Multi-purpose Music/Home Theater/Recording Studio

[goodwater]

No, it's the space above the two storage that I'm going to fill with Rockwool for using as bass traps.

The soffits are filled with wool but closed with 5/8 drywall to soundproof the air ducts.

Stef

[gullfo]

if you use a silencer on the wall penetrations for the supply and return, you don't need to soundproof the ducts. and if they're flex duct, even better. the soffits (if they were soft) would absorb a lot, and adding some hard plates etc along the sides and/or bottom to keep things from being completely flat, you would get a really good benefit...

even hard ducts, fully damped, would be ok. the key for the air system is low velocity and low noise vents. silencers for penetration between spaces to attenuate inter-room sound transfers.

[goodwater]

Here's how the ducts are installed:

In the left soffit, there's the return grille preceded by approximately 3 feet of acoustical flex and approximately 2 feet of hard duct at the wall outlet.

In the right soffit, there are 3 supply grilles (blue = hard, green = flex). At the wall exit, there is a Y then 3 feet of acoustic flex before the first grille. The hard duct continues about 4 feet to the second Y then about 6 feet of flex before the second grille. The hard duct continues about 5 feet then about 8 feet of flex before the third grille.

duct4.JPG (47 KiB) Viewed 167 times

duct4.JPG (47 KiB) Viewed 167 times

Acoustic flexible ducts are used here to reduce the velocity (and therefore the noise) before reaching the grilles.
I filled the soffits with fiberglass.

Source of the post the soffits (if they were soft) would absorb a lot

Q1: Are you saying I should cover the front of the soffits with fabric (the side where the grilles are) instead of drywall?
(For the bottom, I need to use drywall to support the recessed lights and drivers)

Source of the post and adding some hard plates etc along the sides and/or bottom to keep things from being completely flat

Q2: Are you saying I should put drywall only where there is a grill or light, and put fabric for the rest of the soffits?

Stef

[gullfo]

since you already have the drywall on the bootom - i'd leave that, but i would cover the side face with cloth.

[goodwater]

Hi, before reading your post of October 23, I had already almost finished the drywall on the sides... ...fortunately, it didn't cost almost anything because I used most of the leftovers from the walls. I only bought a 4x10 sheet. The drywall is installed in sections of 48 inches or less, so it's very easy to remove everything. I'll keep and number the pieces, just in case.

If I left the drywall (instead of fabric), I would have to tape and mud the joints (green lines) and install 90° metal corner beads (blue lines).

But if I put fabric, how do I proceed with plastering?
Here's what I'm thinking: I screw the corner beads as planned so I can plaster and paint the bottom of the soffits. I put the fabric on frames (as I would for an acoustic panel) so that the frame goes all the way to the ceiling and to the bottom of the soffits. Choose a fabric that is white and matches the white of the paint. I hang the frames on the soffits as I would for an acoustic panel. Place the frames so that the joints between two frames are as small as possible. I cut the fabric where there is a return or supply and I place the finishing grille.

Does this make sense?

Stef

[goodwater]

Finally, I found that drywall helps cut the sound of the ducts where the duct enters the studio. So, I'm going to put about 12 feet of fabric just in the middle of the soffits.