Drywall is designed to be easy to use you simply need to screw it to wall joists. To overcome this problem youвЂ™ll want to use it alongside other materials that are good against low frequencies, such as mineral wool insulationВ (Amazon link). However, even MLV is let down at low frequencies. ItвЂ™s also more effective against a wider range of sound frequencies, but this is because drywall isnвЂ™t designed as a soundproofing product. Again, this depends on thickness and material used. MLV, on the other hand, has a maximum STC of 50, which is one of the best ratings you can get. The higher the number the better.Дepending on the thickness, drywall has a maximum STC of 34, which isnвЂ™t amazing.

STC is a numerical rating that states how well a material or structure isolates sound. This is evident in its STC or sound transmission class.

ItвЂ™s worth the investment though because it does a great job of blocking sound transmission. That said, mass loaded vinyl can get quite expensive if you need a lot of it. Sure, itвЂ™s more widely available and cheaper, but these arenвЂ™t really helpful if you want to soundproof a room. Generally speaking, there arenвЂ™t any useful factors in which drywall wins. To make this easier, hereвЂ™s a handy comparison chart. While these products are fairly different, itвЂ™s possible to compare them in a few ways. But this is a specialty product and doesnвЂ™t really make much difference. You can buy soundproof drywall, which has an inner layer of viscoelastic material. ItвЂ™s possible to add several more layers of drywall to overcome its failings, but this really doesnвЂ™t add as much as using actual soundproofing materials. That said, it often forms the basis of many soundproofing projects because itвЂ™s pretty easy to modify with other materials, such as mass loaded vinyl. Realistically, drywall isnвЂ™t designed to be soundproof itвЂ™s too thin and rigid. In fact, itвЂ™s basically the wall we mentioned above: sound waves will easily bounce off it and transfer through it. In terms of soundproofing, itвЂ™s not great. As a construction material, itвЂ™s useful because itвЂ™s inexpensive, easy to use, and widely available. ItвЂ™s fair to say that most people know what drywall is, but itвЂ™s probably worth defining in the context of soundproofing.Дrywall is made from a sheet of gypsum sandwiched between 2 sheets of paper. TheyвЂ™re good at making rigid objects vibrate, but this same energy is dissipated by a flexible material, such as MLV. The process is exactly the same with sound waves, which are vibrational energy. The residual energy would cause the wall to vibrate, to an extent. If you throw a ball at a rigid surface, such as a wall, itвЂ™s able to bounce off again. You throw the ball at a bed sheet hanging on a washing line, and what happens? The ball drops to the floor because the bed sheet has dissipated the energy in a 3D space. Viscoelasticity is very useful in soundproofing because it flows when a force makes contact with it (sound waves) but then returns to its original form once the force has been removed.ДЄ common and useful analogy for understanding this concept is throwing a ball at a hanging bedsheet. These are what provide it with the ability to block sound waves. ItвЂ™s known as a viscoelastic compound, which means that, although a solid, it has elastic properties. Obviously the denser the material the better it is at blocking sound. MLV comes in a range of densities, from 1/2lb. Both of these products are dense and flexible.

MLV is made from 2 outer layers of vinyl with a core of high-density material, which is usually calcium carbonate or barium sulfate. Limp mass is particularly effective for soundproofing because it physically blocks sound transmission rather than just absorbing or dampening the sound waves. This means that when sound waves make contact with it, theyвЂ™re unable to make it vibrate. Importantly, itвЂ™s whatвЂ™s known as limp mass. ItвЂ™s a great product for soundproofing a range of structures and was designed specifically for this task. MLV is short for mass loaded vinylВ (Amazon link).

Mass loaded vinyl for walls