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For projects in New Zealand
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in New Zealand
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. Project studios go into garages and sleepouts in timber framed housing that leaks at every junction.
- 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 New Zealand
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.
Project studios go into garages and sleepouts in timber framed housing that leaks at every junction.
Work reaching us from New Zealand is mostly timber frame housing, apartments, offices, schools, clinics, studios.
- Timber frame, very little mass Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- Designed to move Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- A long sea leg This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- 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 New Zealand.
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 New Zealand, heat pumps and ducted systems, with outdoor units close to boundaries in dense suburbs.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
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Layer 2
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 New Zealand, school halls, marae and community centres carry speech and performance in the same hard room.
Mixed finish. Plain felt where it is out of eye line, printed or grooved where it is seen.
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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 New Zealand, classroom acoustics are taken seriously and open plan learning spaces are common, which makes speech intelligibility the design target.
Double layer at a doorway. Two curtains with an air gap where a single layer will not reach the target.
We would rather argue about the build-up at design stage than on site. See how we support architects.
03 / On the ground
What decides the build-up in New Zealand
- Timber frame, very little mass
Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- Designed to move
Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- A long sea leg
This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- Damp and variable climate
PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which suits cold external walls and sealed rooms.
- The housing stock
Timber frame with plasterboard linings, so walls have very little mass. Apartment and townhouse party walls need a second leaf rather than surface treatment.
- The studio and content scene
Project studios go into garages and sleepouts in timber framed housing that leaks at every junction.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a New Zealand project
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 2100 kg per cubic metre
- 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. Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- 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. This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- Soundproof curtains, 30
Designers get colour, pattern and CNC options with the absorption figure attached to each. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate
Durability in New Zealand, before acoustics is discussed
New Zealand 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.
On a New Zealand job with a consultant involved, our part is material that matches the submitted data. See 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
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
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 New Zealand job
Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
05 / Logistics
What the route into New Zealand actually looks like
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Auckland |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
Sea freight into Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site. Air freight for samples and genuinely urgent quantities.
Questions from New Zealand projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in New Zealand?
Project studios go into garages and sleepouts in timber framed housing that leaks at every junction. Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
Where should the budget go first on a New Zealand 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 New Zealand?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into New Zealand. 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 New Zealand site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
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
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.