There is a product called SONOpan that is available at Home Depot. You use it in combination with drywall and it is less then a buck a square foot and it does work well.
https://sonopan.com/
This is VERY interesting.... It looks like an inexpensive improvement that is worth doing.
I get a little nervous when they use words like "can double the soundproofing of any wall or ceiling assembly". What does that mean? Sound is one of those energy sources that is a lot more complicated than it seems. Different frequencies act totally different. High frequencies are directional and would probably be stopped in their tracks by a sound deadening layer like that. Low frequencies that travel through structure might also be affected. The examples show it applied over top of the framing with drywall over that so perhaps it addresses low frequencies too.
But what does "double" mean anyway? The Decibel system was developed because our ears are not linear devices. 3db is a perceptible difference. 10db is like doubling the apparent volume. Maybe that's what they meant but I wish they had chosen their words a bit better.
Anyone who has ever been inside an anechoic chamber knows what silence really is. That surface is absorbative but also cone shaped to reflect sound into the absorbtion material. But it's usually two feet thick and not very shop friendly.
This material may not be perfect but it does do the one thing that is probably more important than any other. It separates the structure from the surface soundboard which should reduce transmission effects. Flat board insulation does the same thing.
Frankly, I'd love to try it, but my construction days are over. However, I do know a fellow who is building a brand new shop. I think I'll put a little bug in his ear.
For this thread, I think it's worth trying. But I'd still put insulation between all the wall joists. And if noise is a really big concern, I'd install an acoustic tile drop ceiling too. They are called acoustic tile for a reason.
As a side tip, all those accidental divits you get in an acoustic tile ceiling from broom handles and the kids light sabres can be easily fixed with a spray can of Dr Shoal's foot powder. It has the perfect texture and colour to patch those marks up almost as good as new!
