For projects in Dubai
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Dubai
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. Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor.
- 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 Dubai
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.
Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor.
Work reaching us from Dubai is mostly hotels and fit-out, towers and apartments, retail and malls, offices, clinics, studios.
- A short sea leg from India Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
- A professional fit-out market Contractors here compare products line by line and expect documentation with the quote. That suits a manufacturer who can answer for what is in the material.
- Sealed against the heat Buildings stay closed with heavy cooling running all year, so mechanical noise accumulates and rooms stay live.
- 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 Dubai.
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
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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 Dubai, district cooling and large AHU plant run continuously. Duct attenuation, plant room lining and riser treatment do the work.
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
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Dubai, hotel ballrooms, mosques and conference centres are tall hard volumes where a long tail defeats the speech system before anyone hears a word.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
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Layer 3
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 Dubai, international school campuses are new, highly glazed and built to a tight programme. Sports halls, atria and lecture spaces are the rooms that need treating.
Mixed finish. Plain felt where it is out of eye line, printed or grooved where it is seen.
If you are specifying for a Dubai 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 the buildings in Dubai do to the specification
- A short sea leg from India
Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
- A professional fit-out market
Contractors here compare products line by line and expect documentation with the quote. That suits a manufacturer who can answer for what is in the material.
- Sealed against the heat
Buildings stay closed with heavy cooling running all year, so mechanical noise accumulates and rooms stay live.
- Impact through slabs
Hard flooring over concrete passes footfall straight down between apartments. The underlay goes in before the finish, not after the complaint.
- The housing stock
Towers and villas are concrete and block with stone or porcelain floors throughout. Mass is not the problem, impact noise and live rooms are.
- The studio and content scene
Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor.
04 / Room by room
Space by space, for Dubai briefs
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 2100 kg per cubic metre
- Soundproofing materials, 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85
- Soundproof curtains, 5.5 kg per sq m
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Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. Contractors here compare products line by line and expect documentation with the quote. That suits a manufacturer who can answer for what is in the material.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Soundproof curtains, Up to 30 dB
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Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. Buildings stay closed with heavy cooling running all year, so mechanical noise accumulates and rooms stay live.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- 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
Durability in Dubai, before acoustics is discussed
Dubai is hot and dry for most of the year, with dust and high daytime surface temperatures, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
Dust is the enemy of open-cell products. PET felt does not shed, does not hold dust in the way fabric-wrapped glass wool does, and wipes down. Timber needs a stable indoor RH or it moves.
The failure we design against here is dust ingress and thermal movement in long runs.
Consultants get the raw data, not a sales sheet. That is the whole of our side of the job, and it is set out under 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
It sounds like a small detail until the room is finished and the complaint arrives.
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Treating the room before the shell is isolated
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
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Killing the room completely and calling it controlled
We would rather calculate the area and sell you less of it than line every surface and call it thorough.
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Treating it as a generic Dubai job
Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
05 / Supply
What the route into Dubai actually looks like
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Jebel Ali, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Jebel Ali |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved panels and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order, not after.
Sea freight into Jebel Ali, then road to site. The short transit means sea works for most programmes. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Dubai projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Dubai?
Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor. Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
Where should the budget go first on a Dubai 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 Dubai?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Dubai. 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 Dubai site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Jebel Ali, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved panels and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order, not after.
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 a plan and a section, get a real build-up
We quote from drawings, not from a square foot rate. Send a plan and the section through the critical wall or ceiling and you will get something you can actually build from.