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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
B2 wallowa.com June 24, 2015 Wallowa County Chieftain GROW Loud indoors but still neighborly By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Y ou’ve just arrived home with your ¿QHYLQWDJH)HQG- er Bassman amp and after you’ve plugged in your Les Paul and strike an open E chord, you note the windows rattling followed by a vision of your neighbors’ IDFHV¿OOHGZLWKUDJH<RXULP- mediate thought is of the neigh- bors frantically dialing 911 with a noise complaint. Enter- prise does have a post-10 p.m. noise ordinance, which is why the Juniper Jam Music Festival ends before 10 p.m. You could turn down the amp’s volume, but any old salt with a guitar knows a tube amp doesn’t sound right unless the volume is turned up. You can say the same about any Led Zeppelin album. So what can you do to appreciate your music properly? According to local musician and record- LQJ D¿FLRQDGR %RE :HEE you may not have a lot of options. “What you have to worry about, are bass frequencies. Those are what bleed out. If you’re just playing acoustic JXLWDULW¶VQRWEDG$PSOL¿HG electric is a different story. High frequencies you can Sound recorder and musician Bart Budwig handles a 2 x 4 fiberglass baffle material, excellent for muffling sound. seal off pretty quickly as long as there are no open sound leaks,” Webb said. Because sound decreases in an inverse proportion to the distance from the source, Webb said keeping your amp as far as possible from the neighbor’s wall is a start. And again, bass frequencies travel farthest, so turning down the bass can help slightly as well. One of the problems with bass frequencies is that they travel through just about ev- FResh CONCRETE ON DEMAND! Our concrete delivery solution offers a unique system providing small yardage concrete delivery. Our mobile mixers saves time, money, and makes clean-up a snap! HU\WKLQJ LQFOXGLQJ WKH ÀRRU He suggested listening to see how much sound outside \RXUVSDFHOHDNVLQDQG¿JXUH more sound will leak from your area to the outside. “Any air space you see, underneath a door for ex- ample, means sound will go right through that space. The door itself will transmit low frequencies depending on if it’s a hollow door or a solid door. If you’ve got a window open, you’re spreading sound out,” Webb said. People who think their exterior wall insulation is VRXQGSURR¿QJ WKHLU KRPH are mistaken. Webb said that because both edges of the framing studs are touch- ing opposite walls, the studs just transfer the sound from one wall to the other. “The sheetrock just acts as a vi- brating membrane,” Webb said. Webb suggests that real VRXQGSURR¿QJ IRU PXVLFLDQV without a basement lies in building a “room within a room.” RU VRXQG IRDP WR ¿W LQVLGH a window frame can help. “With doors, you can attach the edge of a quilt at the top of the door frame and roll the bottom to block the sound from escaping through the air space between the door and ÀRRU 6HDOLQJ WKH ZLQGRZV and doors is the best thing you can do,” Budwig said. He also suggested cutting a piece of plywood the same size as the windows and at- taching insulation as thick Not pretty, but functional. as the window casing depth This quilt at Budwig’s as a temporary solution. Fi- residence is a temporary sound baffle over a door. berglass insulation can be It’s rolled at the bottom to bought locally and Budwig block sound from getting said Owens-Corning and Photos by Steve Tool/Chieftain underneath the door and Rockport are two popular foot piece of OwensCorning cover the air space around brands. He also said bookcas- the door frame as well. es, sofas and record shelves are good sound absorbers. &RWWRQ ¿EHU EDIÀH SDQHOV work even better although they are not available local- ly. Budwig buys it in two- by four-foot sheets, two inches thick. “It’s affordable, I got six panels for about $100 including shipping,” Bud- wig said. He added to cover WKH FRWWRQ ¿EHU ZLWK D FORWK because it has a tendency to slough off. ATS Acoustics makes the panels, and Budwig gets them through Amazon for a Bart Budwig with a cotton fiber panel. Budwig recommends slightly lower price. He add- this material as the best soundproofing material, good for ed that most of the panels hard-to-muffle bass frequencies and keeping the police or offered by ATS can be cut angry neighbors from your door. to custom sizes for different window frames, and he sug- Local recording engineer thing with sound is windows gested musicians build their and musician Bart Budwig and doors. If I cover a whole own frames for the material has suggestions as well, in- room in three feet of foam as buying pre-framed panels cluding where to buy materi- except over a closed window is expensive. Both Webb and Budwig DOWRPXIÀHRUGHDGHQVRXQG it would still be just as loud +H DOVR EXLOGV EDIÀH IUDPHV outside, although the acous- HPSKDVL]HG WKDW ¿OOLQJ DLU- which can help deaden a tics would be totally different space can help keep the police from knocking on your door. room for recording as well as inside,” Budwig said. inhibiting sound from trav- Building an absorption But Webb ended his interview eling into unwanted areas. panel, a frame built around with a jocular warning, “Air- “It’s really tricky. Basement VRXQG EDIÀLQJ PDWHULDO VXFK tight equals sound-tight. Just is the best way to go. The big DV ¿EHUJODVV FRWWRQ ¿EHU don’t suffocate yourself.” Adding a Storage Shed Even the largest of homes needs an effective outdoor storage space. With today’s Call Greg at 541-263-0250 Serving Homeowners & Contractors L Loco c a l r ro o o t ts s s i n c e 1 9 4 5 ! Why Add a Shed? Storage is the number one reason most people consider adding a storage shed to their property. As many homeowners with growing families under- stand, space is always at a pre- mium. And the more land you own, the more storage space you need for all the equipment required to maintain it. Sheds are easy to build and even easier to install if you use the services of a small building manufacturer. These types of companies have enjoyed recent spikes in popularity because of the options for customization by their customers. From the building materials to the inte- rior design, you can sit down with a small building consul- tant to construct the perfect unit for your needs. ƌ ů Ğ Ʃ Ă ƌ Ŷ Ɛ Ɖ ŝ Ő D Ž ƌ ƚ Ő Ă Ő Ğ > Ğ Ŷ Ě ŝ Ŷ Ő D Ă Ŷ Ă Ő E D > ^ η ϱ Ϭ ϴ Ϯ ϴ ϳ ϳ ͘ ϰ ϳ Ϯ ͘ ϲ Ϯ / R D Q V I R U D 1 H Z + R P H 5 H I L Q D Q F H & R Q V W U X F W L R Q + R E ( Q W H U S U L V H % U D Q F K Q 6 W U H H W _ _ H R P R U W J D J H F R P D Ğ ŵ ď Ğ ƌ & / E D > ^ η ϰ ϭ ϰ ϰ ϱ ϵ engineering advancements and focus on functional usage, out- door sheds have advanced be- yond storing tools and garden gadgets. Allergy, Sinus & Asthma Relief: ng Providi nus & , Si Allergy Relief for Asthma ears in 30 Y Oregon ast Northe Multi-Purpose Maybe you’re using your shed building for more than just tool and mower storage. Other RSWLRQVLQFOXGHDKRPHRI¿FH hobby workshop or even a kids’ playhouse. Whatever purpose you plan on employing, it is important to ensure usage of the appropri- ate materials and construction techniques. Remember that if people are going to go in and out of the shed often, you will want to comply with the same safety and living standards you use in your home. Know the Rules Many towns and cities have VSHFL¿FVL]HOLPLWVRQVKHGVDQG other outdoor units. You may, in fact, need a permit to being building one, even if you own the land. If you live in a subdivision, you may be required to check with the homeowners asso- ciation, as there may be by- law requiring prior approval. Once you pass through all the red tape, you will be on your way to building a fully func- tional unit to enjoy for years to come. Now is a good time to have your home and auto insurance reviewed. Call us at 541-426-4208 for a no-obligation review. Joseph L. Petrusek, M.D. Locally owned and operated 616 W. North St. Enterprise • 541.426.4208