My current Nomad enclosure is two layers of 5/8" drywall (the majority of two 4x8 sheets) “glued” together using water-based carpet adhesive (about 1/8" thick of that). It is pretty effective and only cost about $100, but weighs close to 100lb and I needed help to lift it over my Nomad on the bench.
This YouTube video about “aircrete” got me to wondering about its sound insulation properties. So far, I’ve only found anecdotal reports of good acoustic insulation, and those mostly from sources promoting their own commercial aircrete
It is tempting to think of a relatively lightweight, not-too-expensive enclosure that could be poured in a fairly simple form…
I use Rockwool Comforboard80 - absorbs vs reflects sound & is basically fireproof. With a thickness of 1-1/2" & stiff enough to easily knife-cut to size & mount on a frame with screws & fender washers, it really doesn’t get any easier to construct an enclosure. Adding a layer of plywood over that then provides an acoustic reflection layer to send the noise back through the Comfortboard. You can then put another layer of Comforboard over the plywood - for an acoustic absorbing layer cake! Having moved my setup many times now, I’ve found it to be most effective for the cost/weight/ease of use & noise-dampening capability.
I’m in a one-bedroom apartment so can’t use power tools (other than my electric drill), so nothing plywood/MDF/strandboard etc. It was traumatic enough hand-sawing 2x4’s to length to make my workbench frames (yay for Strong-Tie bench leg brackets! ) The nice thing about drywall is it’s like working with styrene sheet–score both faces and then bend gently back and forth until it breaks… So the double-layer drywall enclosure is frameless (I guess “monocoque”) with staggered corner joints…
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) The nice thing about drywall is it’s like working with styrene sheet–score both faces and then bend gently back and forth until it breaks… So the double-layer drywall enclosure is frameless (I guess “monocoque”) with staggered corner joints…