We have a bit of a dilemma at our house. My husband has a drum set and his friends have guitars and they like to play them. Loudly. I don’t mind this (though the cats do), let them have their fun. The trouble is, the boys work late and the only time they get to play is in the evenings and into the nights -which is not an entirely restful experience for the neighbors.
It wasn’t so bad in the dead of summer when everyone had the A/C on and their windows closed, but now that things are cooling off people open their windows and a couple of neighbors have complained about the noise at night.
Here’s the situation. To the right of the house is a vacant lot, so the sound doesn’t seem to get to the right-hand neighbors. Behind us the houses are pretty far away, and the room is at the front of the house so the sound doesn’t get there. We have a 4.5 car garage between us and the left-hand neighbors, and that seems to muffle the sound to them (we’re on good terms with them and they say they can’t hear it at all until they get onto our property). The trouble is the neighbors across the street.
The band room used to be the garage, so the front wall probably isn’t all that thick, and it’s got a big window in it. I’m sure the window is most of the reason the noise gets out -through the glass, because we always have them closed when they play.

So that’s the situation. My question is this: is there an easy, relatively cheap way to soundproof a room? Doing the whole thing is probably not an option since it is a small room to begin with, but can anyone suggest something for the window at the least, or the whole front wall? Has anyone been in a similar situation and can make a suggestion? Any ideas would be very helpful.

Thanks!

(I double-posted this in “Performing Arts,” so no need to double-answer if you see that, too)

Soundproofing is pretty simple science. Here are some basics to keep in mind.

1. Mass is the most important method of stopping sound. So you are likely right that a window is a weak point. Consider throwing covering over the window opening. Take a piece of black paper and put it over the window, then take batt insulation (the pink fiberglass kind) and put it over the black paper and take 2 layers of drywall over the window opening. Let the drywall lap onto the the wall... hopefully this doesn't have to look great because your best bet is to just use a couple solid sheets over the opening. The garage door will lose a lot of sound too. I suggest putting a drywall wall in with two layers of drywall and sound insulation (same as above) in between the studs.

2. Any holes allow sound a direct path of travel. Check for any conduit, plumbing or cable lines that penetrate the walls to the outside. These little tiny holes or spaces between the foundation and the wall system will allow a lot of sound through. If you find any holes you can fill them with acoustic caulk - available at home depot.

3. Sound travels in a straight path. If you do have places where the sound is getting through whatever walls you have, you should consider planting in that area. A simple thing like a tree or a large bush will absorb a lot of sound. If certain neighbors are complaining more... consider planting a line of trees or high bushes.

4. Soft cushy things absorb sound. Putting up a lot of fabric and pillows and things in the room that they play in will help a lot. There is also a product called duct liner or acoustic fabric that you might be able to get at Home Depot. It's black and it's highly rated to absorb sound. Putting some of that on the walls would help a lot. Keeping in mind the way sound travels, you'll really want to focus a bunch of acoustic treatment around the drum set.

Finally, from my experience bass tones or really low sub-base is the sound that most often travels the most. Recommend to your family that they turn down any sub woofers and place all equipment onto rubber pads so that the sound doesn't transfer. Isolate that drum set by getting one of those rubber mats that go under office chairs.

All these things together make a difference, but experience also tells me that once a neighbor starts to complain, it's very difficult to make them happy. They will hear every peep from that time on. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. The basement is really the best place for band practice... Earth is the best sound protection you can get.

Wow, that's awesome, thanks for all the ideas!!
Unfortunately, our basement is very short and has lots of ductwork, is kind of damp and smells of cat pee, so there aren't a whole lot of other options for a playroom...
But I will tell the boys what you say and put them to work. Thanks!!!

My friend was in a band years ago. He covered the walls with empty cardboard egg cartons which really muffled the sound. You could try something like that. A local guitar store may be able to guide you to a wholesaler who has soundproofing material. They do sell Soundproofing material online. This is what you are looking for but it is quite pricey. You should able to get a similar product that will work just as well (and cheaper too) at a home improvement store. Insulation makes a great insulator and sound barrier. Get the kind they use for bathrooms. Click here and Think Pink! I would use carpet padding for the window. Actually, now that I think about it, you could do the whole room in a thick carpet padding or insulation. If you do use the insulation, be sure to cover it with a clear plastic sheet.

The cheapest method would be to use the 1/2 inch insulation foam (found at home stores) It comes in 2x8 panels and 4x8 panels. It is extremely light weight, real easy to cut (though messy since it is styrofoam), can be covered in cheap material (like from the 99 cent per yard bargian bin at the fabric store). It is a printed side (usually blue) and an unprinted side.

You can either nail up the panels with small nails, or you can stick it up with velcro strips.

To increase the muffle effect is to cut or use the 2 foot wide foam then to attach the fabric to where it is gathered instead of pulled taunt, the additional "surface" of cloth will reduce the sound even more.

Not only will this decrease the sound but it will also boost the R-value (insulative value) of the wall(3) you put it on.

Anything hard like drywall, paneling, will echo and allow sound to travel through it easier.

In sound studios they use something like foam "egg-crate" to control ecohs and reduce the sound penetration. You may find similar at a fabris store.

Lastly the foam under carpet pad which comes in speckled patters (is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) comes in rolls and can be stapled to the walls will work as well - not as efficeint as the foam, but it is more of an "interesting" look to it and can be used plain as a nice way to reduce the sound while adding a "decorative" touch to the room.

Thank you, everyone. He's going to The Home Despot tonight so we'll see what he comes back with. Should be interesting... We'll see if the construction noise garners any complaints!
Thanks a lot!!

Here's the verdict: plywood is too heavy, plexiglass is too expensive. So they hung up blankets over the windows which seems to dampen the sound a little, but not much. And it's soooooo attractive. We'll have to keep trying, I guess.