Sound "Proofing" a room

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: AgentJean

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
If you are going to wage aural war on your neighbor, forget the loud music, the annoying sounds, anything like that. If you want to get their attention - go with really really loud sex. If they have even the slightest bit of parental apptitude, they will want to shelter their young heathen from the sounds of coitus that may frequently take the form of quite loud obscenities of encouragement. Besides, if it doesn't get through to them, you are still getting some.

Wow, that was the most pointless response yet!

You helped steer the thread in this direction though. Not to say it wouldn't have gone there on its own, but by mentioning putting subs towards your ceiling and those laser speakers, you can't complain.

Not true. This thread was doomed from the get go because the OP actually expects people who live above him to walk on feathers and not just act normally in their own home.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: AgentJean

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
If you are going to wage aural war on your neighbor, forget the loud music, the annoying sounds, anything like that. If you want to get their attention - go with really really loud sex. If they have even the slightest bit of parental apptitude, they will want to shelter their young heathen from the sounds of coitus that may frequently take the form of quite loud obscenities of encouragement. Besides, if it doesn't get through to them, you are still getting some.

Wow, that was the most pointless response yet!

You helped steer the thread in this direction though. Not to say it wouldn't have gone there on its own, but by mentioning putting subs towards your ceiling and those laser speakers, you can't complain.

Not true. This thread was doomed from the get go because the OP actually expects people who live above him to walk on feathers and not just act normally in their own home.

Either way, thread has been doomed. Nef++

 

[AgentJean]

Originally posted by: torpid

Not true. This thread was doomed from the get go because the OP actually expects people who live above him to walk on feathers and not just act normally in their own home.

No, I Don't expect them to walk of feathers. I expect them to NOT JUMP on the floor. And yes there is a big difference between normal walking and pounding your feet.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: AgentJean
Ok, here's the deal: I live in an apartment. A poorly constructed on as far as sound insulation goes. I can hear people in the upstairs unit just walking around. The fact that their 2 year old kid likes to jump up and down makes it even worse.

Does anyone know of any form of sound insulation that I could staple to my ceiling so I don't hear the people upstairs? The building management won't do crap. They knew about this problem before the people upstairs moved in last month (I complained about the same problem with the previous person). They even replaced the carpet, that would have been a great time to put in some padding but they didn't, so I have to take matters into my own hands.

Oh yeah, as far as talking to the tenet up stairs to see if he can keep the pounding down. He' said the noise is a part of apartment life and I'd better get used to it.

You have no idea how tempted I am to unplug my HEADPHONES and hook up some high wattage speakers with a sub woofer, thow in some Rammstein and fire up Counter-Strike.

I really like your idea, but you could go one step further and place the subwoofer directly against your ceiling. Make sure it's at night while they're sleeping. If the cops come and ask you to turn it down, have them take one look at your jury-rigged subwoofer ceiling and they'll laugh their asses off so hard that they'll go away without so much as a warning

 

[Squisher]

I'm sure you wouldn't want to spend the money, but look here

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: torpid
Wow, I have to say I am surprised by the responses here. The fact is that it IS a part of apartment life to hear people walking around and jumping up and down. That is why you should always try to live on the top floor or in a more expensive place or at least test out the impact of people walking around.

I find it very unlikely you will be able to legally break a lease because you didn't realize that people make noise when they live in an apartment.

In my complex living on the top floor isn't much better. My neighbor above me complained about my bass being too loud when in fact I could barely hear it. I've resorted to turning off the bass at night. It's not a big deal so much as it's disappointing. I guess it's not surprising that my bass penetrated the tiny space separating floor 1 from floor 2. My schedule has me awake around 3AM, whereas he leaves for work around 6AM. Out of respect I have to turn the bass off by 10PM, but if I could afford something to dampen the sound you can bet that I'd own it and install it myself.

On the other hand, I can't hear anyone walking around above me, which is very nice.

 

[compuwiz1]

Uh, what are you planning to do in that room? Got 8mm? Those films can be kinda noisey for a minute, but they sell well, from what I understand. :shocked:

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: AgentJean

Originally posted by: torpid

Not true. This thread was doomed from the get go because the OP actually expects people who live above him to walk on feathers and not just act normally in their own home.

No, I Don't expect them to walk of feathers. I expect them to NOT JUMP on the floor. And yes there is a big difference between normal walking and pounding your feet.

Not for some people. Sorry, but this is just pointless whining on your family's part. Kids jump around. Adults stomp when angry. If you want to use some insulation that's fine, but it's really pathetic to complain to your neighbors upstairs because their kids act like normal kids and their boots are too loud. It's not like they are hosting DDR parties for morbidly obese people or constructing noah's ark.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: torpid
Wow, I have to say I am surprised by the responses here. The fact is that it IS a part of apartment life to hear people walking around and jumping up and down. That is why you should always try to live on the top floor or in a more expensive place or at least test out the impact of people walking around.

I find it very unlikely you will be able to legally break a lease because you didn't realize that people make noise when they live in an apartment.

In my complex living on the top floor isn't much better. My neighbor above me complained about my bass being too loud when in fact I could barely hear it. I've resorted to turning off the bass at night. It's not a big deal so much as it's disappointing. I guess it's not surprising that my bass penetrated the tiny space separating floor 1 from floor 2. My schedule has me awake around 3AM, whereas he leaves for work around 6AM. Out of respect I have to turn the bass off by 10PM, but if I could afford something to dampen the sound you can bet that I'd own it and install it myself.

On the other hand, I can't hear anyone walking around above me, which is very nice.

Is your subwoofer downward pointing?

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: torpid
Wow, I have to say I am surprised by the responses here. The fact is that it IS a part of apartment life to hear people walking around and jumping up and down. That is why you should always try to live on the top floor or in a more expensive place or at least test out the impact of people walking around.

I find it very unlikely you will be able to legally break a lease because you didn't realize that people make noise when they live in an apartment.

In my complex living on the top floor isn't much better. My neighbor above me complained about my bass being too loud when in fact I could barely hear it. I've resorted to turning off the bass at night. It's not a big deal so much as it's disappointing. I guess it's not surprising that my bass penetrated the tiny space separating floor 1 from floor 2. My schedule has me awake around 3AM, whereas he leaves for work around 6AM. Out of respect I have to turn the bass off by 10PM, but if I could afford something to dampen the sound you can bet that I'd own it and install it myself.

On the other hand, I can't hear anyone walking around above me, which is very nice.

Is your subwoofer downward pointing?

What difference does it make? I thought subs were mostly omnidirectional.

 

[K1052]

Items needed:

1. Bulk source of carbon monoxide or other cheap gas that displaces oxygen
2. Lock pick set
3. Plasic tarps
4. Dolly
5. Car with large trunk
6. Shovel
7. Lime

Reapply as required.

 

[Gravity]

Consistent complaints about the noise should lead you to a legal and ethical way to break your lease without penalty. Each state has renter laws that provide you with a means to have a satisfactory living environment. Your landlord has an obligation to provide you with relief if there's a complaint. He actually might ask the family to move out or move over before he lets you go on your lease. THEY are the party that is inconveniencing you. Fight the battle but do it according to the rules. Ever see the move Pacific Heights? Michael Keaton's character knew the rules....

Also, you might find these helfpful. Also consider Entymotics E6I earphones that block ambient noise and provide you wtih quality sound.

Best of luck,

Gravity

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: torpid
Wow, I have to say I am surprised by the responses here. The fact is that it IS a part of apartment life to hear people walking around and jumping up and down. That is why you should always try to live on the top floor or in a more expensive place or at least test out the impact of people walking around.

I find it very unlikely you will be able to legally break a lease because you didn't realize that people make noise when they live in an apartment.

In my complex living on the top floor isn't much better. My neighbor above me complained about my bass being too loud when in fact I could barely hear it. I've resorted to turning off the bass at night. It's not a big deal so much as it's disappointing. I guess it's not surprising that my bass penetrated the tiny space separating floor 1 from floor 2. My schedule has me awake around 3AM, whereas he leaves for work around 6AM. Out of respect I have to turn the bass off by 10PM, but if I could afford something to dampen the sound you can bet that I'd own it and install it myself.

On the other hand, I can't hear anyone walking around above me, which is very nice.

Is your subwoofer downward pointing?

What difference does it make? I thought subs were mostly omnidirectional.

I am fairly certain it makes a big difference for neighborly convenience. The "effect" is that it feels omnidirectional, but in one case it's generating all the bass downward into the floors and in the other case it's spread out quite a bit more.

 

[Lazy8s]

When the girls above me were making too much noise I went the loud sex route around 11pm. They eventually got the picture.

 

[Pegun]

Originally posted by: Lazy8s
When the girls above me were making too much noise I went the loud sex route around 11pm. They eventually got the picture.

There's my idea :laugh: But in all seriousness, yes if you make too much noise they can call the police yada yada yada, BUT if you make a decent amount of noise, in other words you only make enough noise to the point of daily living, ie a stereo on a decent volume, i would think the police would let it go and say they cant do anything. If it really goes far then you talk to the police about your options as to canceling the lease.

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: AgentJean
Ok, here's the deal: I live in an apartment. A poorly constructed on as far as sound insulation goes. I can hear people in the upstairs unit just walking around. The fact that their 2 year old kid likes to jump up and down makes it even worse.

Does anyone know of any form of sound insulation that I could staple to my ceiling so I don't hear the people upstairs? The building management won't do crap. They knew about this problem before the people upstairs moved in last month (I complained about the same problem with the previous person). They even replaced the carpet, that would have been a great time to put in some padding but they didn't, so I have to take matters into my own hands.

Oh yeah, as far as talking to the tenet up stairs to see if he can keep the pounding down. He' said the noise is a part of apartment life and I'd better get used to it.

You have no idea how tempted I am to unplug my HEADPHONES and hook up some high wattage speakers with a sub woofer, thow in some Rammstein and fire up Counter-Strike.

He's right. You live in an apartment. Suck it up, and deal with it.

Edit: Also, any effective soundproofing would be overly expensive, or damaging to the celing.

 

[ebaycj]

buy big speakers + amp.
attach the speakers to the ceiling so that they are in direct physical contact with the ceiling.
record mp3 of yourself saying "SHUT THE FVCK UP" with about 5 seconds of silence afterwards.
put said mp3 file on mp3 player.
put mp3 player on "repeat 1 track" mode.
plug in mp3 player to amp.
turn volume VERY loud on amp.
any time you hear noise from above, hit play and leave it for about 10 minutes.
rinse and repeat.


FTW !!


also - buy yourself a pair of etymotic er6i earbud headphones. they will seal out anything. they will be good for listening to music during the 10 minute MP3 assault.