My neighbor's leaf blower ruined three takes last Sunday and I'm about to lose it

So I finally got my backyard studio mostly soundproofed last month after three years of piecing it together. I used Rockwool in the walls, double layered drywall, the works. But last Sunday I'm recording a voiceover for a local commercial in Spokane and my neighbor fires up his gas leaf blower right on the other side of my fence. I had to scrap three good takes because you can hear that thing buzzing in the background. I tried re-recording later that evening but the damage was done, I lost almost two hours of time. Has anyone else dealt with unexpected outdoor noise killing your sessions? I'm thinking about building a second outer wall but that's probably another six months of savings away.

2 comments

2 Comments

james_butler14d ago

That "lost almost two hours of time" part really stings, I feel for you. But here's the thing I'm wondering about - when you were testing the soundproofing after you finished it, did you ever actually go outside at different times of day and have someone else record inside to see what leaks through? Because in my experience with my own little workshop, Rockwool and double drywall are great for blocking voices and music, but that low-end drone from a leaf blower or lawn mower can still find its way through the smallest gaps. I'd check the corners and where your electrical outlets are, those are usually the weak spots nobody thinks about. Also, how tight is your door seal? That's where most of my noise problems came from before I swapped to a solid core door with weatherstripping all the way around. Might save you from having to build that whole second wall.

noah_black13d ago

Did your buddy @james_butler ever figure out which gap was doing the most damage?