Sound deadening, Carpet, and floor pan repair questions

Some folks use soldering irons to punch holes in the carpet.
Yeah i'd seen that trick in the how-to section. seems to be a pretty solid idea. since it's all synthetic it won't catch fire, just melt around where you need it. I want to get this interior clean and quiet so i feel like I'm making progress. The old carpet is so faded in spots it's insane, it's barely got a hint of red in some parts