Help Needed with Building a Vocal Booth.

M0NEYCLIPS

New member
Okay here's the deal.

I'm in the process of getting a G4 or G5, and a Digi002 Rack. However, I need to build a vocal booth.

I live in New York City and I live with my pops in a small 1 bedroom apartment. I'm trying to hook up my room/living room so that I can record.

I'm only doing Hip Hop and R&B so I don't need to worry about tracking guitars and drums etc.

Space is very limited, however I'm planning on rearranging everything.

I was wondering if somebody knew what would be necessary in order to make this happen.

Keep in mind it only needs to fit one person, but comfortably.

Thank you.
 
If you have 2500 dollars to spend, you can purchase a www.whisperroom.com, knowing ahead of time that it ships flat packed - meaning you have to assemble it. Which means, you can disassemble it.

Another option is to make a PVC pipe frame and hang heavy blankets or comforters off it.

Auralex and about every other foam company makes panels on stands (almost like a mic stand) that you can put several of those around your vocalist.

The above assumes you don't want to, or cannot, modify the physical structure you are in.
 
Moneyclips, how's it goin', I'm new around here too, been reading alot of posts and alot of these guys are "verging" on genius, actually found a lot of helpful souls here. If you have some extra money check out RealTraps for acoustic panels and go to Zzounds for the foam Aurelex (sp) stuff. Good luck in the projects, I'm way out in the woods.
http://www.realtraps.com
htpp://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837
 
If you have a closet or bathroom nearby your recording area you might try converting it to a vocal booth. You could line the walls with studio foam from Auralex or Markertek or just rely on the contents of the closet to deaden the room. Moving blankets night also help. The key is to find a location that is fairly quiet (isolated from outside noise) and reasonably free of room sounds reflected off the walls as you sing. The other thing that might help is mic selection. You could use a dyanmic mic that would be more forgiving and pick up fewer room sounds than a large diaphram condenser. Check out the mic forum on this BBS and consider some mics like the Shure SM7b or the EV RE20.
 
dwillis

I own a Shure KSM32 Condenser Mic.

All I really need after I get my computer is a booth. I've done recordings without a booth but I don't get the sound I'm looking for. I know with a booth, I'm good. I just need the information on how to build one from scratch. And the materials I'ma need because I don't want to buy one. I want the satisfaction of knowing I did this all by myself. You know what I mean.
 
me too

just got a new condenser mic and the first time to have one after my dynamic Shure mics , i probably got ignorant to it. im over amazed and excited saying things like "WOW got new condenser, cool" and sometimes brag to my family's and cousins that ive got a mic use in recording. :) I did not know condenser was so sensitive that it can pick up even whispers. the bad things is, i share room with my brother and he's so noisy playing music on his own computer and chat all night. arggggggg :mad: :mad: cant stand anymore. definitely i need a vocal booth but i dont know how to build it. ive got a nearby closet but it was full of boxes and unused stuff and my mom would not let me take the stuff. but if im gonna use the closet, it would only fit a person. i need rooms for both person and acoustic guitar. hope this thread would help thx

regard

potatoes and lettuce
 
Building it from scratch

I'd think a relatively inexpensive vocal booth wouldnt be to hard to build.

IDEA #1. Possible specs might look something like this:
1. 2x2 framing strips for framing a 3' x 3' x 8' box
2. I think plywood comes in 8' x 4' sheets and as thin as 1/4 inch. If you're really thrifty (and measure twice, cut once) you could cover the frame using only 3 sheets.
3. Dont forget to secure one of those sides with hinges or you're going to look awefully funny trying to crawl in through the open bottom :)
4. Cut a square out of the door at around head-height, use this and other plywood remnants to seal off the top
5. Plexiglas piece to cover the hole in the door. This gives your engineer a way to give visual queus to the vocalist and lets in a little light.
6. Line the entire inside with furnature pads. Moving companies go through these like crazy and I'll bet you can get more than enough of them for free or next to nothing. An alternative to this might also be carpet shops. They always have remnants, samples and such that they're getting rid of.

Get inventive about where you get your materials (cabinetry shops for plywood leftovers, etc) and you could easily have a solid, usable booth for around $75-85 or maybe even less.

IDEA #2 for the REALLY eccentric creative types who dont mind having their vocalist look at them like they're crazy. Only the brave need read any further, heheh.

1. Cardboard refridgerator box for the initial frame
2. Furnature pads (see above)
3. Plaster of Paris, fairly inexpensive in large quantities at any hobby store.
4. Cut the pads into long thin strips
5. Soak strips in plaster
6. Place one thin layer of strips on the top and three sides of the box. Dont cut out the fourth side yet or the box wouldnt have the strength to support the wet plaster strips. Let dry. Repeat as needed until you have a sufficiently muffling shell.
7. Cut out the door.
8. Cover the door and line the inside with still more UNPLASTERED furnature pads or carpet remnants. (Maybe stitching together all those old socks that have a knack for losing their mates would give you something to do while the plaster dries, and viola! Sound dampeners!)
9. Pay the neighbor kids $3 each to decorate the whole ugly contraption.
10. Hand your vocalist a mic and a flashlight and then duck :)

Best of luck, let us know what you end up doing. Meanwhile, I think I pulled something trying to yank idea #2 out of my arse, so I'll be heading off to bed to recuperate...
 
THAT DAMNED BOOTH AARRGGHH

I'm in the process of building my third booth. All the others have worked just fine. The difference is that in my new house the furnace is noisy and its about 10-15 feet outside my booth and it's loud as hell. I somehow managed to keep most of it's hum out of my mic. I think the key is to ask yourself "If I was a sound, How would I travel"? I used Aurilex foam pads. They cost $16 a piece for one 2ft x 4ft piece. It took 10 of them to cover the top half of my 6ft x 7ft booth including part of the ceiling. I then learned (after spending all this friggin money, that Owens Corning makes a very good acoustical insulation called R-13. This is very good at sound absorbsion. I'ts the same stuff they insulate attics with. It costs less than 8 dollars for a mini roll. One mini roll covers 40 square feet. Be sure to buy as many of these roles as you need then, cover them with moving blankets because it's fiberglass insulation and brushing up against it will make you itch like hell. Don't distruss yourself. If you can draw a cube, You can build a frame to a booth. Even if you have to go buy 2 of those portable closets. the kind that has the metal frames that you cover with a nylon zipper bag. You can connect 2 of them for a nice-sized booth and hang the O.C. R-13 and the blankets from them. It will work. Trust me. If you have any questions I'd be glad to help. If i DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER, i'LL RESEARCH IT FOR YOU. Also, These guys are very helpful. I'f you don't get your answer in this forum, Try another one.
 
M0NEYCLIPS


I built a vocal booth a while back, but took it down cause I needed more space. I'm building a new booth soon that will be 20 times better than the first, now that I have more of an understanding of soundproofing/Acoustics. :cool:

Hey, you live in New York right?

Then I can build a booth for you or help you design one. You could PM me, and we can talk about it.


Here's a few pics of the booth before I took it down.

24762955.jpg


24769503.jpg


24770113.jpg


24771316.jpg



Peace.

RINGO
 
HEy Creative Genius, what did you say your vocal booth STC is? How do you keep OUT anything with 1/2" gaps around the door? I don't understand the point of building a booth that isolates nothing? Or keeps sound from leaking out? That is unless you don't need it, but I seriously wouldn't go advertizing your vocal booth design skills around these parts lest you get a client who might be VERY unhappy with the soundproofing results. Your pictures clearly show you don't have a clue to that end of things. Booth it is, soundproof it is not. So whats the point? Hmmm, maybe I'm missing something here?

fitZ:confused:
 
Hey RICK FITZPATRICK,

I don't think we have met. I don't know you, and you don't know me. Since you were very bold and critical of my post without all the facts, and you did not even consider to PM your message to me, then I'll say what I have to say here so you can understand a few things.

HEy Creative Genius, what did you say your vocal booth STC is?

I've never mention no "Sound Transmisson Class" of the booth in my message, so what were you reading? Was that suppose to be a joke?

The booth is not soundproof, but will get the job done for someone who ain't looking for the extreme.

M0NEYCLIPS said:
Okay here's the deal.

I'm in the process of getting a G4 or G5, and a Digi002 Rack. However, I need to build a vocal booth.

I live in New York City and I live with my pops in a small 1 bedroom apartment. I'm trying to hook up my room/living room so that I can record.

I'm only doing Hip Hop and R&B so I don't need to worry about tracking guitars and drums etc.

Space is very limited, however I'm planning on rearranging everything.

I was wondering if somebody knew what would be necessary in order to make this happen.

Keep in mind it only needs to fit one person, but comfortably.

Thank you.


According to his post, he don't have much space. So I'm not going to recommend that he build a 4'x6' vocal booth using 2"x 4"x 8' studs, Resilient channels, and 5/8" drywall with fiberglass insulation just to get a good STC value. The guy just want to record his voice.


How do you keep OUT anything with 1/2" gaps around the door?

Are you here to compete with me and show off like some kind of expert, or Are you here to help the guy who needs help building a vocal booth? While your focusing on 1/2" gaps around the door, you could be trying to help the young man to build the booth. Are you here just to attack my amateur design, so you could feel good about yourself? This thread is not about me, it's about helping someone build a booth.

I don't understand the point of building a booth that isolates nothing? Or keeps sound from leaking out? That is unless you don't need it, but I seriously wouldn't go advertizing your vocal booth design skills around these parts lest you get a client who might be VERY unhappy with the soundproofing results. Your pictures clearly show you don't have a clue to that end of things.
Booth it is, soundproof it is not. So whats the point? Hmmm, maybe I'm missing something here?

Yeah, you are missing something, you did not read my post. If you go back and read my message, you will gain and understanding rather than being so critical to someone you don't even know.

I clearly stated " I built a vocal booth a while back, but took it down cause I needed more space. I'm building a new booth soon that will be 20 times better than the first, now that I have more of an understanding of soundproofing/Acoustics".

I never said I've built an isolation booth a while back, I said "vocal booth", so don't get my words twisted as if I'm trying to make it look like I have a soundproof booth.

This is a funny world, post a few pictures to show a guy what I've built to help him, and I get accused of advertising from the expert. If anything partner, you're here advertising for me by giving me all this attention rather than focusing your strengths and expertise in helping M0NEYCLIPS. I'm not here to play the expert know it all acoustics game with you, so please stay on the subject of this thread.

Your pictures clearly show you don't have a clue to that end of things.
Booth it is, soundproof it is not. So whats the point? Hmmm, maybe I'm missing something here?

The vocal booth in those picture's was build a long time ago, when I had very little knowledge. I was not concerned about perfection then. All I was concerned about was having a simple booth with auralex foam to record in. I'm pretty sure many other home studio producers up in here would like to have the same booth regardless of the imperfections you pointed out.

Now that I've gained an understanding of soundproofing/Acoustics, my next booth will be an isolation booth which is 20 times better than what you see in the photo's. I'm not a vocal booth manufacture or expert, but one thing I do know is that I can build a great vocal booth that will get the job done. :cool:


Peace.

RINGO
 
Hello Ringo, first off, let me say my approach to your post was dictated by my interpretation of what a vocal booth can and should be as a miniumum set of criteria. I did not mean to sound like I was attacking you or ridiculing you. However, when I see someone offering to help someone build something that in my view is off the mark so far as to make me laugh, I
have to say something, especially if its being said by someone who has the audacity to call himself a "creative genius". Give me a break. If anything, there are creative people here who DO build things that perform as they are supposed to. And after being a member here for more than three years, I've seen plenty of real examples. Maybe I did come across a little too harshly, but you must remember something. The person you are responding to isn't the only person reading these posts, and someone may get the impression that a your version of a vocal booth ranks among the real performance versions. But just to be fair, I will apologize for my lack of tact and conjeniality. I guess my personality has a conflict with flagrant egos.

The booth is not soundproof, but will get the job done for someone who ain't looking for the extreme.

What job? I wasn't aware that a recording of Hiphop or R&B was any less forgiving of noise than any other genre. So what IS the point? You haven't told me yet. Or is this intended to be a permanent gobo? Of course, maybe his home is imune to noise. Or maybe he doesn't care of sounds other than his voice enter the mic. I do. Hence, my reply. That doesn't mean I don't understand his question. I guess I just interpret recording differently. Been there, done that.

Are you here to compete with me and show off like some kind of expert, or Are you here to help the guy who needs help building a

Expert? Compete? Don't make me laugh again. It doesn't take an expert to see the sky is blue. Hence the 1/2" gap remark. However, when I see something that blatantly contradicts common sense approach to simple construction, it tells me something. But then again, maybe you don't understand the nature of sound leakage, which would seem odd as even a 5 year old shuts a door to attenuate sound, so whats the problem? I mean, in this case, why even put up a door?

eah, you are missing something, you did not read my post. If you go back and read my message, you will gain and understanding

No, I don't think I am missing anything afterall. I did read it correctly, but that still doesn't explain telling why someone that your solution is in any way a solution at all.

So, what does it do that even a closet wouldn't do even better as usually a closet has a door with STOPS. Again, whats the problem.

just to get a good STC value

JUST? your kidding, right? What the fuck else is a booth supposed to do but GET A GOOD STC value, look cool? Hmmmm.

I'm not here to play the expert know it all acoustics game with you, so please stay on the subject of this thread.

Acoustics? You jest? Game.....? Subject of the thread? DUH!, I thought it was about RECORDING in a vocal booth, which I always thought implied keeping out unwanted noise, otherwise what the fuck do you need it for? Damn. Where have I been. I guess the world has changed before my very ears. Of course, by the sound of some modern recordings I've heard lately, my old fashioned values seem out of place here I guess.

you will gain and understandingrather than being so critical to someone you don't even know.
If you had a clue to what I am saying here, you might also GAIN an understanding. However, after reading your second solution, I highly doubt it. CARDBOARD? PLASTER OF PARIS? oh brother. Hey kiddies, lets play paper mache'. Man, this is gettin good. Lets move on.

Place one thin layer of strips on the top and three sides of the box. Dont cut out the fourth side yet or the box wouldnt have thestrength to support the wet plaster strips. Let dry. Repeat as needed until you have a sufficiently muffling shell.

Wow! Now theres a real doozer. Muffling shell. . Hey boys and girls, lets play plaster the house. What planet are you on. Did you ever get in a cardboard when you were a kid? Er....wait...wait......I get it.....hahahaha, this is a joke right? Right? You are kidding, right?

I know....its a GAAAAAAAME. Lets play recording studio. YEA. THATS IT. OH BOY!!


FUCK.

Have you read ANYTHING in this entire forum? ANYTHING AT ALL? Ok, thats it, I give up. Nevermind. Time to ......have a beer. Shit. I don't even drink.



:rolleyes:
 
Hey Rick, are you sure you don't drink? Must be all that coastal moss growin' in the wrong places, then - your comments -

"However, after reading your second solution, I highly doubt it. CARDBOARD? PLASTER OF PARIS? oh brother. Hey kiddies, lets play paper mache'. Man, this is gettin good. Lets move on.

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Place one thin layer of strips on the top and three sides of the box. Dont cut out the fourth side yet or the box wouldnt have thestrength to support the wet plaster strips. Let dry. Repeat as needed until you have a sufficiently muffling shell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow! Now theres a real doozer. Muffling shell. . Hey boys and girls, lets play plaster the house. What planet are you on. Did you ever get in a cardboard when you were a kid? Er....wait...wait......I get it.....hahahaha, this is a joke right?" -

These comments, while uninformed, weren't even posted by the same person.

While you're getting abusive, Rick, may as well add me to the list - if not for time and study, I'd be saying similar things. The memory of my 22 year ago acoustic mistakes is what tends to keep me mellow when people make statements such as the above, and it's what (usually) keeps my responses tactful while trying to be helpful. That's also a lot of what keeps me studying every day.

Thing is, it's easy to get short with people if we allow ourselves to forget just how dumb we once were... Anyhow, if you have something else that's bringing this out and wanna thrash it around, why not PM me so we can keep this forum more helpful and positive? I'd really appreciate that approach if you don't mind -

Everybody else - the term, "vocal booth" normally means a fair degree of isolation (sound proofing) - and that can't be had with cardboard, foam, blankets, 1/4" plywood, or anything that's cheap and easy. It's true that some albums have had their vocals cut in a closet (complete with clothes) but there are downsides to that - depending on your location, you may only get things quiet enough outside for that to work for a few minutes in a 24-hour period, if ever - if you're using a DAW to record, it's possible you may be able to "pencil out" some of the offending noises and cover up some of them with the rest of the "music bed" - but if you actually want to be able to pick the time you want to record in a booth, it needs to be massive and well-built, with any ventilation well thought out. Otherwise, your isolation goes away the minute you put a hole in the wall.

KTS, it's obvious you've done some study on sound proofing, or you wouldn't have said this - "So I'm not going to recommend that he build a 4'x6' vocal booth using 2"x 4"x 8' studs, Resilient channels, and 5/8" drywall with fiberglass insulation just to get a good STC value. The guy just want to record his voice." -

However, if you check the last line of yours in the quote, you'll realize that your description of construction is the only way he'll "just record his voice" - otherwise, he'll be recording the neighbor's cats fighting, dogs barking, car tires squealing, etc... Again, back to the "timing" thing.

The cheapest and best sound proofing is ONLY achieved by using physics - and the physics of sound are such that only two separate centers of mass separated by air and insulation will be effective at reducing sound enough to keep un-wanted noises out of your recordings, and vice versa. Anything less is just wishful thinking.

As long as everyone here understands that half-way efforts will only get you half-way results, then it's kind of "no harm, no foul" - but I hate to see anyone spend what little they have on something that will disappoint them, so I'm here to tell you that cardboard boxes, etc, will NOT get you silence. Period. And the moving blanket thing, while it WILL cut down slightly on the more strident sounds (high mids) will also muffle your sound and make you boost the treble later to make up for it. When you boost the treble, you boost noise of ALL kinds, and the end result is crappy sounding tracks.

There's an old axiom that's held up through the years - "Good, Fast, Cheap - Pick any TWO - you can't have all THREE..."

Now, let's all try to keep things civil here, and maybe at least one person will learn something besides "fuck you", which seems to already be understood... Steve
 
Hey Steve, from one ol' grouchy fart to another...you just recharged my batteries, thanks & PEACE Ralph
 
Good day gentleman, I see my experiment in civility has failed. The moss did nothing to transform bad analogy, Irish meaness, nor unfriendly manners into netiquette befitting this forum. Much like this intended set of vocal booth solutions. So much for brain farts. Although it is my excuse, it is also my defense, as this thread clearly illustrates. Otherwise Steve, you wouldn't have taken the time to offer a your own observations, however tempered. When unleashed, your own net behavior can inflict wounds of unhealing depth, of which I have encountered myself. So maybe you should reflect on your failings at times of total frustration with well meaning, but short sighted
versions of net advice. Although I must admit, you are better armed than I when it comes to this sort of thing.

Steve, I never said I had the makings of a moderator, let alone the ability to keep my mouth shut when confronted with obvious delusions of meticulous detail.
Not to mention reckless wit when mitigated with such profound insight, especially when authored by self proclaimed "creative genious's". What I will say is it makes me want to expell my breakfast into the toilet. I am also glad I wasn't on the recieving end of said "help", as I would have been extremely pissed upon discovering the waste of time and money, only to end up with a slightly muffled version of the same environmental noise as before, AND a larger dump bill. Hence my attempt at debunking of said "help" in the improper manner I used. Muffler Bearing salesman receive a fair dose of my manner themself, as I consider them in the same ballpark as this offering. Truth it turns out, is a grey area which must be delicately extracted as you may sever a nerve in the process.

I must make one thing clear though. I claim no expert status on this subject, and as such, I had no business in questioning a creative genius's offerings of advice. I should have taken the word at face value, just as I have with contractors, acousticians, doctors, attorneys, and other practitioners of rigid honesty and truthfullness. Hey, they are the experts, I am only the witless recipient of qualified advice. So who am I to question their masterfull use of knowledge and education. After all, quintessential
free advice is a godsend.

So, with all due respect, I offer a serious apology. My form of questioning advice is not the greatest example of tact. Only proof of my inability to constrain contempt for authority without license, and statements that are impervious to reason and common sense.

Have a great holiday. Keep up the good work. Ignor my insulting ways. I have a character flaw which manifests itself as a scar which forms ear to ear. But I do NOT need alcohol to exploit it.

Oh, btw Moneyclips, if you are ever in need of a bridge, look me up. I have one for sale.


fitZ

PS, anyone have any advice on recovering from a first week back at DDJ without alcohol, cause I sure could use it. The cold shower did nothing.
 
I should be flogged. Blind as a bat. Deaf as doorknob. Humorless to say the least. And a bad case of shitty attitude. What more could an Irishman ask for. Maybe a pint of Irish whiskey. At least it would have made me jolly. It seems frivolity isn't in character at the moment. Lord. Maybe I SHOULD start drinking again?

Frederic, what part of this whole thing did I fuck up. Someone must have slipped some acid in my grapefruit juice. I actually condensed two or three replys into the same person. God, 60 hour weeks are definitely no good for the brain, let alone the body.


OK ..............I see what has happened here. Its a matter of plain ole shitty attitude on my part. I used this thread to vent my late night irritability and grouchy old fart syndrome on well meaning fellow recording enthusiasts. FUCK ME! I deserve a run through a HR gauntlet. Ha. WHIP HARD and OFTEN>......USE MIC CABLES, they inflict
enlightening awareness, and humbling badges. Where is my dark closet. Please lock.

:o :confused: :eek: :( ...................:rolleyes: I beg your forgiveness gentleman. I hope you do not become an old grouchy fart like me. It sucks.
 
OK, fine Rick - you don't want to take this PM, then here it is - "When unleashed, your own net behavior can inflict wounds of unhealing depth, of which I have encountered myself. So maybe you should reflect on your failings at times of total frustration with well meaning, but short sighted
versions of net advice" - BULLSHIT. I have tried time and again to explain to you that when you see this :=) it means I am kidding around, and not to take it seriously.

"wounds of unhealing depth"??? Un-Fucking believable. Get a skin, even a thin one would help. Any and every time you've decided to take my kidding around seriously, I've explained and apologised and explained again. If that causes "wounds of unhealing depth", then either you need more help than I can give, or you're a serious drama queen.

If I didn't consider us friends (or at least as much as this medium allows) I wouldn't bother trying to explain myself, because I wouldn't fucking care. The bottom line here is that you were being abusive, for whatever reason - since there really ISN'T any moderation going on here, I chose to step in. If I had been in the crowd that allowed a woman to be stabbed to death in 3 acts some time ago, the motherfucker that killed her would have had my boot so far down his throat it would have stuck out his ass, unlike the fucking wimps whose excuses won't bring her back. That's the way I am. I won't apologise for that either.

I do understand and commiserate on the DDJ thing - I flat fucking HATE mine, and am doing what I can to terminate the need for it ASAP. Once more, if you want to take this PM I'm here, and I AM sorry for the public comments - you didn't appear to give me a choice, since I WON'T apologise for something I didn't do, nor will I put up with what comes across as slander to me.

I personally would prefer to take this PRIVATE and see if we can fix what's REALLY wrong, but it's your call. If you don't consider me a friend after all this time, then you won't be losing anything by continuing this in public. It's YOUR call... Steve
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
I should be flogged. Blind as a bat. Deaf as doorknob. Humorless to say the least. And a bad case of shitty attitude. What more could an Irishman ask for. Maybe a pint of Irish whiskey. At least it would have made me jolly. It seems frivolity isn't in character at the moment. Lord. Maybe I SHOULD start drinking again?

Frederic, what part of this whole thing did I fuck up. Someone must have slipped some acid in my grapefruit juice. I actually condensed two or three replys into the same person. God, 60 hour weeks are definitely no good for the brain, let alone the body.


OK ..............I see what has happened here. Its a matter of plain ole shitty attitude on my part. I used this thread to vent my late night irritability and grouchy old fart syndrome on well meaning fellow recording enthusiasts. FUCK ME! I deserve a run through a HR gauntlet. Ha. WHIP HARD and OFTEN>......USE MIC CABLES, they inflict
enlightening awareness, and humbling badges. Where is my dark closet. Please lock.

:o :confused: :eek: :( ...................:rolleyes: I beg your forgiveness gentleman. I hope you do not become an old grouchy fart like me. It sucks.

What a dick.. Ive read all of the posts in this thread and i must say you are a dick..

kts2001, Shit I like the booth, it looks like it gets the job done was a cheap build and looks decent. You get a thumbs of from me home slice..
 
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