For projects in France
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in France
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. Studios sit inside residential blocks and converted commercial spaces where the neighbour decides the achievable level.
- 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 France 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.
Studios sit inside residential blocks and converted commercial spaces where the neighbour decides the achievable level.
Work reaching us from France is mostly apartments, hotels, restaurants, offices, studios, schools, clinics.
- Timber floors and divided apartments Footfall and speech move between homes through the floor. Mass plus a resilient layer beats any surface treatment underneath.
- Retrofit, not new build Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
- Hospitality volume Restaurants and hotels take the acoustic complaints personally, because guests write them down. Absorption goes where it will not fight the design.
- 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 France.
02 / The build-up
The stack, in the order it is installed
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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 France, mechanical extract ventilation is near universal, and the extract path carries sound between flats as reliably as the wall.
Behind a fabric frame. Where the room has to look finished, absorber inside a frame rather than foam on show.
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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 France, churches, salles des fetes and civic auditoriums are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
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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 France, school buildings are hard surfaced with high ceilings, and canteens are consistently the loudest rooms.
Track with a seal. Ceiling track plus a floor seal or drape, so the perimeter is closed when it is drawn.
If you are specifying for a France project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
03 / In this market
What we see driving France briefs
- Timber floors and divided apartments
Footfall and speech move between homes through the floor. Mass plus a resilient layer beats any surface treatment underneath.
- Retrofit, not new build
Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
- Hospitality volume
Restaurants and hotels take the acoustic complaints personally, because guests write them down. Absorption goes where it will not fight the design.
- Seasonal programmes
Coastal and resort work runs to a fixed opening date. We give honest dispatch and transit dates so the fit-out is not waiting on a container.
- The housing stock
Haussmannian and later blocks stack flats with masonry walls and timber or concrete floors. Shared circulation and light wells carry sound between homes.
- The studio and content scene
Studios sit inside residential blocks and converted commercial spaces where the neighbour decides the achievable level.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a France project
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Footfall and speech move between homes through the floor. Mass plus a resilient layer beats any surface treatment underneath.
- 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. Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
- 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. Restaurants and hotels take the acoustic complaints personally, because guests write them down. Absorption goes where it will not fight the design.
- 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
Why the climate in France changes the material, not the target
France is cool and damp, with long heating seasons and cold external walls, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
Cold wall build-ups and long heating seasons mean interstitial condensation is a real risk behind any lining. PET felt is unaffected by damp air and will not feed mould where a fabric-faced mineral product would.
The failure we design against here is condensation behind linings in older, poorly insulated stock.
Where a consultant is already engaged on a France project, we supply to their specification and send the test reports rather than describing them. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Straight talk
The six errors that cost the most
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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
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 France job
Footfall and speech move between homes through the floor. Mass plus a resilient layer beats any surface treatment underneath.
05 / Logistics
How material reaches a France site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Le Havre, Marseille or Antwerp, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Le Havre |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order.
Sea freight into Le Havre, Marseille or Antwerp, then road to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from France projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in France?
Studios sit inside residential blocks and converted commercial spaces where the neighbour decides the achievable level. Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
Where should the budget go first on a France 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 France?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into France. 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 France site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Le Havre, Marseille or Antwerp, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order.
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.