Home > Switzerland > Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing
For projects in Switzerland
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Switzerland
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 serious recording culture where measured targets and absorption data are expected rather than adjectives.
- 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 product
What this material is and where it earns its place in Switzerland
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 serious recording culture where measured targets and absorption data are expected rather than adjectives.
Work reaching us from Switzerland is mostly apartments, offices, alpine hotels, schools, clinics, studios, timber buildings.
- Timber construction at scale Switzerland builds a lot in timber, and timber is light. Low frequency passes easily, so mass and decoupling do the work, not more absorption.
- Landlocked, so plan the inland leg Rotterdam or Antwerp, then rail. We quote the sea leg and the inland leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
- The tolerance is zero If the sheet does not perform, you will find out and so will we. That is why we quote what the material does rather than what would win the order.
- 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 Switzerland.
02 / The build-up
The stack, in the order it is installed
-
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 Switzerland, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is standard, so duct and terminal unit noise are the sources.
Behind a fabric frame. Where the room has to look finished, absorber inside a frame rather than foam on show.
-
Layer 2
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Switzerland, concert halls, church buildings and civic rooms are long-decay volumes where interventions must be reversible.
Floor, floating. Membrane under a resilient layer and a floating deck, so impact energy is broken before it reaches the slab.
-
Layer 3
Soundproof curtains
A layered curtain with a mass loaded vinyl core, used where an opening has to stay an opening. In Switzerland, school buildings are built to a high standard with hard cleanable surfaces, so rooms stay live and intelligibility is the 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 / In this market
What we see driving Switzerland briefs
- Timber construction at scale
Switzerland builds a lot in timber, and timber is light. Low frequency passes easily, so mass and decoupling do the work, not more absorption.
- Landlocked, so plan the inland leg
Rotterdam or Antwerp, then rail. We quote the sea leg and the inland leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
- The tolerance is zero
If the sheet does not perform, you will find out and so will we. That is why we quote what the material does rather than what would win the order.
- Floor area is extremely expensive
Every centimetre a wall grows into the room is paid for. A dense membrane with a resilient break usually beats a thick framed build-up on both depth and cost.
- The housing stock
Concrete and masonry construction built to a high standard, with good mass and very hard internal finishes.
- The studio and content scene
A serious recording culture where measured targets and absorption data are expected rather than adjectives.
04 / Room by room
What each space in a Switzerland project needs
-
Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Switzerland builds a lot in timber, and timber is light. Low frequency passes easily, so mass and decoupling do the work, not more absorption.
- 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
- Acoustic panels, 1800 x 900 mm, image printed into the felt rather than onto a facing
- Soundproof curtains, 5.5 kg per sq m
-
Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. Rotterdam or Antwerp, then rail. We quote the sea leg and the inland leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
- Soundproofing materials, 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
- Soundproof curtains, Up to 30 dB
-
Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. If the sheet does not perform, you will find out and so will we. That is why we quote what the material does rather than what would win the order.
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- Soundproof curtains, 30
For a Switzerland interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate and durability
What the Switzerland climate rules in and rules out
Switzerland 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 / Straight talk
The six errors that cost the most
-
Buying foam to solve an isolation problem
It sounds like a small detail until the room is finished and the complaint arrives.
-
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
We would rather calculate the area and sell you less of it than line every surface and call it thorough.
-
Treating it as a generic Switzerland job
Switzerland builds a lot in timber, and timber is light. Low frequency passes easily, so mass and decoupling do the work, not more absorption.
05 / Logistics
Getting it to Switzerland, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Rotterdam or Antwerp, then rail and road inland |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Rotterdam, then rail |
| 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 Rotterdam or Antwerp, then rail and road inland. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Switzerland projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Switzerland?
A serious recording culture where measured targets and absorption data are expected rather than adjectives. If the sheet does not perform, you will find out and so will we. That is why we quote what the material does rather than what would win the order.
Where should the budget go first on a Switzerland 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 Switzerland?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Switzerland. 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 Switzerland site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Rotterdam or Antwerp, then rail and road inland, 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
Tell us the room, we will tell you the build-up
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.