to music or watching movies the sound can be heard there. But, as far as I can tell not through the floor, but rather through my door, down the stairs, through the dining room door, and around the bend into the living room. which means.... I would like to isolate the door approximately equally well as the wall. (unless there is a material that damps sound even far better than a 20cm brick and mortar wall?? - I'd consider hanging my entire wall then....)
Does anyone have specific experience with doing something like that, or is there a mathematical method of calculating how well something absorbs sound, or do I just have to try stuff?
(in turn, I'd be curious to know how many people in the USA are up to date enough with world geography / politics to recognize the error in my statement?). Allthough he was before my time (discontinued when I was 3) they showd reruns in the nineties - I rather enjoyed watching Angus construct nuclear bombs out of a paper clip, used chewing gum, and a lighter .As a bit of off-topic from the off-topic forum, my CS professor once in a while references MacGyver as being the only engineer (I'm studying EE) ever on television, next to 20000 doctors and 10000 policemen who are portrayed as heroes - despite engineers being the people who really keep the world running
Anyways - I do have ways to order items from the US if necessary, but I would of course prefer to source items locally, provided it is possible.
Thanks everyone for the help so far, I'll take a look around mcmaster.
And, to add some extra information to the thread - the reason why I want to damp the doorway is that - according to my empirical results so far - the door is the major weakness in my rooms capability for keeping sound inside. Directly below me is the living room, and when loudly listening to music or watching movies the sound can be heard there. But, as far as I can tell not through the floor, but rather through my door, down the stairs, through the dining room door, and around the bend into the living room. which means.... I would like to isolate the door approximately equally well as the wall. (unless there is a material that damps sound even far better than a 20cm brick and mortar wall?? - I'd consider hanging my entire wall then....)
Does anyone have specific experience with doing something like that, or is there a mathematical method of calculating how well something absorbs sound, or do I just have to try stuff?
You could:
1. replace the door with a sound dampening door.
2. (cheaper but more difficult) add rubber seals to the edges of the door and sound reflecting material glued to either side of the door, maybe with sound absorbing material in front of that.
I don't think a curtain would be a good idea though really.
You just want a good solid door that seals shut I'd think. McMaster has loads of such junk, and there are definately European versions =p
Czechoslovakia is a state in the USSR right? Let down your iron curtain already!
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Engineers ought to be paid more. I think poor social skills allows the poor engineers to be tucked away in the basement while lazy frat boys live high on the hog, smiling for the cameras and having affairs with their secretaries =p
But yea engineers are key. Even among groups who don't have an engineer, there's a fix-it man whom everyone relies upon. Not... that I'm an angry engineer or anything lol. But I think we all notice their importance, and the existence of those who contribute more than their compensation - pillars of the community
1. replace the door with a sound dampening door.
2. (cheaper but more difficult) add rubber seals to the edges of the door and sound reflecting material glued to either side of the door, maybe with sound absorbing material in front of that.
I don't think a curtain would be a good idea though really.
You just want a good solid door that seals shut I'd think. McMaster has loads of such junk, and there are definately European versions =p
Czechoslovakia is a state in the USSR right? Let down your iron curtain already!
---
Engineers ought to be paid more. I think poor social skills allows the poor engineers to be tucked away in the basement while lazy frat boys live high on the hog, smiling for the cameras and having affairs with their secretaries =p
But yea engineers are key. Even among groups who don't have an engineer, there's a fix-it man whom everyone relies upon. Not... that I'm an angry engineer or anything lol. But I think we all notice their importance, and the existence of those who contribute more than their compensation - pillars of the community
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CraftyChicken
- Patron of SPCR
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- Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:39 am
What your are talking about is sound insulation, and not really absorption. You don't want to 'erase' the sound as much as you want to stop its transmission through your doorway, or conversely, insulate the sound so it stays in your room. Sound transmission, in general, is proportional to mass; the more you got, the better it blocks. If I remember correctly, 2x the mass blocks transmission by about 8db, provided that transmission occurs from two dissimilar bodies (in this case air to a solid).
In general, your right about heavy carpet as this will certainly help to "muffle" the sound. A double layer of carpet on the inner side and a dense vinyl curtain on the outer would probably work very well (or 2 layers of heavy carpet separated a couple inches). I'd at least try to cut the curtain a little tall and wide so it drapes on the floor and folds against the door-frame.
Also, you may want to test it with blankets, quilts, sheets, and other fabrics you have lying around. Just keep hanging them up one by one until you get the desired effect, then see how much they weigh so you know what you're looking for. Keep in mind that thin and dense behaves a little different than thick and not-dense, but it would be a good approximation. Depending on the other qualities of your room (how thick the walls are, room volume, and how loud you are) I think you'll find it quite easy if your not worried about what it looks like when your finished. Just make sure you can get out in an emergency
P.S
Here's a link to a audiophile guy that talks about how he does it, and gives a lot of good information about sound in general.
http://www.silcom.com/~aludwig/index.htm
In general, your right about heavy carpet as this will certainly help to "muffle" the sound. A double layer of carpet on the inner side and a dense vinyl curtain on the outer would probably work very well (or 2 layers of heavy carpet separated a couple inches). I'd at least try to cut the curtain a little tall and wide so it drapes on the floor and folds against the door-frame.
Also, you may want to test it with blankets, quilts, sheets, and other fabrics you have lying around. Just keep hanging them up one by one until you get the desired effect, then see how much they weigh so you know what you're looking for. Keep in mind that thin and dense behaves a little different than thick and not-dense, but it would be a good approximation. Depending on the other qualities of your room (how thick the walls are, room volume, and how loud you are) I think you'll find it quite easy if your not worried about what it looks like when your finished. Just make sure you can get out in an emergency
P.S
Here's a link to a audiophile guy that talks about how he does it, and gives a lot of good information about sound in general.
http://www.silcom.com/~aludwig/index.htm
1) No, it was a member of the Warsaw Pact, not the USSR. More like a Russian colony that was policed by Soviet troops.Trip wrote: Czechoslovakia is a state in the USSR right? Let down your iron curtain already!
2) I think he was referring to the fact that it's now two separate states called the Czech Republic and Slovakia, not together as Czechoslovakia.
Lesson learned: don't lose a war Re: Sound absorbing curtain
I'm not sure what they have in Bavaria, but if you have hardware shops with cheap foam pads, I'd try that first. You want thick, pourous, and soft. Attach it directly to the inside of the door. Keep adding layers if you need more. Eventually your walls will transmit more sound than your door. If it needs to be removable, going with a curtain might be a better choice. I guess it depends on your requirements for price, flexibility, and asthetics. Deep bass is harder to stop too, so if you are bumping gangsta rap, foam and/or curtains might not be enough.
Off topic, but - put me in mind of a rather nice little film. "The Dish"klankymen wrote: As a bit of off-topic from the off-topic forum, my CS professor once in a while references MacGyver as being the only engineer (I'm studying EE) ever on television, next to 20000 doctors and 10000 policemen who are portrayed as heroes - despite engineers being the people who really keep the world running
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205873/
(Nobody building things from paper clips and string, but the bit about
science/engineers chance to be bold/exciting.)
On the question - don't have much to add about damping, but just toss out the thought that the SPCR party line on damping/etc. for computers seems to be mostly - it is easier to cut down noise at the source, rather than trying to get rid of it afterwards. Assume you have already explored moving speakers closer to the audience (so can reduce overall volume but maintain volume for listeners)? e.g. Some wireless headphones might be less expensive/trouble than damping curtain.