For projects in Lisbon
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Lisbon
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 converted older buildings with good mass and hard surfaces, often with neighbours above.
- 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 / Start here
The material, and what it actually does on a Lisbon job
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 converted older buildings with good mass and hard surfaces, often with neighbours above.
Work reaching us from Lisbon is mostly hotel and short let conversions, apartments, restaurants, offices, clinics, studios.
- Timber floors, every floor Footfall from above is the single most common complaint we hear from this city. It is a floor problem, and treating the ceiling below rarely fixes it.
- Conversions put beds either side of old walls A house divided into guest rooms turns internal partitions into separating walls overnight. Doors and corridors generate more complaints than the walls themselves.
- Hills and narrow streets Access decides the delivery. Tell us the street and the stairwell and we break pallets down to what will actually get to the room.
- 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 Lisbon.
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 Lisbon, split units with condensers in courtyards and light wells, plus seasonal heating in cold damp winters.
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 Lisbon, church buildings, civic auditoria and function rooms are stone 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 Lisbon, school buildings are hard surfaced with high ceilings, and canteens are the loudest rooms.
Track with a seal. Ceiling track plus a floor seal or drape, so the perimeter is closed when it is drawn.
Architects working in Lisbon 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 / In this market
What we see driving Lisbon briefs
- Timber floors, every floor
Footfall from above is the single most common complaint we hear from this city. It is a floor problem, and treating the ceiling below rarely fixes it.
- Conversions put beds either side of old walls
A house divided into guest rooms turns internal partitions into separating walls overnight. Doors and corridors generate more complaints than the walls themselves.
- Hills and narrow streets
Access decides the delivery. Tell us the street and the stairwell and we break pallets down to what will actually get to the room.
- Late districts under homes
Venues in the old districts operate directly beneath apartments. Low frequency containment is what keeps the operation trading.
- The housing stock
Masonry and concrete blocks with tile and stone floors, in buildings that share walls and courtyards.
- The studio and content scene
Studios go into converted older buildings with good mass and hard surfaces, often with neighbours above.
04 / Room by room
Space by space, for Lisbon briefs
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Footfall from above is the single most common complaint we hear from this city. It is a floor problem, and treating the ceiling below rarely fixes it.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 1800 x 900 mm
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- Soundproof curtains, 5.5 kg per sq m
-
Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. A house divided into guest rooms turns internal partitions into separating walls overnight. Doors and corridors generate more complaints than the walls themselves.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 20 mm
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Soundproof curtains, Up to 30 dB
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Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. Access decides the delivery. Tell us the street and the stairwell and we break pallets down to what will actually get to the room.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
- 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 Lisbon changes the material, not the target
Lisbon is hot dry summers and mild wet winters, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
The swing between a dry summer and a wet winter moves timber. PET felt is dimensionally stable across that swing; slat panels want a stable substrate and a ventilated fixing.
The failure we design against here is seasonal movement in timber and winter damp in unheated stock.
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 / Worth knowing
What we watch go wrong on jobs like this
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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 Lisbon job
Footfall from above is the single most common complaint we hear from this city. It is a floor problem, and treating the ceiling below rarely fixes it.
05 / Logistics
Supply into Lisbon, start to site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Lisbon or Sines, then a short road run to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Lisbon or Sines |
| 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 Lisbon or Sines, then a short road run to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Lisbon projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Lisbon?
Studios go into converted older buildings with good mass and hard surfaces, often with neighbours above. A house divided into guest rooms turns internal partitions into separating walls overnight. Doors and corridors generate more complaints than the walls themselves.
Where should the budget go first on a Lisbon 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 Lisbon?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Lisbon. 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 Lisbon site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Lisbon or Sines, 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
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.