Want to Make Music at Home? Start With Soundproofing.

Abstract

Stuck at home but itching to compose and perform music, professional and amateur artists turned their living rooms and bedrooms into makeshift studios. A lucky few had the time, space and patience to build full-fledged, soundproof musical ateliers. Two professional musicians became DIYers when they could not open their home to a professional to help them because of a lockdown; a composer took action when the pandemic took her off the road; and an author was determined to create a safe space for his friends to get together. The Scene: The couple owns a two-family house, with the tenants right upstairs. Luckily, the house had double-pane windows when they bought it. "My studio is on the top floor of the house, almost like an attic, and I wanted something that wouldn't creak too much. The floor was old plywood and I could hear the television downstairs and the phone, and now the flooring absorbs all the noise," she said. Soundproofing Philosophy: His dream was to create a salon and gathering space on the top two floors of the house.