Noise reduction...does anything work well??

[peesh23]

I have my simulator up and running in my basement and it is working great (Skytrak + JNPG). The only problem is that my wife is constantly on my case about the noise. I try not to hit driver but even with my 7 iron I am getting an ear full. I use the Supertex screen with two rows of heavy duty moving blankets behind the screen. Is there anything else I can do to reduce the noise?? Would putting up insulation and drywall help that much? I've read about using the foam squares used for acoustics/musicians but can't really see spending that kind of money without proof it will work. Seems a lot of guys are in their garage.

Any insight on something that actually worked to lower the volume would be greatly appreciated. Not really looking to invest in a theory at this point.

[Griffinto]

Is the ceiling exposed or is it covered with drywall?

[aeroburner]

TGC VR haha

[aeroburner]

get a sound insulation like rock wool and you can get a product called quiet rock which is a noise reducing drywall

[peesh23]

Thanks for the responses guys! Griffinto , my basement has 9' poured foundation and everything is exposed except for a bathroom I had built during construction. aeroburner , I think the rock wool looks promising. Have you had experience with the quiet rock drywall? Reviews look a bit discouraging for that particular product as some seem to think regular drywall does just as well?

[mikestuewe]

If everything is exposed, you can make major gains. Start researching sound proof home theaters. Checkout the home theater build subform on avsforum. But in short, you should do r-30 insulation in the ceiling and a layer of drywall on the ceiling at a minimum, will make a huge difference. 2nd level, do 2 layers of 5/8" drywall. 3rd level, decouple the ceiling from the floor joists.

You need to seal off as many areas sound can travel as possible, including hvac vents.

I remember researching quiet rock. If I recall correctly, its heavy and expensive. Regular drywall may be more budget friendly and get you the majority of the sound dampening you need.


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[TaS]

Maybe get some noise canceling headphones for your wife.

[peesh23]

Ha, I told her I was going to get her a box of ear plugs the other day!

[codehead]

The majority of the sound is probably low frequency coming from the collision of the ball with the impact screen. I'm surprised nobody has suggested archery netting in front of your screen when you need to be very quiet. Also if you really want to cut down noise. Ceiling/Floor and Floor/Ceiling noise transfer is probably the most difficult to deal with. I would suggest that decoupling is the most important aspect. In this case you would need to use resilient channel. Also insulation in the cavity will lower the resonant frequency of the assembly and of course mass. So adding drywall accomplishes the mass part of it but it really has quickly diminishing returns unless you damp that mass. There are two options for damping.... the quiet rock mentioned is a predamped product as it is laminated sheets with a damping product between for easy quick installation. You can accomplish this yourself for slightly cheaper with a product called green glue and sheets of regular 5/8" drywall, but it is more labor intensive. For any of these solutions to really work you would have to enclose your hitting area with similar construction to contain the sound. Otherwise you will deal with flanking noise from the sound that travels outside of the treated area on your ceiling. Sound control is expensive for sure but if you are willing to spend the time and money can be done well. A major advantage you have is that the space is not already finished so your options are plenty. TLDR the cheapest easiest thing is to hit into something that doesn't make a loud low frequency bag like archery netting. You will still hear the club impact however, but it should be much less irritating.

[Monovision]

Codehead, what's the best way you've found to align a projector through the netting onto the screen without inducing shadowing from the net? I currently use a net and ipad, but am interested in putting a sheet on the wall behind the net for a projector.