Fiberglass--with drywall or without--hardly makes a difference at all in airborne or impact sound transfer.

Carpeting and underpad greatly reduce impact sound (IIC). Combine them with drywall on resilient channels. Or, better yet, Green Glue on the ceiling below. A second layer of drywall on Green Glue or the whole thing on Green Clips better yet.

However, unless the space around the basement room is also treated, "flanking sounds" from above will short-circuit your precautions.

Holly like others said, if you do it on the budget you will end up muffling the sound and most likely not be satisfied with the results.

If the noise is a real concern look into a soundproofing system and a company who install this systems (most sheetrock companies specialize in that) it will cost a little more but you will get the result you want.

Good luck with your new house!

I don't understand why every sound proofing topic in here has to turn so expensive. We also used Roxul's mineral wool product (Roxul AFB) and so far it seems to have worked great. We didn't have any ultra sensitive areas (just trying to isolate powder room noises, separate bedrooms who share a wall, cut down family room TV noise, etc) so the Roxul AFb is all we did. Had we some more sensitive areas though, an extra layer of drywall with green glue between them would have been my choice.

Since you're not that concerned with impact noises from above, I'd do the following (in this order):

- air-seal every hole between the spaces with caulk (all around hvac penetrations, electrical/plumbing penetrations, etc)

- Fill those floor joist cavities with Roxul Safe-n-Sound or AFB

- Double layers of 5/8" drywall on the ceiling with plenty of Green Glue between them (lots of videos on youtube).

I understand the concept just fine. But when someone asks, "We'd like to soundproof a bit but can't afford much," (Holly's words) the answer so often from this forum is a full-blown soundproofing recommendation when it just isn't necessary.

Some sound attenuation filling and an extra layer of drywall will do wonders for most people's needs. If they want to acoustically separate a home theater, that's one thing, but that's not what was requested here.

That's fine if that's the road they want to take, they don't need a double layer of sheetrock that would be a waste of money, they should use something like QuietRock 530 RF which is high-performance sound damping sheetrock.

There're soundproofing systems which don't have to cost too much money, just have to be done the right way and by the company who specialize in that. Yes, it will cost a little extra, but you can spend just as much money stuffing you ceiling cavity with all kinds of stuff and a bunch of layers of sheetrock and get nothing out of it.

Check the AVS Forums site - they have the details there about how well a double layer of drywall performs with green glue. No need to call a pro soundproofing guy for needs like mine, Briana's, and the original poster's.

The documented reduction in STC of stuffing 6" of fg in the ceiling is a magnificent 1. I've yet to find a documented report on Roxul; I used it once to no discernible effect.

Greenglue and Quiet Rock or its competitors are a huge step up that most homeowners don't want to take.

Hi all, it looks like all soundproofing tips are focused on putting some additional insulation/soundproofing in the ceiling. We actually have a similar setup (a nursery upstairs and a guest bedroom downstairs). But the sound travels through the air vent. Our guests can hear even whisper in our nursery. The question is how to minimize the sound travelling through the air vents. I'll appreciate your advice.

Ольга, you can reduce sound by insulating the ducts, they usually line the ductwork with insulation on the inside. If you take a look at This Website, they have materials to do that, but most likely you will need HVAC company to do the work and doing that in the existing house can be costly.

Good luck