[StrikeBack]

For years I lived in a free-standing house or unit by myself, so noises have never been an issue. Have had a few screamers around, never disturbed the peaceful neighbourhood.

In the last year, I've moved to a very centrally located apartment, and the logistics is perfect, save for soundproofing. Now personally I have no problem with other people's noises, I can sleep through a war next door, easily. I don't make much general noise myself, as I'm mostly out of the place working, playing and hunting. I've played some loud-ish music, movies and live sports late at night but never got a complaint. However, I have a couple of very light sleepers around here and they have been complaining about me having loud sex, specifically the noises the girls have been making.

Also these light sleepers happen to be SJW-type guys who are not getting laid... I don't get any complaint from the two couples around here, but I also never hear any noise coming from them either. I don't have a good sense of hearing myself so I can't really tell how loud my bangs are.

At first it wasn't too bad as I only managed to pick up sporadically and the girls didn't come here too often. But now I have a serious LTR who's over here many times a week, is a screamer and we bang several times a night and in the morning, the complaints are getting worse.

I'm already locking windows and doors tight, and my GF is already biting chunks off the pillows and my shoulders! Maybe I should get her some ball gags...

I've been looking up info on how to soundproof my apartment, although nearly every article is about soundproofing video games, music, etc. and the sex-related ones are all about house-sharing. I think we are more sensitive to human voices than the other types, but I know very little about this area in general.

Any advice or pointer at resources would be very much appreciated!

I'm also looking at buying an apartment (a more modern one than this which I'm renting) next year, tips on checking & verifying how soundproofed it is would be great too!

[GlobalMan]

I don't see how this is a real problem needing a solution at this point. You say neighbors have complained, but has the management said anything or warned you? Have the police been called on a noise complaint? If it's just neighbors coming over or leaving notes, ignore them. Don't answer the door and don't talk to them. Sex noise is not something I'm going to discuss with the neighbor.

Any girl can be made to be quieter, I've dealt with that many times. If she can't be quieter she's not really trying/doesn't want to. And if her face is really buried in a pillow (not biting it- buried in it) the sound should not be reaching a level that bothers the neighbor. A person can scream into a pillow as loud they want and it will still muffle it significantly (knowledge from El Mech). Before you invest thousands in soundproofing, get your girl to make a real effort to quiet it down. I don't think she's taking it as seriously as you are.

Plenty of girls scream. How many times have you heard of people buying soundproofing because of it?

[StrikeBack]

Nah management hasn't said anything yet, nor has the police been called. I suppose I'm pre-emptively dealing with this.

I didn't even realise, until you posted, that I like being a good neighbour. I've always got on well with my neighbours since I was a child although this has never been an issue obviously.

[GlobalMan]

(12-11-2015 12:13 AM)StrikeBack Wrote:  

Nah management hasn't said anything yet, nor has the police been called. I suppose I'm pre-emptively dealing with this.

I didn't even realise, until you posted, that I like being a good neighbour. I've always got on well with my neighbours since I was a child although this has never been an issue obviously.

I agree that it's not a cool thing to be purposely rude to a neighbor or have disregard for their well being, but sex noise is not one of those things I'd discuss with them.

My approach to neighbors- they are just people that live near you. Sure, don't cause problems, but there's also no need to be friends with someone just because they happen to live in the same building. That's not enough of a connection. None of my neighbors know who I am or anything about me personally, and that's a great advantage for a dozen reasons.

[Off The Reservation]

[Windom Earle]

^ glad you're not my neighbor, GlobalMan.

A little bit of common respect and decency for others goes a long way, which is what SB is obviously aiming toward.

From my understanding of sound proofing, you're never going to get to the stage of making it noise free (because of vibrations happening with interconnecting walls etc) - unless you actually build an isolated "room within a room", but that's over the top and therefore not feasible.

What you're wanting is a reduction in some of the frequencies (in this case, probably a lot of high end).

Foam or anything with absorbsion qualities won't do. You need dense heavy things that are air tight. If you're renting, to start with have a think about getting a door and window seal kit to reduce some of that noise. If the problem isn't fixed somewhat, you may need to look at other measures (floor, walls and ceilings - which would be a big and costly job).

[GlobalMan]

(12-11-2015 12:32 AM)Windom Earle Wrote:  

^ glad you're not my neighbor, GlobalMan.

A little bit of common respect and decency for others goes a long way, which is what SB is obviously aiming toward.

Which is exactly what I said:

Quote:

I agree that it's not a cool thing to be purposely rude to a neighbor or have disregard for their well being, but sex noise is not one of those things I'd discuss with them.

My point is that there's no need to get into a discussion about your sex life, and there's no need to be "friends" with your neighbor- In fact it can have several disadvantages- you only need to have common respect for them.

Do you think the reasonable thing to do is spend thousands on sound proofing an apartment because a girl is a screamer? I don't. Getting the girl to try to quiet down more, better pillow placement, all should come first. She's not the first loud girl around, and most guys don't go to the lengths of soundproofing their apartments to solve the issue.

[StrikeBack]

Cheers mate, I'll get the door and window seal kit and see how that goes first. As I'm getting my own apartment anyway, I don't want to spend too much effort or money on this rental.

[samsamsam]

(12-11-2015 12:13 AM)StrikeBack Wrote:  

Nah management hasn't said anything yet, nor has the police been called. I suppose I'm pre-emptively dealing with this.

I didn't even realise, until you posted, that I like being a good neighbour. I've always got on well with my neighbours since I was a child although this has never been an issue obviously.

I can respect someone who tries to be decent to others. The problem is that whatever material you will use to insulate sound is going to require some attachment to the walls. I had an issue with a noisy neighbor and tried to do some things. But your situation is different.

If you look at this link it shows some options-all seem like they will require some effort. http://www.soundproofing.org/blog/most-e...ial-rooms/

[kaotic]

How about a pillow and a ball gag ?

[Tigre]

How good is the construction on the building itself? How often do you hear noises from adjoining apartments?

Some materials absorb sound (fabrics, carpet).
Other materials reflect sound (tile, glass).

Bass passes through walls easier.
Treble can be blocked easier.

You could do a quick assessment of what kinds of materials and furnishings you have in your bedroom. Maybe there is an inexpensive improvement to be had - like hanging thick fabric curtains on the bedroom window(s), a floor rug etc.

[Sooth]

Too hard, you would have to foam every square inch of your apartment.

Get her into that shit they do with ropes and gag her with a sheet.

Thank me later.

[LINUX]

It's pretty much impossible.

To get a better idea of that true soundproofing entails, look at this: http://imgur.com/a/tUBZ9

It's extreme, I know but you can begin to understand how soundproofing requires putting a box inside a box, inside a box.

[GlobalMan]

^That is a damn nice room

[The Beast1]

When it comes to music, turn it down especially bass heavy stuff. It's incredible how those waves penetrate everything.

For the loud sex, close the door to your room and consider getting a white noise maker. Instead of blocking the noise, just raise the noise floor. It sounds counter intuitive but surprisingly works. I use a Dohm Noisemaker to help me sleep but it also does an excellent job lessening sex noises.

Heavy tapestries on the walls will also absorb noise. No need to stick egg cartons al over the walls. Just get something big, heavy, and decorative.

[Zep]

The only way is a room within a room, I've looked into this myself.

[PapayaTapper]

I keep one of these on hand for screamers



Edit: Just saw Kaotic beat me to it. Figures it's be another Cali guy since we all live 3ft from our neighbors

[StrikeBack]

Love the suggestions, thanks everyone!

I've done the pillow thing but that can feel a bit like attempted murder when we really get going

Ball gag is a good way to introduce more toys...

And since summer is here now, we have planned to find ourselves a secluded beach so she can scream all she wants.

On the actual noise reduction itself, while I'm not gonna go too far with it, I will look into a few things knowing my apartment:

- Thick curtain - large part of the noise goes through the glass window, which right now just has a timber blind.
- Closing the bedroom door
- Door snakes
- White noise maker

Going shopping now, shall test some of those tonight. All for science!

[Designate]

I live in a large loft with wood floors and seemingly paper thin walls, so I understand this problem very well.

If you don't have carpet, go out and get some large shaggy rugs. Cover as much surface area as possible in a way that makes sense, these can be multi-purpose too.

[thoughtgypsy]

The suggestions so far are great. Keep in mind that sound is basically waves that are transmitted through the air, and certain materials. By closing off the largest air gaps (such as below the door), you can minimize a lot of the transmitted sound. The door snake will make a big difference. Plastic adhesive door stripping around the top and sides won't help a lot, but takes 5 minutes to do.

By putting up materials like carpets with large air pockets, you're also creating a barrier that helps dampen sound. Certain materials like glass are poor sound insulators and may resonate at spoken frequencies. Thick curtains are a good idea for these.

An idea for the entrepreneurs here: Selling paintings or posters with built-in sound dampening in the frame. They could be 1-1 1/2" thick, and have anechoic foam or cardboard behind the face. Could be sold as large wall sized portraits that fit through standard door frames, or as tile kits for easier transportation. Designed correctly, they could produce decent sound reduction. Call it Stylish Soundproofing.

[redbeard]

Assert dominance. Let them complain to management.

Fuck your neighbors. If they were getting laid on a regular basis they wouldn't be complaining.

They should be the ones posting on a forum saying "my powerlifter neighbor brutally assaults his girlfriend three times a night. His total is over 1700 pounds and he won't listen to me when I complain about it. What is the best way to soundproof my apartment so I can sleep through their monkey sex sessions?"

When all else fails...WWDD?

2:08

[cosworth]

I had noisy neighbours once. I got an acoustic wall built. It's basically a new baton wall filled with sound dead material. Cost me 600£ best 600£ I ever spent !!

[germanico]

Cover their mouths, tell them that you will stop if any sound comes out of them.

Fuck them like theres no tomorrow. Stop if they make any sound.

Thank me later.

Quote:

Cover as much surface area as possible in a way that makes sense

But seriously, this. I had the exact same problem last year. I dont really want to have any rough spots with my across the hall neighbour since me subletting the apartment is in a legally grey area, so I changed the glass panes on the window closest to hers for 3/8 of an inch thick ones, and set up a couple of book cases on that same side of the room.

Ive also been looking into building one of this panels:



I think a couple of those would make the apt look great and also drown out the noises from the street, perhaps to help me sleep better?

[Mikan]

The advice about thick rugs and curtains is all good. Also tapestries, if they fit the aesthetic of your place. White noise machines won't really do anything unless you give them to your neighbors to use; They don't really prevent sound from escaping as much as masking it at the listener.

I found myself in a similar situation many years ago, exacerbated by the fact that I also had a drum set in my apartment. I used a combination of products similar to this.
http://www.drumperfect.com/super_traps.htm
Its a portable sound dampening panel set. I had enough panels to completely surround the drums during recording. They were easily re-purposed.

Also, If you search for "Sound Dampening Tile" on Amazon, there are many that take appearance into account; The manufacturers realize that not every one wants those dark grey triangles covering every wall.

[StrikeBack]

Stylish Soundproofing indeed, those would make the apartment look great! I'm going to get them when I buy my own apartment next year.

I scientifically tested out the thick curtains and door snakes last night, combined with pillows. She felt scared as I was closing the curtains and bedroom door, but extremely turned on. I powerlifted her right down to an incoherent mess. Didn't hear any complaint from the neighbours so it must've worked. <3 <3 <3 For Science <3 <3 <3!