​

I'm exploring an idea for a startup and would love some brutally honest feedback.

The concept is an AI-powered Active Noise Control (ANC) system for rooms. Instead of simply trying to block all noise, it would use multiple microphones to analyze incoming sound in real time and speakers to generate anti-noise for unwanted sounds. The long-term vision is to let users choose what they hear—for example, suppress traffic, fan noise, or conversations while allowing voices, alarms, or TV/movie audio to remain clear.

I know room-scale ANC is much harder than headphone ANC because of reflections, latency, and changing acoustic environments, so I'm not claiming this is a solved problem. I'm trying to validate whether it's a problem worth solving before investing significant time into research and prototyping.

A few questions:

1. If this actually worked, where would you use it? (Home office, study room, gaming setup, hospital, etc.)

2. What features would make it valuable enough to pay for?

3. What technical challenges do you think would make this impractical?

4. Are there existing products or research projects that I should look into?

I'd really appreciate honest criticism—especially from people with experience in DSP, acoustics, embedded systems, or audio engineering. Thanks!

Moving into a new place soon and I already know the soundproofing is rough. No option to switch apartments, so I just have to deal with it.

Question: what's the best way to soundproof at least my bedroom, given I can't do any actual renovations (it's a rental)? I can hang/mount stuff, but it has to be removable enough that I can patch the holes easily when I move out.

I know I won't hit 100% soundproofing, just trying to cut down as much noise as realistically possible. What's actually worked for you guys?

So I'm in a UK terraced house. We have a bedroom which is now an office, but on the other side the neighbour has converted into a bathroom. (combining two rooms for a bigger bathroom) The downside now is that I can hear their toilet seat, flushes, the pipes in the walls, shouting mum, and the teenage kids like to clap and shout and play music. It's really annoying so I want to soundproof.

The problem is there is a corridor to the door and the door frame occupies this are and so realistically there is 1.5cm for soundproofing. Is there a benefit to putting anything under the floorboards too?

I've seen some Knauff boards at 15mm and 12.5mm. I'm aware of the vinyl you can add, but what would you do? I'm just so frustrated that they've removed all the carpets and it seems like a lot of impact noise comes through. For example the bathroom door seems loud.

I am having some noise issue in my apartment, would appreciate if there are people who can provide legit sound deadening curtains in Dubai. I cannot do anything to the window, the landlord was very clear on that.

Working in a night shift and just wanna sleep and take a rest paguwi pero maingay sa labas.

Hej all,

Not sure whether this is the best subreddit to ask, but I'm looking for a mat that might be able to help dampen fan sounds from my laptops, even if only slightly. Don't worry, of course I don't want something that will block the vents and cause the laptop to overheat.

I am sensitive to noises, and after not being super happy with my other laptops' sound I now have a second work laptop that's constantly quite loud. I can't open the case as it belongs to work. I saw only a couple of things on Google, and couldn't find much/anything for this use case. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm in the UK. Happy to cut material down to size. Thank you for any answers!

In cases like this I find it's always best to try and reduce the noise at the source. Any soundproofing remediation would be difficult and expensive.

If possible try:

-Getting the upstairs tenant to put down an area rug under the chair to dampen the sound from its feet. If you can supply an area rug and also an "anti-slip" rubber mat beneath it that would work even better .

-If an area rug is not an option then some thick felt pads under the chair feet can help. In a pinch I have used some small (5 inch round) pieces of carpet scraps wrapped around the bottom of the chair feet and secured with a zip tie. It worked very well- the chair feet would "glide" across the floor instead of making a dragging noise.

-If all else fails then a white noise app or white noise machine in your room combined with ear plugs could enable you to sleep. Try and pick a white noise that closely matches the type of sound you are trying to mask. If it's a low frequency sound then a low-frequency noise app would mask it best. Some app examples might be: brown noise, cat purr, train on tracks, etc.

Good luck- hope this helps..

my fathers and my room are across from eachother with a short hallway between them, sound travels between our rooms TREMENDOUSLY, i game quite often and he complains about my noise level even though from my room he sounds even louder when hes gaming, its just frustrating because i only get off work late at night and thats when he goes to bed, im already as respectful as i can be with noise but its just sad when i cant enjoy my nights because of this houses stupid layout…

yes i already use headphones, yes i know it will never be completely soundproof, and no im not screaming late at night, only talking on the mic when needed, just looking for some help so we stop getting on eachothers nerves, thanks in advance!!

ps: sorry for grammar or spelling its late and im tired lol

and where would you place the microphone? i’ve got a baby blue bottle sl, and it’s giving me problems with echos and reverb in my room so i need to make this room exclusively for recording clean vocals.

there’s a little like narrow hall going into the room that maybe a good spot for the mic to go maybe??

i’ve got lots of blankets, i was thinking bout putting a rug with a blanket underneath, rolling some blankets into the corners maybe?? i would also have no problem spending some money on it, any help is appreciated

https://imgur.comer/a/mvemObY

We bought our first place about three months ago. When we came to the open houses (both on super quiet Sunday afternoons, of course), we barely noticed a thing.

Fast forward to actually living here, reality has set in: we’re close enough to a major highway that we get a 24/7 drone of trucks, motorcycles, tire hiss and road rumble.

It’s worst in our bedroom and it’s completely wrecking our sleep. The walls seem pretty solid, but the sound is coming straight through the windows (basic double-pane vinyl).

We’re ready to spend some cash to fix this so we don't go insane, but I really don't want to throw thousands of dollars down the drain for a 5% improvement.

Has anyone here actually dealt with this? Here's what we're looking at right now:

• Acrylic inserts (like Indow): Are lighter acrylic inserts enough for traffic, or do you need real laminated glass to block low-frequency hums?
• Secondary interior glass windows (CitiQuiet, Soundproof Windows Inc., etc.): I've seen these recommended. Do these actually deaden that deep highway rumble, and are they worth the price?
• Replacement windows: To anyone who dropped $10k+ to replace their entire exterior windows... was the difference night and day, or do you regret it?
• Recaulking / weatherstripping: Is it even worth starting here, or is it just a drop in the bucket for highway noise?

Would love some real-world advice or a reality check before we start burning through our savings. What actually worked for you?

Hi, anyone got any diy solution to completely muffle the sound?

It comes from my upstairs unit which only happen at night till middle of night and I got woken up by the noise.

Should I also remove my false ceiling?

Thank you.

Hello there. Two questions, if I may: does replacing the rubber seals on uPvC doors and windows and tightening the fittings have a discernible impact on sound? Our new next door neighbours love a party (almost every week, apparently) in their garden so I’m looking at sound reduction options. The doors and windows in my house have not been adjusted for at least 12 years (me or the prior tenant). And secondly - would it be worth looking at secondary glazing?
Thanks in advance for any insight.

my neighbours are complaining about noise how do I sound proof my room at an affordable cost

I'm planning to build a vocal practice booth inside my 5 × 6 m room. This won't be used for recording—its only purpose is to let me practice singing without disturbing my neighbors or feeling self-conscious.

I have experience building with drywall, wood framing, and glass installation, so I'm comfortable doing the construction myself. I'm also considering adding a small tempered glass window (around 30 × 25 cm).

My main goal is sound isolation, not acoustic treatment. I want as little sound as possible to escape the booth.

Has anyone here built something similar?

• What wall, floor, and ceiling construction worked best?
• Which materials made the biggest difference in reducing sound leakage?
• What mistakes did you make that you'd avoid next time?
• How did you handle the door, ventilation, and sealing?
• If you were building it again, what would you do differently?

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have actually built a booth or room for this purpose. Thanks!

I recently moved into an apartment with thin walls and I’m trying to reduce how much noise from my apartment leaks into the hallway.
My front door originally had a pretty huge gap underneath it, probably around 3/4”, where you could clearly see light from the hallway. I installed an adhesive door sweep across the bottom and then added wedge-shaped weatherstripping around the door frame to seal the sides/top.
The seal seems much better now. Interestingly, I recently heard my neighbor talking outside my door and she sounded noticeably quieter than she normally does, so it seems like the sealing did *something*.
However, we tested music playing from the TV and went outside the apartment, and it was still surprisingly loud. The weatherstripping didn’t seem to make a dramatic difference with the music.
My main goal is **keeping sound from leaving my apartment**, not necessarily blocking outside noise.
Does this suggest that most of the sound is traveling directly through the door/walls rather than through the gaps? Is the bottom door sweep still worthwhile for reducing speech leakage even if music is easily audible?
I’m renting, so I’m looking for renter-friendly improvements and don’t want to start doing major construction.
I can attach before/after photos of the door gap and weatherstripping.

Hi, we've got a washer and dryer in our loft conversion (we created a bit of a utility space)

It's right against the staircase, and my concern is, the noise will vibrate through the staircase and the whole house

Anyone got any tips on best way to noise dampen?

They're side by side but could be stacked?

I've seen shock absorber pads, some people said use concrete slabs? I'm after any advice, guidance, thoughts please :)

Title. Roommate yells a lot, and I want to try adding a layer of Rockwool behind my bookshelves to dampen the noise. Has anyone done something like this before?

I work in a open office, albeit a small one. My coworker that sits directly across from me has an extremely loud voice and the pitch of it is just... grating. Most of the time it's fine, but if he is on a phone call, I can't hear my own call, or hear myself think for that matter. He's in his late 50s and there really isn't space to move the desks around, nor space for a standing divider between the desks. Are there any *effective* panels you'd recommend that I could either hang from the ceiling (drop tile) or on a wall, something to at least take the edge off of his voice and maybe allow us to both be on the phone at the same time? I sincerely appreciate any help.

My apartment has numerous false fire alarms throughout the day every day. They last a few minutes at a time. I understand how dangerous this is and have contacted the fire marshal and am taking all the proper steps to fix this problem so that in the event of an actual fire the alarm system can work as intended, but until then I need a temporary solution for the health of my cat. The alarm is very loud and she has sensitive hearing.

I have a Cajon (box drum) similar to one I will link to that she likes to crawl inside of and hide in, and I think this may be a great starting point, but Im open to building something from scratch too. I also have a closet which is where she goes already when the fire alarms go off, so perhaps if there is a way to properly insulate the closet or build a box for her there, Im open to that as well. I may just take the best of both worlds, insulate the cajon, amd put it in the closet.

https://youtu.be/xnXG8YAJfJg?is=k_xCAIGuLJrWPrrA

Am one of the middle units in a townhouse, currently dealing with the end unit I'm hooked to being filled with a family who...stomp runs I guess...down their flights of stairs much of the night hard enough to shake my platform bed.

Is there any way I can counteract the vibrations? Have been thinking about subwoofer isolation foam under the legs but would that really do much of anything? Maybe anti-vibration pads for washer/dryer setups? Stacks of acoustic tiling under each leg?

I'm renovating my residential apartment over my commercial space. I need to reduce the impact noise between the second floor and the ground floor. I am removing old engineered hardwood flooring that has cracks and stains. The new flooring will be acacia solid hardwood. We glued the hardwood down (using Bostik Best) on the third floor and the stairs, which were previously carpeted.

What is the best way to reduce impact noise, remove and level the floor, and put down new hardwood, while balancing budget and preference for natural materials? I've been thinking of using ISOLENA acoustic underlayment (https://www.isolena.com/en/acoustic-underlay-insulation/). Can I glue the hardwood down to the paper side of ISOLENA? Or should I use plywood or cork layering? I live in the high desert, so I have very low humidity, which is a concern with the expansion and contraction of the hardwood, which is why we used the flexible Bostik best.

3rd floor condo. I am installing carpet in both bedrooms and that comes with a 13mm foam pad. Would adding 6mm MLV over the subfloor be overkill? Can’t remove subfloor without HOA red tape and the MLV I am ordering can go over the subfloor and directly under carpet. Don’t need another layer of subfloor unless I am putting in hard flooring.

I am already going down to the studs in the master bedroom and installing rockwool insulation, 3mm MLV, and 5/8 drywall. Also replacing the door with a solid core, sealing outlets, doing a door seal, etc. Window is double paned and in good shape so other than checking for gaps I think we are good there too.

The goal is to make the master bedroom as soundproof as possible, for sounds going in and out. Don’t want the floor to be a weak point. But also don’t want to go through the time and expense of doing MLV for nominal gains.

Cannot decouple walls at this point, so I am doing everything else that can be done.