Effectively soundproofing a wall requires two things: giving the wall extra mass so that it doesn't vibrate when sound waves hit it and isolating components of the wall from each other so that sound can't pass easily from one part of the wall to another. Two types of soundproofing sheets, acoustic drywall and vinyl acoustic barriers, can help accomplish these goals, and you can install the sheets in several different ways depending on your budget, site constraints and soundproofing needs.
Acoustically engineered drywall sheets are made like conventional drywall sheets, with a gypsum core sandwiched between paper surfaces, but acoustic drywall adds a layer of sound-damping compound between two layers of gypsum in the board's core. The most basic installation of these sheets involves attaching them directly to the wall studs with screws, as you would attach conventional drywall, with a layer of fiberglass insulation in the cavities between the studs. Alternatively, you can apply a layer of acoustic drywall over a layer of conventional drywall to increase the wall's soundproofing performance.
Vinyl acoustic barriers are sheets of rubbery plastic embedded with metal particles that give the sheets added weight to allow them to resist vibration caused by sound waves. The sheets are typically installed by nailing or stapling them directly to the wall studs and then attaching drywall over the top of the vinyl sheets. The sheets can also be woven between the studs in a wall built with staggered studs; drywall on the outer surfaces of the wall is attached as usual.
Vinyl and Plywood
A more complex installation consists of attaching horizontal furring strips to the studs, then attaching plywood sheets to the furring strips with special resilient bushings. Vinyl barrier sheets go over the top of the plywood, and drywall sheets finish the wall surface. This type of installation adds both mass and acoustic isolation to the wall's structure.
Double framing is a very robust soundproofing solution. To achieve it, you'll build two separate walls with an air channel between them. The wall on the noisy side of the space is finished with one of the soundproofing installations described above, and the wall on the quiet side of the space is finished with conventional drywall. The spaces between the studs are filled with insulation, but there is no drywall or sound-proofing sheets on the inner surfaces of the studs.
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