The difference between soundproofing and sound absorption

A noisy room: which solution do you need?

It’s easy to get confused when you’re bothered by noise. Which solution do you need — sound absorption or soundproofing? You can often add sound absorption without any major construction. But it might not solve your problem.

On the other hand, soundproofing normally requires some modification to the existing structure. Which do you use, and when?

Let’s take a quick look at some common noise challenges.

When you need sound dampening/sound absorption

You’re in a restaurant or at a bar or a social event. The noise inside is deafening. You can hardly hear the person next to you. People are yelling to hear each other. The music in the background only makes it worse. What does this venue need? Sound dampening, like padded wall panels, ceiling panels, or heavy curtains. Or surface variations — like wood slats on the ceiling. Turning down the music volume would also help.

You have a sound studio for recording music, podcasts, or YouTube videos, and you want to control reverb. Once again, you need sound dampening products like wall panels or curtains, plus studio foam wedges and bass traps.

Your adjacent neighbors tell you that they can hear your footsteps as you walk back and forth in your apartment. You’re not the apartment owner and construction is not an option, so try dampening the noise. Buy carpeting for your main footpaths and put a thick felt carpet pad under the rugs.

When you need soundproofing

You live in a noisy apartment building and the noise comes in from your neighbors. As a result, you can hear them through your walls, ceilings, or floors. You need soundproofing. Depending on the situation, you might need insulation in the wall or ceiling. Or you might need to add mass to your walls with a second layer of drywall (using Green Glue) or use soundproof drywall or build a dropped ceiling by decoupling it from the joists.

Your home has lots of traffic noise coming into it. Maybe you live on a busy street or near an airport, or you have lots of construction in your neighborhood. Soundproofing is the way to go. You might need to replace your single-paned windows with double-glazed windows. If it’s still not quiet enough, you might need a window insert. And once again, look at insulation, a second layer of drywall, or replacing your old gypsum drywall with soundproof drywall like QuietRock or SoundBreak.

You have an awesome sound system for your home theatre, or you have a band and you practice together. Your A/V room needs to be soundproofed to keep the noise from pouring into the rest of the house or across the whole neighborhood. This includes drywall, insulation, putty seals for any outlets and openings, and possibly a dropped ceiling or a floating floor.

In summary

Don’t make the mistake of applying the wrong solution to your issue. Putting curtains over your windows won’t eliminate traffic or airplane noise that comes from outside. Putting a rug or mass-loaded vinyl on your floor won’t block the snoring from your downstairs neighbor. Adding a second layer of drywall to your studio walls won’t make your podcast sound better. But these are great solutions to other problems.