I think soundproofing before acoustic treatment is a waste for most backyard studios

After 18 months building out my shed studio in Tucson, I saw a huge difference once I stopped chasing perfect soundproofing and focused on acoustic panels instead. I spent nearly $600 on mass loaded vinyl and green glue, but the real improvement came when I hung up 12 DIY rockwool panels for $200 total. Has anyone else found that treating reflections inside matters way more than blocking outside noise for smaller spaces?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_harris6819d ago

My buddy Rick out in Mesa built a similar shed studio and went all in on soundproofing first - double drywall, caulk everywhere, the works. Cost him over a grand and he still had bleed from his neighbor's leaf blower driving him nuts during takes. He finally gave up and threw up some cheap moving blankets as a temporary fix, and suddenly his vocals sounded way clearer. He told me the blankets killed the flutter echo way more than the expensive wall assembly helped with isolation. Now he's got a mix of proper panels and those same blankets, and his recordings are solid. I think a lot of us in these smaller spaces get fixated on stopping sound from getting out when the real problem is just the room bouncing our own noise around.

wendy_clark19d ago

Bet your ass the room treatment matters way more than people think.