For projects in Manila
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Manila
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 very large content, dubbing and music sector working inside commercial floors with thin partitions.
- 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 material is and where it earns its place in Manila
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 very large content, dubbing and music sector working inside commercial floors with thin partitions.
Work reaching us from Manila is mostly service and call centre floors, offices, condominium towers, hotels, hospitals, schools.
- Hundreds of simultaneous conversations A call floor is not an echo problem. Absorption alone will not deliver privacy or intelligibility, so ceiling, screens and layout have to work together.
- Concrete towers, hard interiors The structure blocks well. The problem is tile and glass making the room ring, and impact passing down through slabs.
- Typhoon season and humidity PET felt does not absorb moisture, rot or feed mould, which matters where mineral products sag within a season.
- 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 Manila.
02 / The build-up
The build-up, layer by layer
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Layer 1
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Manila, split units and VRF running at full load year round, with condensers close to occupied rooms.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
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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 Manila, church buildings, gymnasiums and function halls carry amplified speech and music in hard volumes.
Independent leaf. A second wall that does not touch the first. Nothing else comes close for the money.
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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 Manila, classrooms are hard and naturally ventilated with very large class sizes and open corridors.
Track with a seal. Ceiling track plus a floor seal or drape, so the perimeter is closed when it is drawn.
Architects working in Manila 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 / On the ground
What the buildings in Manila do to the specification
- Hundreds of simultaneous conversations
A call floor is not an echo problem. Absorption alone will not deliver privacy or intelligibility, so ceiling, screens and layout have to work together.
- Concrete towers, hard interiors
The structure blocks well. The problem is tile and glass making the room ring, and impact passing down through slabs.
- Typhoon season and humidity
PET felt does not absorb moisture, rot or feed mould, which matters where mineral products sag within a season.
- Traffic outside, all day
Street noise reaches rooms through glazing rather than walls, so the facade is where the first money should go.
- The housing stock
Concrete and block construction with hard floors, in condominium towers and low rise housing that share walls and slabs.
- The studio and content scene
A very large content, dubbing and music sector working inside commercial floors with thin partitions.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical Manila job
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. A call floor is not an echo problem. Absorption alone will not deliver privacy or intelligibility, so ceiling, screens and layout have to work together.
- 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 well. The problem is tile and glass making the room ring, and impact passing down through slabs.
- 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. PET felt does not absorb moisture, rot or feed mould, which matters where mineral products sag within a season.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- 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 / Durability
Why the climate in Manila changes the material, not the target
Manila is warm and humid through most of the year, with a long wet season, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
Humidity is the deciding factor. PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which is why it outlasts fabric-wrapped mineral wool in this climate. Wood wool and timber need a ventilated cavity behind them.
The failure we design against here is mould, sagging fabric finishes and swelling in timber.
Where a consultant is already engaged on a Manila project, we supply to their specification and send the test reports rather than describing them. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Worth knowing
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
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 Manila job
A call floor is not an echo problem. Absorption alone will not deliver privacy or intelligibility, so ceiling, screens and layout have to work together.
05 / Getting it there
How material reaches a Manila site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Manila, then a short road run to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Manila |
| 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 Manila, then a short road run to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Manila projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Manila?
A very large content, dubbing and music sector working inside commercial floors with thin partitions. A call floor is not an echo problem. Absorption alone will not deliver privacy or intelligibility, so ceiling, screens and layout have to work together.
Where should the budget go first on a Manila 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 Manila?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Manila. 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 Manila site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Manila, 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
Send a plan and a section, get a real build-up
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.