Critique/comments on my future vocal booth please....

m_roussakis

New member
I live in a condo, and looking to build a non permanent booth. The purpose is to keep my vocals quiet and not disturb the girlfriend, and to a lesser extent the neighbors. Creating a non closed vocal spot, or using a closet is not an option. My singing is too loud. Also, I want to keep my place looking nice. So I figure after this is all painted white, it won't be an eyesore.

I was thinking of the following:

- interior dimensions 4x4x6.5
- half inch dry wall in and out.
- 2x3 wall studs, filled with 3" of soundproof rockwool (walls, floor ceiling)
- door will be a hinged insulated piece of wall (It'll be well sealed...I'll figure out a way)
- I'll also figure out some sort of ventilation system.
- LED lighting system

At this point the build will run me about 300-350 Canadian dollars...not bad,

Here's where it gets pricey:

If I want to line the 120 sq foot interior with 12x12x1" or 2" foam panels, it's WAY too much money.

Could I instead line the interior drywall with foam but space them out, this way I have to buy a lot less panels? Another option?

Anyway, would love to hear what you guys think.

Thanks in advance.
 
You sure you can't just go sing in a closet?

Fabric covered RockBoard - denser so thinner - is something I'd look for and build your own panels. Availability is a little difficult, so shipping can add to the cost, but as it's made in Canada, maybe that won't be so bad for you. A single 6pack (2"x4") would let you do 2 walls and a center panel on the other 2, from top to knee-height, which should be plenty to deaden echos in that space. Shouldn't break $100 I'd think.

Or, just a guess, double the drywall on the outside, use insulation stays to hold the rock wool, and just cover the inside with a nice flannel!
 
Option B is pretty clever! Does that rockwool smell at at all?
Huh, I have no idea why my edit showed up as a second post!

I have 4 batts of Safe'n'Sound waiting for a purpose, and at great personal risk, stuck my nose up against one and sniffed. There's definitely a little hint of something there, probably whatever is holding the stuff together slightly (?), so it's not completely odorless, like a rock/mineral would be. But I've put 20 batts in my room, and the primer I put on the wood and unfinished wood both are more noticeable.

Wait, I googled and guess what, it's 1-6% Cured Urea Extended Phenolic Formaldehyde Binder. This is not the healthiest stuff to be breathing in an enclosed space, and from what I've read it's best behind a vapor barrier and drywall, so I'd probably skip my last idea, and put it in the walls (vapor barrier both sides). I'm not concerned in my space, because it's well ventialted and it's only covering less than 20% of my surface.

Incidentally, RockBoard has the same composition, so I'd plan to leave the door/roof open when you're not in there so it can air properly. (Even if you don't build your own panels, which I still think is the better solution, you're going to be breathing some stuff that's been in a small space, building up between sessions.)
 
1) Rockwool is not "soundproof". With sheetrock (2 layers) on the exterior, it may lower the transmitted sound down to an acceptable level. But if your gf is in the same room, she'll still hear you muffled - specially if you are as loud as you say. Sound gets transmitted through the hard surfaces as well - 2x3s to sheetrock, or the floor.

2)You're thinking of lights and ventilation 'later'? Luckily, it will get so hot in there that you won't be able to stay in too long before you have to open the door - otherwise staying in that room for 2 hours would produce enough CO2 in bring the level over 3% - danger territory. Any ventilation system as well as electric lines are going to leave a place for the sound to be transmitted.

3) Foam sucks. It absorbs (a little) high frequencies, but does nothing for the mids and lows. The result of your little vocal BOX is going to be a very boxy sound.
 
Really 4 x 4? can't you make this a non square room? Creating problems before you start. The chart below will help. Remember the chart is ratios not measurements. Even making it a bit less square will help.

Alan.

Acoustics_July_GoldenRatios.jpg
 
Really 4 x 4? can't you make this a non square room?

I don't think it will matter with that small booth...it will still sound bad and be pretty uncomfortable. :)

I agree...just go sing in the closet and save yourself the time/effort/money building that phone booth.

If the girlfriend is being disturbed by your singing...send her to the mall.
 
I can usually convince my wife to go do something elsewhere when I want to record electric guitar with some amp volume!
 
I can usually convince my wife to go do something elsewhere when I want to record electric guitar with some amp volume!
Just what is it the wife does, when you convince her to go do something else? If it's shopping, a little of that could pay for the foam you were saying was too expensive. You could make an insulated cabinet for your amp, seal it up well, so most of the sound is kept inside the cabinet. It's done all of the time in small studios. The guitar needs to be turned up to a certain volume to get the preferred sound. This could keep the wife from shopping and you could maybe spend what you save on your vocal booth.

But, sometimes you have to let the wife shop so she lets you buy equipment. Then, you're back to square one.:facepalm:
 
She's not a big 'shopper', so that's not a problem. Foam? waste of money, would have to fill a room with it to absorb even part of a guitar amp's output. AN iso box? Defeats my purpose in using an amp - the acoustic feedback as the sound hits the guitar & strings (not squeal feedback).
 
Well construction is under way!! I've added a few pics in case anyone is interested in my progress.

The thing is WAY bigger in person than on my sketches....gulp!!! :p
IMG_1599.jpgIMG_1604.JPGIMG_1595.jpgIMG_1592.jpg
 
I hope you are putting it together with some thought to some future/eventual disassembly! (Going to be hard getting that out the door when the time comes.)
 
Yes I thought of that. Unfortunately the only way it will ever get out of my front door is in pieces . I debated making it modular , but my skills are too limited . I instead I’m making it with screws, not nails so I can take it apart “easily” if and when I move. Either to trash it, or move it and reassemble it.

The thing will end up costing me about $300 Canadian . Really not that much , so it won’t KILL me to rip it apart in a couple years when I move .

If I can get 2 years of use out of it for $300 bucks I say that’s a win.
 
1) Rockwool is not "soundproof". With sheetrock (2 layers) on the exterior, it may lower the transmitted sound down to an acceptable level. But if your gf is in the same room, she'll still hear you muffled - specially if you are as loud as you say. Sound gets transmitted through the hard surfaces as well - 2x3s to sheetrock, or the floor.

2)You're thinking of lights and ventilation 'later'? Luckily, it will get so hot in there that you won't be able to stay in too long before you have to open the door - otherwise staying in that room for 2 hours would produce enough CO2 in bring the level over 3% - danger territory. Any ventilation system as well as electric lines are going to leave a place for the sound to be transmitted.

3) Foam sucks. It absorbs (a little) high frequencies, but does nothing for the mids and lows. The result of your little vocal BOX is going to be a very boxy sound.

I should have stated that 100% soundproofing is not the main objective. Hell, keeping quiet for the fiancée is even the main objective. She actually likes when I sing.

The goal here is to keep my singing from going through the front door into the condo hallway, and/or through the walls, ceiling, floor.

If this booth can cut my emitted decibels by even as little as 25% I'll be happy as can be.
 
Progress: week 3

I'm 3 weeks into the build, doing a little every day. Almost completed the structural work, insulation, etc.

Still need to install my ventilation system, and treat the inside walls with foam or something like that. As is the case with most DIY projects, my initial $300 estimate has ballooned to $600. haha. Oh well, I've had a blast building this thing. I'm guessing it'll be ready for use by 2nd week of January.

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