~ Need help 'sound proofing' my isolation cabinet ~

[theEmbark]

Hey guys,

I'm working on a Isolation Cabinet for my computer and 1U server. I don't have it designed with rack mounts in place but made sure there would be room down the road if I wanted to turn this into a isolated rack.

Right now the purpose is to minimize sound from my computer and rack server. I am really looking for 20-30db reduction if possible while fitting it in my space. Hoping that might be achievable.

I have completed the designs after going back and forth a couple times today on the ventilation system.

Here's a 3/4 view with the top removed.


The back - bottom is for intake top is for exhaust:


The front - I need to access this at times for cable connections etc so it's got to have a door. A glass door would be nice but not attached one way or another.



This is my first Isolation cabinet build. I think I've built everything else you could need in a studio though so looking forward to the challenge.

So far my material list is pretty minimal:
3/4 Plywood
Silicone Caulking

This is where I am looking for advice and experience. Should I approach this kind of like a double wall? Will I need to build out the walls for insulation and an air gap? If so I assume I can scale this down and skip the double 5/8s drywall?

Basically I've got a cabinet design that needs to be transformed with some help.

Thanks,
Kevin

[theEmbark]

Disregard and read updated first post.
Here's an alternative that I made work with exhaust and intake diagonal from each other.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b4be7zzaha1dy ... .png?raw=1
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vxhm1jv46qikn ... .png?raw=1
https://www.dropbox.com/s/scpz48yjdtfwf ... .png?raw=1

Any final thoughts on ventilation before I move to materials? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Thanks,
Kevin

[theEmbark]

Hey guys,

Still looking for some advice and or input on what you are thinking while reading this.

I have been looking around and reading up and really there aren't many 'how to build a server iso cab' type of guides / posts. I understand the concept of building an iso cab from a construction point and even a bit from an engineering point of view but before I go buying materials I'd love to get some feedback.

I have determined that 1 layer of 3/4 ply probably won't be enough to stop sound from leaking thru. The though was the outer box would be ply hopefully stopping any sound waves and have them bounce back into the box. I'm not sure OC or rock wool would be practical hear or necessary so I dug into the acoustical properties of MDF a bit more.
http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads ... nd_mdf.pdf

Here's a birds eye view of what I am thinking:


The idea is build a box out of 3/4 plywood. Seal all the air gaps with silicone. Add the MDF with a layer of acoustical glue between it and the plywood. Then again seal all air gaps.

I am scrapping the glass door because of price and I think ultimately it will be a problem acoustically. Instead just going to sand down the ply and maybe some relief to make it look like a door.

Any buddy done something similar with their computers/servers? Or even just an iso cab in general. Do you think with this design I can acheive -30db+?

Thanks,
Kevin

[Hink]

not for the same purpose but my guitar iso cab gives me about -25db, that has just 5/8" thick walls. I added additional 1" pyramid foam but that does little for soundproofing and the panels I put in are removable so I can tweak the boxiness of the cab. Keep in mind that there are lower frequencies that I am dealing with...I never ran a test on just noise. If I'm reading your post right I assume you are wanting to avoid picking up noise from your computer and server through a mic? Though my computer is about 4 feet away I cant be of much help there, PC-Audio labs built my machine and it's pretty quiet.

Forgive me but this seems a bit extravagant with all the baffles, caulking and such, not knowing your set up I have no clue but I assume we're not talking a lot of noise here...maybe that's why you dont find a lot of info on it

[theEmbark]

Thank you for the reply,

This could very well be overkill and I kind of hope it is so I can pair it down cost wise .

So I have a couple dell PowerEdge c2100 servers that act as NAS for my project files. They are cheap and reliable but are around 70db which isn't super loud but it's as loud as a box fan on high. My actual computer is a custom build I did this year. It's silent there's just no way to keep the temps down in these servers and volume. It's one or the other.

I only have one room so I am trying to prevent the server noise from bleeding into the mic as you suspected.

The amount of baffles was more because the physical space existed lol.

I produce and I am a carpenter so making the music and building the cabinet is no problem . The acoustical engineering is not my forte!

So if I am hearing you correctly 3/4 ply box sealed with silicone might be enough? As far as the air ducts I know how to build them but how many baffles do you think I need? Just 2?

Thanks for chiming in!
Kevin