For projects in Paris
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Paris
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 / Start here
The product, described honestly, for a Paris 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 sit inside residential blocks and converted commercial spaces where the neighbour decides the achievable level.
Work reaching us from Paris is mostly haussmann apartments, offices, studios, restaurants, hotels, clinics.
- Parquet over timber joists Footfall and chair scrape travel straight down. A resilient layer under the finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
- Thin partitions in divided apartments Walls built to split one flat into two were never designed to hold speech. Mass and an independent lining are the honest answer.
- Courtyards that amplify A Paris courtyard reflects plant noise and voices between every window on the block. Treat the source or the surface, not the middle.
- 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 Paris.
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
-
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 Paris, mechanical extract ventilation is near universal, and the extract path carries sound between flats as reliably as the wall.
First reflection points. Mirror trick placement on side walls and ceiling, which is a handful of panels rather than a lined room.
-
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 Paris, churches, salles des fetes and civic auditoriums are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay.
Floating floor. Resilient layer and deck, to break impact energy before it reaches the structure.
-
Layer 3
Soundproof curtains
A layered curtain with a mass loaded vinyl core, used where an opening has to stay an opening. In Paris, school buildings are hard surfaced with high ceilings, and canteens are consistently the loudest rooms.
Double layer at a doorway. Two curtains with an air gap where a single layer will not reach the target.
Architects working in Paris 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 we see driving Paris briefs
- Parquet over timber joists
Footfall and chair scrape travel straight down. A resilient layer under the finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
- Thin partitions in divided apartments
Walls built to split one flat into two were never designed to hold speech. Mass and an independent lining are the honest answer.
- Courtyards that amplify
A Paris courtyard reflects plant noise and voices between every window on the block. Treat the source or the surface, not the middle.
- Small rooms
Depth is expensive when a room is 12 square metres. Slim, dense layers beat thick absorbers you cannot afford to lose space to.
- 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
What each space in a Paris project needs
-
Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Footfall and chair scrape travel straight down. A resilient layer under the finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 1800 x 900 mm
- 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
-
Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. Walls built to split one flat into two were never designed to hold speech. Mass and an independent lining are the honest answer.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 20 mm
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
-
Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. A Paris courtyard reflects plant noise and voices between every window on the block. Treat the source or the surface, not the middle.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
- Acoustic panels, 9 to 24 mm, 1220 x 2440 mm standard, up to 2440 x 4270 mm, 1200 to 3600 GSM
For a Paris interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Conditions
What the Paris climate rules in and rules out
Paris 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.
If a consultant has set the target, we will quote against their figures rather than ours, and stay out of the scope they own. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Read this first
What we watch go wrong on jobs like this
-
Buying foam to solve an isolation problem
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
-
Treating the room before the shell is isolated
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
-
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.
-
Treating it as a generic Paris job
Footfall and chair scrape travel straight down. A resilient layer under the finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
05 / Route to site
Getting it to Paris, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Le Havre, Antwerp or Rotterdam |
| 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 the order, not after.
Sea freight into Le Havre, Antwerp or Rotterdam, then road to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Paris projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Paris?
Studios sit inside residential blocks and converted commercial spaces where the neighbour decides the achievable level. Footfall and chair scrape travel straight down. A resilient layer under the finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
Where should the budget go first on a Paris 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 Paris?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Paris. 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 Paris site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Le Havre, Antwerp or Rotterdam, 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 the 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
One drawing gets you a proper answer. Build-up, quantities, a delivered date, and an honest note on anything we think is the wrong approach.