Sound control when finnishing a basement?

I would recommend something a little different. It's called a "chicago ceiling", and uses WHR blocks that suspend a ceiling that is then sheetrocked. You need the sheetrock to keep the sound in and controlled. As has been previously mentioned suspended ceilings won't do this. In fact, they stop very little transmitted sound and usually make the room sound terrible. The WHR block is a spring loaded suspension ceiling. This give virtually complete isolation to the floor above. Not only will you hear very little from the audio room, you will very little in the way of footsteps from above.

Thanks for all of the input on this issue. I like the ideas that use drywall/sheetrock but the reality of that approach is that you no longer have access to areas of the ceiling. This may be necessary in case of repairs and in some areas access on a regular basis is a must (shutoff valves for the lawn sprinkler system, gas line, and water lines). I will likely end up with some of the ceiling drywalled but a drop ceiling will have to be part of this process in some areas.

I just completed a media room and work with people who had done recording studios. I found all of the professional acoustical companies to be grossly overpriced. PBB and others are essentially in line with my application. Double drywall with offsetting seams is a must. On the walls I would consider using a 1/4 to 1/2 inch exterior sheet insulating material from celotex in between the studs and glued in place. I would blow in your insulation with a mastic so that it provides solid coverage. On the floor consider two layers of subfloor with 1/2 to 1/2 cork in between the layers glued. Or cork on concret then subfloor.
Use a fibrous commercial pad under your carpet. I would go with a drywall ceiling the acoustic tiles aren't going to do what you want. I would run furing strips perpendicular to the joists about 8" apart and glue rubber strips to the furing strips. Put two layers of the drywall on this. The rubber strips will provide separation of the ceiling from the joists and floor above. Finally before doing all of the above get elastic concrete filler in the caulking tube and caulk everwhere wood meets wood or floor.

Small removable panels are all you need to have access to shut-off valves and the like. Just build a frame around the portion of ceiling where access is required, the panel is just a piece of gypsum board cut maybe 1/8th of an inch smaller in all dimensions, you finish the edges of the small panel and the opening with J bead secured using contact cement, affix the panel with screws and that's it. If you have to reach what is underneath, run a craft knife in the gap to cut the paint, remove the screws and voilà! The idea of having to gain access to all pipes and wires underneath is, to my mind, bogus. How many times in the course of owning your home will you have to gain access to properly installed services? The wiring should be good to start with. Same thing, even more so, for the plumbing. It should do its job without problems for a decade at least. If the plumbing starts leaking, you can always cut a portion of wall board out and patch it up after. Patching is easy enough. Cut the opening neat and square near to a resilient channel or nailer, depending on what was used, make a panel of the proper size, screw the panel in, tape using fibreglass tape, apply mud to the gap and blend the patch in by thinning the layer of mud out to nothing, far enough away from the gaps that it all blends in seamlessly. Prime and paint. Paint can be bought at any time in a matching colour, since all paint and home renovation stores have computers for paint matching. The worst case scenario is you paint the whole ceiling over again. Do yourself a favour, bite the bullet at the outset, a suspended ceiling will not do the trick. To my mind, the sound generated in the listening room should stay in that room, the sounds from outside, should not be allowed to enter, as much as that is feasible. The other benefit with a real plaster board ceiling (even better with double layers) is that there is less of a mismatch between the resilience of the concrete floor and that of a massive plaster board ceiling, than between a concrete floor and a flexing suspended ceiling. Short term pain for long term gain. May look daunting, but is within reach of a dedicated do-it-yourselfer. Good day.

There are readily available access panels that can be installed directly into your drywall. These panels are made of molded plastic and come in various sizes. Drywall the ceiling and put one of these panels wherever necessary. Also, the make great access points for snaking cable in the future. Cover the hole with sound deadening insulation before reinstalling the panel. Not perfect, but a good compromise.

Enjoy,

TIC