For projects in Hong Kong
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Hong Kong
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 go into industrial buildings where the neighbouring tenancy and the building plant decide what is achievable.
- 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 / What it is
The product, described honestly, for a Hong Kong brief
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 go into industrial buildings where the neighbouring tenancy and the building plant decide what is achievable.
Work reaching us from Hong Kong is mostly apartments, offices, hotels and dining, clinics, schools, studios.
- Depth is the expensive part Every millimetre a wall grows into the room is paid for at Hong Kong rates. A dense thin membrane usually beats a thicker framed build-up here on total cost.
- Concrete towers, live rooms The structure blocks a great deal already. The problem is hard interiors and impact through slabs rather than airborne transfer.
- Plant on every roof and podium Cooling plant sits within metres of windows in a dense city, so plant noise reaches more people than any single source.
- 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 Hong Kong.
02 / The build-up
What goes where, from the structure in
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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 Hong Kong, central plant, split units and VRF packed into light wells and podium decks close to every flat.
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
Soundproofing materials
The blocking side of the range taken together: mass loaded vinyl, resilient layers, cavity absorption and the build-ups they belong in. In Hong Kong, church buildings, halls and function rooms are compact hard volumes carrying amplified speech.
Resilient bar. Where a full independent leaf will not fit. Effective, and very easy to short circuit with one wrong screw.
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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 Hong Kong, school buildings are compact and hard surfaced with very intensive use and no spare volume.
Track with a seal. Ceiling track plus a floor seal or drape, so the perimeter is closed when it is drawn.
For a Hong Kong practice, the useful thing is a detail you can put in a drawing set, not a brochure. See how we support architects.
03 / On the ground
What we see driving Hong Kong briefs
- Depth is the expensive part
Every millimetre a wall grows into the room is paid for at Hong Kong rates. A dense thin membrane usually beats a thicker framed build-up here on total cost.
- Concrete towers, live rooms
The structure blocks a great deal already. The problem is hard interiors and impact through slabs rather than airborne transfer.
- Plant on every roof and podium
Cooling plant sits within metres of windows in a dense city, so plant noise reaches more people than any single source.
- The port is right here
Direct sea into Hong Kong keeps the chain short and the landed cost predictable.
- The housing stock
Very dense reinforced concrete towers with hard floors and minimal separation between units. Impact and airborne noise between flats is constant.
- The studio and content scene
Studios go into industrial buildings where the neighbouring tenancy and the building plant decide what is achievable.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a Hong Kong project
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Every millimetre a wall grows into the room is paid for at Hong Kong rates. A dense thin membrane usually beats a thicker framed build-up here on total cost.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 1800 x 900 mm
- Acoustic panels, 1800 x 900 mm, image printed into the felt rather than onto a facing
- Soundproof curtains, 5.5 kg per sq m
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Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. The structure blocks a great deal already. The problem is hard interiors and impact through slabs rather than airborne transfer.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 20 mm
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
- Soundproof curtains, Up to 30 dB
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Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. Cooling plant sits within metres of windows in a dense city, so plant noise reaches more people than any single source.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- Soundproof curtains, 30
If the visual is fixed and the room still has to perform, that is a solvable problem and a conversation worth having early. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate and durability
The Hong Kong climate decides the material list
Hong Kong 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.
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 / Read this first
What we watch go wrong on jobs like this
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Buying foam to solve an isolation problem
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
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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
More absorption is not better absorption. Past the target the room goes flat and people raise their voices to compensate.
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Treating it as a generic Hong Kong job
Every millimetre a wall grows into the room is paid for at Hong Kong rates. A dense thin membrane usually beats a thicker framed build-up here on total cost.
05 / Supply
How material reaches a Hong Kong site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Hong Kong, then a short road run to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea into Hong Kong |
| 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 direct into Hong Kong, then a short road run to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Hong Kong projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Hong Kong?
Studios go into industrial buildings where the neighbouring tenancy and the building plant decide what is achievable. Every millimetre a wall grows into the room is paid for at Hong Kong rates. A dense thin membrane usually beats a thicker framed build-up here on total cost.
Where should the budget go first on a Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Hong Kong. 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 Hong Kong site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Hong Kong, then a short road run 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
Drawings in, BOQ and a delivered date out
A plan and a section is enough. We will come back with a build-up, a BOQ and a delivered date, and we will say so if what you are asking for will not work.