Do Soundproofing Curtains Really Work?

FREE Soundproofing Workshop: www.soundproofyourstudio.com/...
Listen To The Podcast: www.soundproofyourstudio.com/...
I have always been skeptical about using "soundproofing" curtains. In this video I show you the research and science behind the marketing so you can make an informed decision on if these curtains are right for your studio or home.
How To Build Your Own Acoustic Panels: • How To Build Your Own ...
0:00 - Intro
1:05 - Soundproofing Vs. Acoustic Treatment
3:55 - Comparing Curtains with Acoustic Panels
10:32 - My Conclusion

[@soundproofyourstudio]

FREE Soundproofing Workshop: www.soundproofyourstudio.com/workshop

[@TheWilliamHoganExperience]

Retired architect here - Great presentation. Sound is energy, and energy travels in waves through some medium. When designing buildings, energy transfer management is central to reducing energy consumption. Strategies that slow heat transfer will also slow sound transmission top some degree, but sound waves are far shorter that heat, uh, waves (lol). So the materials that conduct / block transmission are somewhat different. For example, glass is good at reflecting sound, but allows most radiant heat energy (visble and infared) to pass through it. On the otherhand, fiberglass batt insulation is outstanding at slowing heat transfer, but it sucks at stopping sound. Ultimately MASS is the best way to "block" conductance and transmission of sound. Concrete and masonry construction materials are massive, and thus excellent in this regard. Lead (Pb) sheeting is also highly effective, and was widely used back in the day. Mass loaded vynil employs Barium Sulfate or Calcium Carbonate as less toxic massive materials that conform to irregular shapes. Air-tight construction is a way of preventing direct transmission of sound through the medium of air. It doesn't take much material to accomplish this - just careful detailing of building components where they come together or are penetrated by windows, doors, conduit, ductwork, and so on. Fire safety codes for commercial construction require sealing these penetrations and placing automatic air-tight dampers in ductwork to prevent transmission of smoke and other deadly combustion byproducts. They are thus also effective at reducing sound transmission. The problem with standard residential construction is that it isn't as tightly regulated as commercial construction in most jurisdictions. This is because of cost for the most part. So if you want to "soundproof" your bedroom, you're going to have to spend some money. God forbid you want to soundproof your garage - the cheapest and most effective way to do THAT is going to be to build an airtight mass-loaded acoustically uncoupled box INSIDE of the flimsy outer shell / garage. Don't forget to properly ventilate that box, heavily baffle supply and exhaust ductwork, and be mindful of any and all penetrations for electrical, ingress / egress (doors) and windows. Oh, and be VERY careful about FIRE RESISTANCE of any acoustic treatments you're contemplating. Especially on ceilings and walls. Exposed Urethane upholstery foam is NOT a good choice - it's basically gasoline in foam rubber form. Mineral wool, fiberglass and other non-combustible materials are a better choice. Not sure if a material is suitable / safe for interior use as a wall or ceiling treatment? It's easy to test it: Put a 6"x6" piece of it in a barbeque and hit it with a blow torch. If it catches fire and stays lit, DON'T USE IT. You'll need to pull permits to build something like this legally in most places. It's not gonna be cheap. We haven't even begun talking about acoustics either. That's another enormously complex topic. The main thing you're after with acoustics is the control of reflected sound, standing waves, and constructive / destructive interferences between resonant frequencies. This in turn is affected by the the size and spatial configuration and interior finishes of the space. Bottom line is that a 2:1 rectangular floor plan works best for most situations, tuned with various reflective and absorptive materials at key locations to control negative interactions between frequencies. If you want to avoid getting an engineering degree to hear your mix properly without bothering the neighbors, buy a decent set of headphones ($500 or less) and some good studio monitors designed for near-field use (under $1k) and set up your workstation so that they are 3 to 5 feet away from you and each other, and sit at the apex of the resulting triangle with the tweeters level with your ears. Then you can leave the "soundproofing" and acoustics to professional recording studios and performance venues. What's that? You say you have noisy neighbor your trying to block sound FROM? Sorry, but you're screwed. Do what I did - MOVE!

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Thanks for sharing

[@enricoianniello5611]

bro thank you for this masterpiece comment, can i ask you some problems i got with soundproofing my home recording studio? if you got ig or sum else it would be better so i don't make you lose that much time

[@Daigham23]

Thanks for the video my man, much appreciated as I am new to all of this!

[@soundproofyourstudio]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching

[@micoleritson914]

You're awesome! Thank you for taking the time to share you knowledge!

[@soundproofyourstudio]

I appreciate that!

[@Cajundaddydave]

Good presentation! While designing my current studio a few years ago I dug into this pretty deep and my 1st priority was a room that "sounds good" over complete isolation. My house is in a very quiet area and outside noise is a low priority while eliminating obnoxious flutter echo was a high priority. The dimensions followed the golden rule and I used multiple materials to simulate the natural sound one might hear out in a forest. Wood floor, 4" Rockwool in the ceiling contained by fabric and air spaced above created my bass trap and made the overhead like an infinite sky. Each wall was a slightly different material including barn wood, wood slats spaced with rock wool and fabric, and drywall. I generally hate the sound of drywall so hung blackout curtains on that one as a diffuser like a sound stage. If I decide I want the "gypsum slap" for a particular track I can simply slide back the curtains and get it. Most days the room sounds better with closed curtains to diffuse the wall. Overall I am very pleased so far.

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Glad it worked out

[@TimMilliken]

A good theater curtain actually does have some real mass and does a decent job at reducing backstage noise. Yes you’re right though that these do almost nothing for home use in regards to soundproofing. Moving blankets are also a common thing people misunderstand. A heavy curtain can be a nice option to tame reflections over a brick wall behind a drum set. They’re definitely good for covering windows as you mentioned. An air tight heavy mass plug is obviously better but not as aesthetically pleasing or as functional. Good for you to address these types of egg crate misconceptions!

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Thanks for watching! Yes, there are a good amount of misconceptions out there.

[@Raiken333]

Here is my quote from Quiet Curtains with their sound absorbing plus sound blocking curtain. "For the moment, here is the quote for your combination curtains with sound absorption and STC-13 sound blocking: 1) Your Combination Quiet Curtain, 44” wide x 80” high, Center Open Draw, Same fabric on BOTH sides, using STC-13 Soundproofing costs $795 USD. 2) For this curtain, Easy Glide Heavy Duty Track, wall or ceiling mount, will cost $149 USD."

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Oh man that is a lot of money for curtains.

[@Raiken333]

@soundproofyourstudio Yeah it is, I was looking at blocking off the hallway leading to my home theater in my basement. I think I'll look for another solution.

[@SfEsthetician]

Do you think these would be effective for blocking out street noise?

[@soundproofyourstudio]

I think they might very slightly dampen it, but they mainly help with room reflections.

[@rhetriver]

Doesn't unfaced mean that the insulation doesn't have a vapor barrier attached?

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Yes, faced insulation should be used in outside facing walls and floors. Thanks for watching.

[@denniswilliams9145]

Can you soundproof a room that has a mini split air conditioner?

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Sure can!

[@Roddo731]

Acoustic curtains are a gimmick… They do not work… Build a panel that you can insert into the window frame it will work I actually have a friend who has a bedding store… Since my jamb is pretty deep, he gave me a piece of memory foam that was 8 inches thick. I cut it, so it’s slightly larger than the frame, so it just friction fits… Covered it with a decorative piece of canvas just so it looks nice. Yes it works works beautifully. I would suspect if you go to any bedding store, ask them if they have any scraps they will hook you up.

[@soundproofyourstudio]

I recommend Owens Corning 703 or Knauf acoustic insulation. We don’t know the absorption coefficient of memory foam. Glad it worked though.

[@terrylyn]

Soundproofing vs acoustics, not sure which you're talking about, why would you want ever to soundproof your studio unless it's next to a church or something

[@soundproofyourstudio]

If you have never worked in a soundproof studio it is totally next level. The amount of ambient noise in most studios is way higher than you think.

[@brandondithberry]

Completely soundproofing a studio will obliterate the high end coming from your monitors, and mixing in that environment won't produce solid translation across various mediums. If you're doing foley work, it's a bit different, but you always do recording in a sound proof space if it's vocals or one instrument. For a whole studio though, it's not ideal.

[@soundproofyourstudio]

@@brandondithberry seems like you have soundproofing and acoustic treatment mixed up

[@punkyagogo]

I live in NYC and literally live across from a church. I definitely want to sound proof my room 😂

[@user-ez4mc9ql2w]

This guy is probably lying - I bought the curtains after seeing this review and boy do I regret buying from this company. I've been getting weird spam calls from China ever since, and their curtains first and foremost do not work. I also received a different size from what I ordered but their customer service told me to donate them and that they were keeping my money. I paid 140 for the curtains.

[@soundproofyourstudio]

Sorry you had a bad experience with the curtains. I don't have any relationship with the curtain manufacturer. I have removed the links. I honestly do not recommend soundproof curtains and this was not a review video, it was an informational video.