New House and New Studio from scratch. Help!

[ToneMonkey]

Ok,
I'm in the process of ordering the insulation for my walls and being that they are 2X4 studs with R Channel on both sides, I'm wondering what insulation specs I should look for. I did find this...
http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm
But I'm not sure that the Owens Corning is available here and I am just wondering what thickness I should request. Do I want an air gap between the drywall on each side and just insulation in the middle or do I want it packed in there snug against the drywall front and back?

Thanks!

[knightfly]

RC almost NEVER needs to be on BOTH sides of a single frame; all it does is to isolate the drywall layers on ONE side of the frame from those on the OTHER - so RC on one side accomplishes that. Doing both sides may actually REDUCE your isolation at lower frequencies, not sure - but it will also double the cost.

In-wall insulation - don't waste money on rigid board insulation for this, just do a complete fill with standard household fiberglass (paper goes closest to drywall so it doesn't act as a third leaf - yes, I'm serious) - if you want to spend more for a couple dB improvement, find some SAFB's or Roxul AFBs at 2.5 to 3 PCF. Basically, in-wall stuff isn't too critical as long as it helps damp the wallboard panels a little, and stays below about 3 PCF.

Have your drywall guy check out the REFERENCE section on caulk and Insulation, I think that's where sound joints are covered.

Basic rule of soundproofing - if it won't float, it won't stop sound (especially LOW frequency)... Steve