For projects in Chile
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Chile
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 growing music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors.
- 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 this is, and what it changes in a Chile room
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 growing music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors.
Work reaching us from Chile is mostly offices, apartments, mining and industrial facilities, hotels, hospitals, schools.
- Seismic detailing comes first Movement joints have to stay free. An acoustic layer must respect the structural design rather than stiffen across it.
- Mining and industrial plant Remote facilities with continuous machinery and control rooms where alarms have to be understood. Enclosure and mass do that work.
- A very long country Site location changes the inland leg dramatically. We quote the road leg for your actual destination rather than an average.
- 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 Chile.
02 / The build-up
The build-up, layer by layer
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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 Chile, split units and central plant with condensers on facades and rooftops close to bedrooms.
First reflection points. Mirror trick placement on side walls and ceiling, which is a handful of panels rather than a lined room.
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Layer 2
Acoustic panels
The full absorber range rather than one product: plain PET felt, printed felt, grooved panels and fabric finishes, chosen by how the room is used and how it has to look. In Chile, church buildings, theatres and event halls are hard volumes with long decay times.
Mixed finish. Plain felt where it is out of eye line, printed or grooved where it is seen.
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Layer 3
Soundproof curtains
A layered curtain with a mass loaded vinyl core, used where an opening has to stay an opening. In Chile, school buildings are hard surfaced with long corridors and gymnasiums doubling as assembly halls.
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.
If you are specifying for a Chile project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
03 / On the ground
What we see driving Chile briefs
- Seismic detailing comes first
Movement joints have to stay free. An acoustic layer must respect the structural design rather than stiffen across it.
- Mining and industrial plant
Remote facilities with continuous machinery and control rooms where alarms have to be understood. Enclosure and mass do that work.
- A very long country
Site location changes the inland leg dramatically. We quote the road leg for your actual destination rather than an average.
- Dry in the north, wet in the south
PET felt is stable in both. It does not absorb moisture or degrade in dry heat, which simplifies specifying across regions.
- The housing stock
Concrete and block construction with hard floors, in apartment towers sharing slabs, built to seismic detailing that adds mass.
- The studio and content scene
A growing music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a Chile project
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Movement joints have to stay free. An acoustic layer must respect the structural design rather than stiffen across it.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 1800 x 900 mm
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
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Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. Remote facilities with continuous machinery and control rooms where alarms have to be understood. Enclosure and mass do that work.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 20 mm
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
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Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. Site location changes the inland leg dramatically. We quote the road leg for your actual destination rather than an average.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
- Soundproofing materials, 2100 kg per cubic metre. 2.5 mm STC 30 at 5.25 kg per sq m, 4 mm STC 34 at 8.4, 6 mm at 12.6
Designers get colour, pattern and CNC options with the absorption figure attached to each. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate and durability
What the Chile climate rules in and rules out
Chile 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.
On a Chile job with a consultant involved, our part is material that matches the submitted data. See working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Before you buy
Six mistakes that turn into a second fit-out
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Buying foam to solve an isolation problem
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Treating the room before the shell is isolated
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Killing the room completely and calling it controlled
A room can be over-treated. Past the target it stops sounding controlled and starts sounding dead, and you paid for that.
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Treating it as a generic Chile job
Movement joints have to stay free. An acoustic layer must respect the structural design rather than stiffen across it.
05 / Logistics
What the route into Chile actually looks like
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | San Antonio or Valparaíso, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via San Antonio |
| 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 San Antonio or Valparaíso, then road to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Chile projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Chile?
A growing music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors. Movement joints have to stay free. An acoustic layer must respect the structural design rather than stiffen across it.
Where should the budget go first on a Chile 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 Chile?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Chile. 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 Chile site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: San Antonio or Valparaíso, 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
Send what you have. We will give you a layer by layer build-up, a bill of quantities and a date material lands, and we will flag anything in the brief that will not achieve what you want.