making air compressors quieter

 I think I will eventually write up a thorough treatment on this topic, because it's become clear to me that noise abatement is not well understood by the YouTubers giving advice on this subject.

 But for now, I'm gonna leave you with one tip: if someone suggests quieting your compressor by wrapping the motor with rubber sound-deadening matt... you can safely stop reading and move on, because that in-duh-vidual is working without a clue.

#1, it's the pump, not the motor, that is making most of the noise

#2, sound-dampening matt (Mass-Loaded-Vinyl or rubber) does very little low frequency noise from reciprocating pumps

#3, covering your motor with a thick layer of anything is Sofa King We Todd It, because it adds insulation and will overheat the motor windings and bearings; don't do this - ever - and don't take advice from anyone who suggests it!

 Don't do anything to your compressor which results in the compressor pump or tubing running hotter, as this will reduce the performance of your system.  That means when placing compressors inside a sound abatement enclosure of any kind, you MUST ensure adequate ventilation (muffled and actively pumped with a blower, if necessary), otherwise you will not only reduce your compressor's performance, you will drastically shorten the life of the motor.

 Note that a replacement 5-HP, 1-ph, compressor-duty motor (capacitor-start, capacitor-run) will set you back $300 American dollars!