For projects in Argentina
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Argentina
Two jobs that must not be confused: keeping the building out, and making the room honest inside. The first is mass and decoupling and has to be built first. The second is absorption and diffusion and can be tuned later. A deep music, dubbing and production culture working inside apartment blocks and converted buildings.
- Isolation
- A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought.
- Low frequency
- Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam.
- Early reflections
- Controlled at the mix position, and only there.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / The material
What you are buying, and what it fixes in Argentina
Two jobs that must not be confused: keeping the building out, and making the room honest inside. The first is mass and decoupling and has to be built first. The second is absorption and diffusion and can be tuned later.
A deep music, dubbing and production culture working inside apartment blocks and converted buildings.
Work reaching us from Argentina is mostly apartments and conversions, offices, restaurants, hotels, schools, clinics, studios.
- European style building stock Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors between apartments. Footfall travels down, and the rooms hold sound for a long time.
- Paperwork is part of the lead time Import formalities take time here and pretending otherwise helps nobody. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after.
- Conversions of older buildings The structure usually stays, so build-ups have to be shallow and work within existing finishes.
- Isolation A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for studio soundproofing are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Argentina.
02 / The build-up
The stack, in the order it is installed
-
Layer 1
Acoustic foam and BassBloc
Open cell foam shapes for high frequency control, and BassBloc, a high density absorber built for the low mid range where ordinary foam does nothing. In Argentina, split units with condensers in light wells and on facades close to bedrooms.
Behind a fabric frame. Where the room has to look finished, absorber inside a frame rather than foam on show.
-
Layer 2
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Argentina, theatres, church buildings and event halls are hard volumes with long decay times.
Floor, floating. Membrane under a resilient layer and a floating deck, so impact energy is broken before it reaches the slab.
-
Layer 3
Soundproof curtains
A layered curtain with a mass loaded vinyl core, used where an opening has to stay an opening. In Argentina, school buildings are hard surfaced with high ceilings and long corridors that carry every sound.
Full height with return. Curtain taken floor to soffit with a side return and an overlap, because the gap is what leaks, not the fabric.
Architects working in Argentina usually need the build-up before the product. We will draw the section and mark what does the work. See how we support architects.
03 / Local conditions
What decides the build-up in Argentina
- European style building stock
Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors between apartments. Footfall travels down, and the rooms hold sound for a long time.
- Paperwork is part of the lead time
Import formalities take time here and pretending otherwise helps nobody. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after.
- Conversions of older buildings
The structure usually stays, so build-ups have to be shallow and work within existing finishes.
- A long sea leg
This is one of our longest routes. Ordering to a real schedule matters, so we quote the full window.
- The housing stock
Masonry and concrete blocks with hard floors and internal light wells that carry sound between flats.
- The studio and content scene
A deep music, dubbing and production culture working inside apartment blocks and converted buildings.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical Argentina job
-
Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors between apartments. Footfall travels down, and the rooms hold sound for a long time.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 1800 x 900 mm
- Soundproofing materials, 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85
- Soundproof curtains, 5.5 kg per sq m
-
Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. Import formalities take time here and pretending otherwise helps nobody. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 20 mm
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Soundproof curtains, Up to 30 dB
-
Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. The structure usually stays, so build-ups have to be shallow and work within existing finishes.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- Soundproofing materials, ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
- Soundproof curtains, 30
Interior designers tend to arrive with the look already decided. We will tell you which finish gets there without losing the acoustics. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Conditions
Why the climate in Argentina changes the material, not the target
Argentina is hot summers, mild winters and a distinct wet season, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
PET felt handles the wet months without absorbing moisture or feeding mould. Timber and wood wool want a ventilated cavity and a stable indoor RH.
The failure we design against here is wet-season humidity behind linings.
If a consultant has set the target, we will quote against their figures rather than ours, and stay out of the scope they own. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Straight talk
The six errors that cost the most
-
Buying foam to solve an isolation problem
It sounds like a small detail until the room is finished and the complaint arrives.
-
Treating the room before the shell is isolated
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
-
Killing the room completely and calling it controlled
More absorption is not better absorption. Past the target the room goes flat and people raise their voices to compensate.
-
Treating it as a generic Argentina job
Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors between apartments. Footfall travels down, and the rooms hold sound for a long time.
05 / Logistics
What the route into Argentina actually looks like
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Buenos Aires, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Buenos Aires |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
Sea freight into Buenos Aires, then road to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Argentina projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Argentina?
A deep music, dubbing and production culture working inside apartment blocks and converted buildings. Import formalities take time here and pretending otherwise helps nobody. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after.
Where should the budget go first on a Argentina project?
Isolation. A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Low frequency. Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam.
Do you have an office or installation team in Argentina?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Argentina. We give you drawings, build-ups, a BOQ and material that arrives complete, and we will tell you plainly when a job needs a local contractor we cannot be.
How does material get to a Argentina site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Buenos Aires, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
What goes wrong most often on this kind of project?
Buying foam to solve an isolation problem. Treating the room before the shell is isolated.
What do you need from us to quote?
A plan, a section through the critical partition or ceiling, and what the room is for. From that we can give a build-up and a BOQ rather than a price per square foot.
Next step
Send the drawings, get a straight answer
One drawing gets you a proper answer. Build-up, quantities, a delivered date, and an honest note on anything we think is the wrong approach.