515 Crew

so i'm trying to play music and practice in my basement, however the cops came by last week at 730pm. The cop said he could 'hear it from the street', i do not want to get into the politics of the noise ordinance as i am going to the police station on monday to get that all explained to me as i've heard several variations. The cop did tell me it was a jail able offense for disturbing the piece and disorderly conduct... So i am looking for input on making my basement as sound proof as possible. Its all sheet rocked and is a concrete block foundation. There is a drop ceiling that is not acoustic tiles but insulated sort of rectangular pieces. There are 4 windows in the main room where the instruments are set up. I was thinking of putting some sort of foam up in the windows during practice as the windows are thin. Are there any other tips anybody could offer..we intend on putting some sort of flooring in the basement at some point, but i didn't know if there was some sort of material(aside from the studio foam stuff) i could put over the drywall to significantly dampen sound...any input would be appreciated.

If you have an amp- turn it down. Drums- buy an electronic kit. Both are easier and cheaper solutions than what you're proposing.

Ummmm

http://moverssupplies.com/MOVING-BLANKE ... ing-MS-70/

http://www.audimutesoundproofing.com/au ... nkets.aspx

http://www.lookchina.com/textile/trade/ ... lanket.htm

http://www.foambymail.com/

You're welcome

ya, thanks...do you know what is more effective between a 2inch pyramid tile vs the sound proofing blankets? are those moving blankets really essentially the same sort of thing?
great stuff, much better prices than i was finding

the sound blankets are about the same as moving blankets yes. density and air barriers about the best for cutting decibels. there really isnt much to do without using 40 sheets of drywall(cheapest option). i mean look at val air how much have they spent? i mean youd want to cut like 20-30 decibels. if you look at the ratings for what sound blankets and tiles cut it isnt that much. i wish it was easy. i have an empty bedroom id like to play in but i can hear my stereo across the street with all the doors and windows shut.

air barriers air barriers air barriers.
just soundproofed (and installed a wood burning stove) my garage. used panels that i made a few years ago out of soundboard from home depot and 1x1s.

Wood burning stoves rule...I have one in my den...its 75 in our house all day. So are you suggesting that I put up another wall on top of what's there. I think I'm going to pick up some blankets in the mean time and some foam board to cut for the windows...If the cop shows up again I'm going to have him measure the decibles from the street to see if its above 50.

do whatever you can man. from my experience space between soundproofing agents works the best. if you're gonna hang blankets from the ceiling billow them. most of the panels i made were about 8 x 4 so i didn't have to cut much of the soundboard. just tacked together a frame and slapped a board on each side. the soundproofing blankets are fucking expensive but they're dope. i just hang a few u-haul moving blankets from the rafters around us while we play.
my garage fucking rules, warm as shit, can fit all my tools, amps, drums, motorcycle and a ton of other shit. rugged enough that i don't mind a little dripping oil but cozy enough my dog naps on the rug by the stove.

Buy some cheap foam mattress pads from a Dollar General or Kmart, roll them up and stick them in the window areas.

Put some old carpet on the floor, blankets or egg cartons on the walls...

I had a similar incident with an old band of mine (cops came). We put the foam mattress pad stuff in the windowsills and carpet on the floor and that was enough to keep the town happy. Stuff on the walls will help you go deaf more slowly.