neighbors installed sound-blocking insulation - does it really work?

Did you find it helped with upstairs noise too, or mostly just side-to-side? I've been debating insulation for ages, but my upstairs neighbor practices tap dancing (I wish I was joking...) and I'm not sure it'd do much for that.

"my upstairs neighbor practices tap dancing (I wish I was joking...)"

Haha, tap dancing upstairs sounds like a special kind of torture. From my experience, insulation helps a lot with side-to-side noise - voices, TVs, that sort of thing - but impact noise from above (like footsteps or, you know, tap dancing...) is trickier. Have you looked into acoustic ceiling panels or maybe even a thick rug upstairs? Might be worth chatting with your neighbor about it if they're approachable. Good luck, hope you find some peace soon.

Tap dancing neighbor...yikes, that's rough. Insulation definitely cuts down on voices and TV noise, but yeah, impact sounds are a different beast. Acoustic panels might help a bit, but honestly, thick rugs or padding upstairs usually do way more for footsteps and tapping. Had a similar issue with my old neighbor's kid practicing basketball dribbling indoors...talk about headache-inducing. Anyway, hope your neighbor's open to suggestions - hang in there.

Insulation can help more with impact noise than you might think, actually. Sure, rugs and padding upstairs are great, but if that's not an option (like if your neighbor doesn't want to change their flooring), adding resilient channels or decoupling the ceiling drywall from joists can make a noticeable difference. Helped a client once who had upstairs neighbors into CrossFit workouts at home...yeah, weights dropping at 6am wasn't fun. Decoupled ceiling did wonders there, so don't rule it out completely.

Yeah, insulation and decoupling can really help, but honestly, nothing's gonna completely silence the upstairs neighbor who thinks they're training for the Olympics at dawn. Had a tenant once who swore by white noise machines to mask impact sounds - said it saved his sanity. Anyone tried combining insulation upgrades with other noise-masking hacks, like white noise or fans? Curious if layering these methods makes a big difference or just ends up being overkill...