Walls
Best Option: Decouple the Walls
For reducing noise transfer through walls, there is no other soundproof material that will isolate as well as decoupling. To minimize loss in floor space, we recommend the GenieClip® RST or HushFrame Raft. The performance achieved is very similar to a double stud wall. Combine decoupling with damping (Green Glue) for maximum isolation in all frequencies.
Second Option: Dampen the Walls
Walls are easy to dampen as they are fairly resilient and have minimal mass. Damping improves performance in all frequencies with most gains in the 100 Hz to 2,000 Hz range. Steel studs and 24″ on center stud spacing will improve damping performance significantly.
Third Option: Add An Acoustically Dead Material to the Walls
An additional layer or two of drywall will provide a minimal increase in isolation. TotalMass Barrier does not resonate like other common building materials. Because of this, the MLV resolves common assembly resonance issues making the MLV several times more valuable than simple mass like extra drywall or plywood. A layer of 1 LB TotalMass will cut down about 50% of sound transfer between 125 Hz to 4,000 Hz.