# I bought a memory foam mattress topper... will it work as studiofoam?



## DanD (May 14, 2010)

I got it initially to suppress the noise from my electric drum kit.


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## SpaceDock (May 14, 2010)

No, sound absorbent foam has a very high density that allows it to dampen sound, but it will be better than nothing.


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## youheardme (May 16, 2010)

Wheres the best place to get sound absorbent foam "studio-foam"


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## darren (May 16, 2010)

You need to be VERY CAREFUL about putting just any old foam on your walls. Proper acoustic panels are fire-rated (or at least they should be) and most exposed foam will go up in flames and very quickly and create a could of toxic smoke in the event of a fire.


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## Metal Ken (May 16, 2010)

darren said:


> most exposed foam will go up in flames and very quickly and create a could of toxic smoke in the event of a fire.



That's why you should only sleep on top of it


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## darren (May 16, 2010)

Heh. I'm pretty sure beds are tested for fire retardation. I'm not sure about after market foam pads.


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## youheardme (May 18, 2010)

youheardme said:


> Wheres the best place to get sound absorbent foam "studio-foam"




Anyone?


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## darren (May 18, 2010)

Auralex Acoustics - Canada


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## MacTown09 (May 18, 2010)

Sound Control Wedge Foam, Soundproofing Foams, Acoustical Products, Acoustics, Acoustic Foam,

This is the best and cheapest place to get sound proofing foam that I have found so far.


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## youheardme (May 18, 2010)

Cool, thanks guys


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## JJ Rodriguez (May 18, 2010)

Hmmm.....the house I might be buying has an unfinished basement....any cheap(ish) ways to sound proof if I'm putting in floor/walls/cieling?


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## MTech (May 19, 2010)

Those beds are like $3000 I can only imagine what it'd cost to do a room with that material


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## darren (May 19, 2010)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Hmmm.....the house I might be buying has an unfinished basement....any cheap(ish) ways to sound proof if I'm putting in floor/walls/cieling?



1. Fiberglass insulation in the walls and ceiling of the basement. It's a very good sound insulator.

2. Hang your drywall on resilient channel. This "floats" the drywall away from the studs, further reducing transference of sound energy into the walls and floors of the house.

3. Double stud walls. 

There are lots of other things you can do, but those are the basics.


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## QuambaFu (May 19, 2010)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Hmmm.....the house I might be buying has an unfinished basement....any cheap(ish) ways to sound proof if I'm putting in floor/walls/cieling?


 
Everything that Darren said and make sure that you buy IC (in contact) rated recessed lights, that way you can stuff the insulation in the cieling all the way up to the lights. 

Also, avoid dimmer switches as this can cause some serious interference with pickups. I'm learning the hard way.

Good Luck!


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## yacker (May 20, 2010)

MTech said:


> Those beds are like $3000 I can only imagine what it'd cost to do a room with that material



Yea, that's what came to my mind before anything.....who the hell uses an expensive ass mattress before buying comparatively cheap auralex pads?


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## Hollowway (May 20, 2010)

darren said:


> 1. Fiberglass insulation in the walls and ceiling of the basement. It's a very good sound insulator.
> 
> 2. Hang your drywall on resilient channel. This "floats" the drywall away from the studs, further reducing transference of sound energy into the walls and floors of the house.
> 
> ...



Wow, that's great advice. I didn't know about that (esp #2). And dude, you never cease to amaze me with your level of knowledge about all things musical. That's why I totally fell for your damn liquid magnet pickup thing!


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## MTech (May 21, 2010)

yacker said:


> Yea, that's what came to my mind before anything.....who the hell uses an expensive ass mattress before buying comparatively cheap auralex pads?


Maybe it's good incentive for getting that hot band member of the of the opposite sex to stay over after practice


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## adadglgmut (May 22, 2010)

Man, I'd honestly try it out and experiment with it! 
I just finished recording vocals in a room we patched up with matresses and towels hung strategically to deaden the sound.
If your on a budget, and have some time (like A LOT of time) to tinker with it, you could probably manage to get some good results.
I was totally happy with how the tracks turned out. 
Thanks Foster-pedic!


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## PirateMetalTroy (May 22, 2010)

darren said:


> 1. Fiberglass insulation in the walls and ceiling of the basement. It's a very good sound insulator.
> 
> 2. Hang your drywall on resilient channel. This "floats" the drywall away from the studs, further reducing transference of sound energy into the walls and floors of the house.
> 
> ...



Double up that drywall too. I built a studio a while back, and that's pretty much exactly how we built the live room. 1x6 walls, insulated, hung a retarded about of resilient channel, and put up 3/4" drywall, the another layer of 5/8" drwall on top of that. AWESOME room. 

Kevin Doyle (best producer award winner) said that the room we built was the best live room he's heard ever.

After all that, just hang out acoustic foams to taste, and enjoy.


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## maddface (May 22, 2010)

Cellulose insulation is the best, almost double the r value and 3 times more sound absorbetion


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