metaverse

hey ocn folks,

As a give back to this community i'd like to share a cheap and effective sound dampening technique for your case.

I'll start with a quick little overview of sound dampening / deadening basics i've picked up from my experience in my home recording studio and from my car audio projects.

Density = quiet

You'll commonly see recording studios that have been acoustically tuned utilizing 5/8 inch thick FIREWALL grade sheet rock. And although they love their equipment , they're not doing it because they're affraid of it catching on fire. They're doing it for the , you guessed it , density of it ...

You might also find thick blankets and carpets hung up on the ceilings and walls and on hardwood floors of the recording room because #1. they're thick and number 2. they lessen sound reflections from amplifying and increasing echo/noise , ect.

Obviously we dont want to throw any blanket over our computer because it'll turn into a boiler and burst...
[ps. eggcrates = junk]

:::

On the car audio end you'll commonly hear about people using the ever expensive DYNAMAT stuff ... they'll pry open their doors and trunks and line all the insides with the stuff ...

and in the end it works but it also works on your wallet = not good.

::: :::

So in my years of experience with home recording and car audio i've come to appreciate silence and sound deadening. And although I respect the dynamat product its just too expensive for me , the price to performance ratio is NOT THERE.

Along the way I learned about a special little product that you can find at the local hardware store that can help you in your quest for cheap+effective sound deadening/dampening ...

Its called Flashing Tape

Flashing tape is made out of butyl rubber and is used mainly to insulating windows. However there are various forms of "butyle rubber tape" that are used for things such as sealing leaks in boats and cars.

Again you can find it at most decent sized hardware stores and I like to use the Nashua Brand, you might notice it because it'll have a bunch of grass colored green and white on the outside package.

You can find a roll of 6" x 75ft. for under 20 dollars !!!

It'll last you years and serve many purposes other than just this one ... trust me

::: :::

At this point i'm sure some of you can see where i'm going with this butyl rubber flashing tape business ...

I decided to gut my el cheapo HP case with a noisy OEM coolermaster fan on my socket 478 P4. At the time I wasn't really thinking about just replacing the fan because I had the tape laying around and figured it would work well - and it did!

This tape isn't very thick , maybe only a cm or less however it is rubber , it is sticky , and it can be layered for maximum effect on the walls and ceiling of your case [floor can be done but isn't really needed]. As well as fill in cracks and insulate the cages and act as an agent for lessening vibration also ... this stuff is great!

Just keep in mind that it will also serve to insulate heat so make sure that you have very good airflow in your case - if thats taken care of you'll find a VERY noticeable difference in noise level for a couple of dollars and less than an hour of time invested.

A couple of things to keep in mind :

#1. Check the space between your mobo and its wall , In my opinion , some airflow is better than none for cooling purposes. Then again I cool using air so airflow is important to me. Tape at your discretion.

#2. Wipe off any dust/grease , ect from the surface that'll be taped. Next get a small piece and do a quick adhesive test first to make sure the tape you bought and the surface its going on work together ... sometimes variations in either can lead to not so sticky tape. Although it isn't very common in my experience

goodluck everyone
~ eric

__________________
Nada Brahma

Intro to making/recording music with your computer
http://www.overclock.net/music/44814...ml#post5399152

Cheap sound insulation case mod
http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-g...ml#post5399092

zomgiwin

thank you for this info!
ima go get some on payday in a week, and post pix of application probably.
can we get pictures of where and what you applied it on in your pc?

metaverse

I haven't got my new camera yet but in a few weeks when I'm caught up on bills i'll post pics no problem

I applied it mainly to the walls , floor and ceiling of the case ... I was going to get creative with the hard drive area but its a cheap HP case and doesn't have very good airflow for the hard drives but it does have an air funnel for above my cpu so thats a plus.

__________________
Nada Brahma

Intro to making/recording music with your computer
http://www.overclock.net/music/44814...ml#post5399152

Cheap sound insulation case mod
http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-g...ml#post5399092

ericeod

OP, is this the tape?

http://www.findtape.com/shop/product...599&height=831

__________________
eVGA 680i Overclocking guide .......... ASUS P5E/Rampage Formula Thread.......... 4.4GHz CPU-Z

zomgiwin

i'd been pondering about cheap methods for sound dampening
i was going to put some "egg crate" foam on my case lol


oh, and i think this is the tape

metaverse

Close but not quite the same stuff I used ...

This is what I used , no foil ...

http://www.covalenceadhesives.com/Se...ls.aspx?ID=634

__________________
Nada Brahma

Intro to making/recording music with your computer
http://www.overclock.net/music/44814...ml#post5399152

Cheap sound insulation case mod
http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-g...ml#post5399092

metaverse

LOLOL

I wouldn't bother with that stuff man , thats not gonna help much AT ALL.

If anything , i'd contemplate a very dense blanket before the eggcrate.

That stuff is more for lessening audible reflections from creating echo on very smooth glossy walls. It doesn't do much for actual sound "insulation".

__________________
Nada Brahma

Intro to making/recording music with your computer
http://www.overclock.net/music/44814...ml#post5399152

Cheap sound insulation case mod
http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-g...ml#post5399092

j0z3

Thanks man!
I was thinking on putting something to silence my case as i can't buy a new one after i saw some Sileo 500 case.

In my dads company there are LOADS of this tape.

thanks!!

EDIT: pictures would be nice, even if take with a phone.

__________________

metaverse

np ...

And although I am all about pictures myself , I have a 50 dollar verizon phone from walmart that doesn't have any type of picture TRANSFER capabilites.

And although I will get pics up at some point , just go back and read over what I posted ...

Its not difficult to picture. Just layer the walls and ceiling [floor isn't really needed] with the flashing tape ... simple as that. And again , this case has JUNK for cooling so I didn't want to go overboard and start using it to lessen vibrations on hard drive mounts , ect ...

Also one thing to keep in mind is the space between your motherboard and the wall ... some airflow between the two is better than none so use at your discretion.

__________________
Nada Brahma

Intro to making/recording music with your computer
http://www.overclock.net/music/44814...ml#post5399152

Cheap sound insulation case mod
http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-g...ml#post5399092

zomgiwin

i hear ya, i never really thought about it, i just kinda was like "hmm, i have foam laying around, i should use it for sound dampening" lol
i would think that putting a layer or 2 of this tape, and some eggcrate foam on top of it would be best
then the sound wouldn't resonate in the case much, for greater sound proofing
but, i don't think i want to because how much space the foam would take
makes me want to get the case i've been eyeballing, no window, so i could insulate the whole side panel :P