I am currently using a basement rec room as my home theater. Along one side it has a beam about 6" thick by 12 inches high from front to back. I am looking at sound proofing options and would like to put a wall where the beam is. I suspect I won't be able to remove the beam as I'm sure it is holding a lot of weight given its dimensions. I'm wondering how much sound would transmit through it? Can I build a staggered stud wall below it and still block a lot of sound? Should I put clips and hat channel on one side of the beam to provide some isolation?

I'm looking for ways I can have a sound proof wall around this beam without making the wall too thick. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Two quick questions... Does the wall need to touch the beam? How is the ceiling constructed in that room/area?

I would prefer if the wall touched the beam. If I put it on the inside the room will be a little tight and if I put it outside it might make the hallway to narrow. The ceiling on either side of the beam is a drop ceiling. In the theater I'm going to change this to drywall with clips and insulation.

The other question I have is if I still need the beam if I put a wall there? I think they use beams to span an open area and support the weight of the floors above, and I'm wondering if a stud wall can support the weight as well as a beam thus negating the need for the beam altogether. Any construction people out there that could answer that for me?

It turns out the beam is actually a large steel I-beam. It was encased in sheetrock so it was difficult to tell what was inside. I found another angle to look at it and it definitely is a large I beam about 6-7" wide and about 15" height.

So that beam is definitely there to stay.

So I think I'll start another thread as the originating question has changed considerably