A soundproof curtain is a barrier to prevent noise from penetrating it. It blocks the sound from leaving a room and invading the space of another room. It also prevents noise from leaving or entering your home. Soundproof curtains also prevent the sound from reflecting from the walls or windows.
Sound waves, as opposed to light waves, are longer in wave length than light waves. The sound waves are more easily shaped, bent and turned, where light waves travel in a straight line. As sound travels and strikes a barrier, the barrier will absorb a certain amount of that sound but reflect the remaining sound back to where it originated. The reflecting sound waves cause vibration until the sound wave is totally absorbed or until it runs out of energy. Rough surfaces absorb more sound than smooth surfaces. In addition to soundproof curtains, an application of stucco on the ceiling and the wall will help increase the noise absorption.
Why Use Soundproof Curtains?
Two reasons to use sound proof curtains is to prevent noise from coming in and noise from going out. Music rooms usually have the need to shield themselves from outside noise coming in, especially if music is being recorded. Soundproof curtains are also used to stop the noise from going out and annoying the neighbors, if in a residential area. The soundproof curtains also prevent the noise from crossing the room and reflecting back to the source. The soundproof curtain absorbs most, if not all, of the sound.
What are Soundproof Curtains?
Soundproof curtains look like any regular, ordinary curtain you might find in a room, except they are thicker and made of Mass Loaded Vinyl, (MLV) a sound barrier and they may cover not just windows but an entire wall and door. The weight per square foot of the curtain along with the high mass will help absorb the sound of a wider range of frequencies. The optimum soundproof curtains will absorb the frequencies of the human voice as well as lower frequencies of sound. The purpose of soundproof curtains is to absorb as much of the sound as possible and reflect as little of the sound as possible.
When designing soundproofing for a room, the use of curtains will be effective as long as there are places the sound cannot escape. If there is a gap between the curtains, the sound will find its way out of that gap. Making sure the soundproof curtains fit the dimensions of the area to be covered is critical when planning sound blocking measures.
Soundproof Curtains
Soundproof Curtain Applications
Soundproof curtains typically cover an entire wall and are used for soundproofing an individual room in the home where a lot of music or entertainment takes place. Whether it is music lessons and rehearsal or just blasting good old fashion rock and roll at ear shattering volumes, soundproof curtains will do the job within certain decibel levels. Soundproof curtains work well with soundproof floors and ceiling for an all around soundproof system. It also found in areas where manufacturing noise may be found such as garage where trucks are stored and maintained or where machinery is running continuously or intermittently. The MLV material may have a backing of material such as foam cushion that absorb vibration, as well as, noise. The material can be used as a wall covering as well as built in and part of the wall construction for a more permanent installation.
Soundproof curtains come in clear or different colors. The curtain material is both plastic and fabric and come in rolls for self sizing or in pre-trimmed sheets ready for installation. The curtains can be a permanent fixture or used temporarily to absorb noise from a home improvement project such as sanding, drying or everyday construction work.
An application for creating multiple areas from a large space is to use quilted fiberglass soundproof curtains attached to a moveable wall system. This allows the space to be used by multiple groups without interfering with each. It is a great application for a school, office or even a manufacturing area.
An office with cubicles might also use the quilted wall technology to cut down on disruptions between work spaces. It will not make the cubicles soundproof, unless it is a floor to ceiling application, but it will muffle the noise level, especially when using a somewhat noisy piece of office equipment, or talking on the telephone. There are a multitude of applications that can be applied to the face of the wall to prevent the industrial look taking over the office.
There are curtains available for windows or a soundproof liner can be sewn onto the back side of your favorite curtains. Depending on the MLV will depend on the amount of noise let in through the windows but unless you live right on the on ramp to the highway, this type of curtains or liners will be an effective way to eliminate sound from a room.
Soundproofing a home, apartment or commercial building has it challenges, but it is a problem that has a solution. Sound specialists can offer a wide variety of solutions, in addition to soundproof curtains. With the building technology today, soundproofing is not as difficult as it once was. Soundproof curtains are a very effective means of preventing sound from invading or escaping a room, but sometimes other solutions are needed to complement soundproof curtains.