Specification & Project

The ten spec details where soundproofing actually lives or dies — wall STC, IIC, door seals, glazing, top-of-wall, penetrations, HVAC silencers, equipment isolation, plumbing risers, and the plenum flanking paths most specs miss.

Ten field mistakes that quietly kill acoustic performance — resilient-channel misuse, hat-channel substitution, UL fire ratings mistaken for STC, heavier studs assumed to help, flanking ignored, and the marketing claims to discount.

The construction details that decide whether high-spec walls actually perform in the field — penetrations, structure-borne paths, HVAC connections, and the oversight that catches them before they become complaints.

What acoustic decisions cost at each project phase — why fixing it in design is roughly 10× cheaper than fixing it after CO, which problems must be solved before drywall, and which can wait.

What an acoustic consultant actually does, hourly and project-based rate ranges by industry for 2026, the difference between consultants and engineers, and when a project is complex enough to justify hiring one.