For projects in Portugal
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Portugal
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
What this is, and what it changes in a Portugal room
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 Portugal is mostly hotel and apartment conversions, restaurants, offices, clinics, schools, studios.
- Timber floors in old buildings Footfall passes straight down through the joists. A resilient layer under the new finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
- Conversion, not construction The structure is staying. Whatever we propose has to work inside the depth and the finishes that are already there, which rules out most thick framed systems.
- Atlantic damp Our PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which matters on cold external walls in a mild wet climate where mineral products sag.
- 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 Portugal.
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
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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 Portugal, split units with condensers in courtyards and light wells, plus seasonal heating in cold damp winters.
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 Portugal, church buildings, civic auditoria and function rooms are stone volumes with very long decay.
Ceiling first. In most rooms the ceiling is the largest untreated surface and the cheapest square metre of result.
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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 Portugal, school buildings are hard surfaced with high ceilings, and canteens are the loudest rooms.
Full height with return. Curtain taken floor to soffit with a side return and an overlap, because the gap is what leaks, not the fabric.
If you are specifying for a Portugal project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
03 / Local conditions
What we see driving Portugal briefs
- Timber floors in old buildings
Footfall passes straight down through the joists. A resilient layer under the new finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
- Conversion, not construction
The structure is staying. Whatever we propose has to work inside the depth and the finishes that are already there, which rules out most thick framed systems.
- Atlantic damp
Our PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which matters on cold external walls in a mild wet climate where mineral products sag.
- Tourism programmes have fixed dates
Hotel openings do not move. We give honest dispatch and transit windows so the fit-out is not waiting on a container.
- 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
Where the money goes on a Portugal project
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Footfall passes straight down through the joists. A resilient layer under the new 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
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
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Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. The structure is staying. Whatever we propose has to work inside the depth and the finishes that are already there, which rules out most thick framed systems.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 20 mm
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
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Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. Our PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which matters on cold external walls in a mild wet climate where mineral products sag.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
- Soundproofing materials, 2100 kg per cubic metre. 2.5 mm STC 30 at 5.25 kg per sq m, 4 mm STC 34 at 8.4, 6 mm at 12.6
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 Portugal, before acoustics is discussed
Portugal 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.
On a Portugal job with a consultant involved, our part is material that matches the submitted data. See working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Read this first
Six mistakes that turn into a second fit-out
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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
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 Portugal job
Footfall passes straight down through the joists. A resilient layer under the new finish does more than anything applied to the ceiling below.
05 / Getting it there
Supply into Portugal, start to site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Sines, Lisbon or Leixões, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Sines or Lisbon |
| 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 Sines, Lisbon or Leixões, then road to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Portugal projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Portugal?
Studios go into converted older buildings with good mass and hard surfaces, often with neighbours above. The structure is staying. Whatever we propose has to work inside the depth and the finishes that are already there, which rules out most thick framed systems.
Where should the budget go first on a Portugal 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 Portugal?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Portugal. 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 Portugal site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Sines, Lisbon or Leixões, then road 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.