If you are building a new single or multi-home unit, what are the best ways to minimize sounds (like foot stomping or audio bass) from passing from a top room to the room directly below it?
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Litecrete works good for sound deadening and also affords fire protection and it only adds 1.5 " to floor height.
There are also so fibre products used as underlayment that also work.
Drywall resillant channels on the ceiling below will also help.
The simplest and most economical way to reduce sound transmission is to fill the dead air space between the celling and floor above with fiberglass or cellulose insulation, however the best way is to include sound deadening insulation with products and methodology like Litecrete, sound deadening underlayment and isolating the ceiling drywall from direct contact with the shared floor/ceiling joist.
First, check with your local building department for proper building code compliance. In our area, two layers of 5/8" sheetrock are required on partition walls between multi unit homes, providing both fire protection and a level of soundproofing.
Understand that there are many different products and strategies to achieve levels of soundproofing, depending on your needs and budget. I would recommend reading up on some soundproofing basics. Here is a link to a great soundproofing 101 article: http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/soundproofing101/Here is a website that sells a soundproof drop ciling that works great!
Sound reduction effectiveness depends heavily on the type of sound you’re trying to reduce and the specific measures you use. Foot stomping and audio bass are particularly difficult to reduce because they’re transmitted through the building structure - they can be reduced primarily by stiffening the floor/ceiling structure, and by adding mass - additional layers of drywall, flooring underlayment, etc. Stiff, high mass is why concrete floors are such great sound reducers. Higher-frequency noises are best stopped by closing openings - caulking cracks, etc., and with soundproofing insulation. Mounting ceiling drywall on resilient channel helps with medium and high frequency sounds.
And manufacturers instructions need to be followed scrupulously for sound reduction materials - for example, screwing through RC channel into the studs or joists behind may completely nullify the benefit of the RC.
It would be nice if there were a universal answer, but there isn’t.