Help building soundproof vocal booth?

S

shaw2222

New member
Hi everyone, this is my first post, not sure if it's in the right place, sorry if not.... But, I live in an apartment and the soundproofing is terrible. I can hear everything my neighbours do, and they will obviously hear me also. This means loud singing is not an option for me at the moment.

So.... I've being thinking of building a vocal booth, and was wondering if anyone had any advice? All I care is that it is as close to 100% soundproof as possible, but also detachable, incase I move apartment etc.

I couldn't care less about the acoustics and sound quality, I just need a place to be able to make a noise and experiment freely with my vocals.

I can't do anything permanent to the room, as I am renting. So the booth has to be isolated round all edges, like a room within a room, not attached to walls ceilings etc. Also it's the neighbours underneath that re the main problem, so reinforced soundproof at the bottom of the booth is required.

Does anyone have any advice? Materials, layers, doors, vents etc.???

Thanks very much, Danyil.
 
Lots of egg shell cartons. They are the best!

All sarcasm aside, you might be able to get away with foam board for cheap, then just layer them a lot. Also put down some thick blankets for the floor. This is really not the best way of soundproofing, but it is cheap.

This place has good prices. http://www.artsupply.com/brand/foamcore.htm
 
Thanks for the reply man. These are good suggestions, but I have a bit more of a budget than that, and I really want to get it well soundproofed! I'm thinking two wall layers, but not sure on what material? Also maybe insulating inbetween the walls, if that will help?

As for the heavy blankets on the floor, that is a great idea. I could have the booth raised, with the floor of the booth slightly of the ground, pillars on ground ath the corners. Then whack some mats, and heavy blankets underneath it also. Then maybe more blankets on the floor inside.

Great, thanks sir!
 
Mass Loaded Vinyl

Best material to stop sound will be Mass Loaded Vinyl about $1 to $1.5 for square feet. if you can build a frame from two by fours
and cover it with this material and use some as a carpet ( 2-3 leyers will be great ) you will not hear anything from your neighbor.
the key is to close all the gaps -Hope that helps. David
 
That MLV stuff looks exactly like what I'm looking for, thanks!

When you say build a frame, what do you mean exactly? I was thinking of getting two or three layers of plywood, with gaps inbetween them as the walls. And then maybe fill the gaps with something with MLV; or glues the MLV to the plywood and fill the reminder with heavy carpet or something. Though some people say you are better to leave the spaces between them as the air disperses the sounds or something, and the mass provides a bridge betwen layers for the sound; not sure on this though. Also would there be any better wood than plywood, soundproof wise?

Any other suggestions anyone?

Thanks very much!
 
shaw2222 said:
I couldn't care less about the acoustics and sound quality, I just need a place to be able to make a noise and experiment freely with my vocals.
Click to expand...

If that's the case then why not just sing in your car? Or you could rent a storage space and sing there.
 
shaw2222 said:
Hi everyone, this is my first post, not sure if it's in the right place, sorry if not.....
Click to expand...

Sorry, not in the right place, but I moved it over to the Studio Build section for ya!!

Mass is what will stop sound, not foam, not blankets. You should build a free-standing booth with two layers of drywall on the inside, the framing studs, and two layers on the outside. Then seal it up airtight. It won't sound good, but if you don't care about acoustics, then it will work for you. The door and any ventilation will allow sound to leak, however, there are solutions for this. Search through the Studio Build section for more ideas.

Welcome to the site.
 
I am a newbie too and I'm hoping that someone that's experience answer your question without the sarcasm (even though he made a point in correcting your term used). Also, I am residing in an apartment (rented duplex) and would like to know others thoughts or suggestions.
 
Chili said:
Mass is what will stop sound, not foam, not blankets. You should build a free-standing booth with two layers of drywall on the inside, the framing studs, and two layers on the outside. Then seal it up airtight.
Click to expand...

Soundproofing requires mass and knowledge of what sound is and how it travels, passes objects, and so on. As Chili mentioned, you NEED mass to stop sound. If you are in an apartment, it is going to be very difficult to build a "Soundproof" Iso room. Materials with alot of mass are not only expensive, but are very heavy. Your best bet would be singing in a closet or some room that is somewhat isolated and maybe hang additional blankets. This will be free. You could build portable walls to help create a room, but these will be VERY heavy and might be pretty awkward in an apartment. I don't mean to dampen your spirits, but trying to give you a somewhat realistic suggestion.

Chili said:
Search through the Studio Build section for more ideas.

Welcome to the site.
Click to expand...

I would also recommend some additional research on this. The more you look into soundproofing and the more you learn about sound, the more you will see how big of a task it really kind of is to soundproof a room.

However, Welcome to the forums!
 
Thanks for all the help everyone!

I know this is going to be difficult, but it's my only option! I don't drive unfortunatley, and have been searching everyday for a decent storage/garage space to rent, but can't find anything suitableI've also checked out the pre-made booths, but they are so expensive for what they are, and I cannot afford that...

My main concern is the neighbours underneath me, as the floors are very thin. I think i'm going to lift up the carpet and stick some MLV down. Then for the bottom of the vocal booth, build another box( solid box maybe) with rubber feet on it. So the vocal booth will just sit ontop of that other box. Then i'm going to stick a heavy mat under the the booth and box. I think i'll use two layers of ply for the bottom of the actual vocal booth box, and cake it with some more MLV; how well do you think this will do for preventing sound going underneath?

Any suggestions on keeping the door and vent as airtight and soundproof as possible?

Thanks very much for all your help, I really realy appreciate it!
 
There is no suitable practice space to rent, and I want to practice daily. Why do you think it's not worth it?
 
"soundproof" and "temporary" are not terms that mesh well. As mentioned above, you need mass to stop sound... and lots of it. The most practical construction solution is wood frame with sound batts and multiple layers of drywall on each side. A staggered stud design will increase the stc. Obviously the ceiling and floor also need to be addressed- again multiple layers of drywall, mdf and/or plywood with rockwool in the stud and joist cavities. The door is often the weak link- a solid core door with good seals and an automatic sweep are a good choice. Some even opt to put layers of plywood or gyp over the door for even more stoppage. The door and door hardware alone will set you back a couple hundred bucks. To build a room within a room is complicated construction and not really conducive to something that can easily be broken down and moved. Something like this is going to be VERY heavy... and since you're not on the ground floor, that could present a structural problem. I assume you'll lose your deposit if your new construction crashes through the apartment complex floor :D. And then theres acoustics- I know you said you're not concerned with that, but I suspect you'll reconsider that once you have this thing and it sounds so unnatural that you don't even want to look at the $1000+ 2,000lb box you've created in your apartment.

Foam, foamcore, blankets, eggcrates wont do shit to stop the sound transfer from your space to the neighbors. When those things are recommended, its to treat the acoustics of the space, not to stop the transfer of sound to adjacent spaces.

That all probably sounds kinda negative, but I'm just trying to give it to you straight. If you can't find a local practice space, then find a house or apartment with no neighbors or a basement.
 
On the other hand, if he is doing just vocals, then he probably doesn't need double thick drywall, inside and out. He can probably get by with single drywall panels. If the problem is neighbors under him, then a solid floor is still a good idea. The booth still needs to be airtight and the door and ventilation still needs to be addressed.

Here's a plan:

Build your frame and put up one layer of drywall on the exterior. Caulk all seams and joints to make it airtight. MDF floor, separated from the apartment floor (There is a thread somewhere that has a drum riser that uses tennis balls to provide separation. It looked interesting, you should try that). If too much sound escapes or the neighbors complain, then add another layer of drywall to the interior. Again, caulk it. Keep adding layers until the neighbors stop complaining.

The booth will sound horrible on your recordings, so you'll have to treat it acoustically. Rigid fiberglass boards or acoustic foam everywhere to make it as dead as possible. You can add room ambience back in with reverb effects and such. I've got a small studio to record vocals in and it's pretty dead as well. My vocal tracks aren't great, but they aren't awful, either.
 
Well I might as well add my .02.

Face reality. To actually build a booth of this nature implies many things. Even for a "vocal" booth. In reality, this translates into the following.

1. Weight. A concentrated load on the structural elements of your floor. Cheap apartments are not designed to support these kind of POINT loads. If it wasn't a cheap apartment, you wouldn't hear your neighbors. A simple 4x4x7.5 with one layer of drywall can easily weigh 500 lbs. Hell, 5 sheets of drywall alone is 340 lbs.

2. Even building simple frames require tools, skills, knowledge of framing, an area large enough to assemble them and even building a small booth is not cheap. I would estimate about $300 minimum. Requires other skills/tools as well.

3. A plan. Without a thoroughly thought out plan, your chances of success are zilch.
Since your main problem is Transmission through the floor, this means your booth must be decoupled from the floor. True decoupling requires calculations as decouplers must be "compressed" within a certain range for them to work correctly. Guess work can actually make it worse. Correct decouplers aren't cheap either.

4. Ventilation scheme. A soundproof enclosure is also an AIRPROOF enclosure. It doesn't take long for a human being to exhaust the oxygen supply in a small AIRTIGHT enclosure. But if you penetrate the envelope for a ventilation supply..you now have a hole in your envelope which negates the whole purpose. Ducting/fan supply/return schemes require some thought AND hardware.

5. A door. Requires a frame, jamb, threshold, stops, hinges, latchset, seals and the skills to install them correctly.

6. Logistics. Even moving a least 6 sheets of 5/8"x4'x8' drywall up a set of stairs and into an apartment doesn't seem daunting. Until you do it. Cutting drywall is not difficult. Until you try it. Cutting plywood in an apartment is a lesson in hindsight.
Cutting 2x4's SQUARELY is also a lesson. Building 6 frames SQUARE/PLUMB is a lesson in carpentry. Did I mention a big mess in your living quarters?

7. As soon as neighbors hear building going on..expect a visit from your landlord. Then expect either..a VACATE PREMISES notice..or a visit from your local BID.


8. Recommendations. Forget it. Sing softer. Move.
 
The weight is a problem unfortunatley, so mdf, or drywall even, probably isn't an option.

I am also just going to get some rough plans, and then take my idea to a joiner or carpenter and get him to help me with it (know a couple of people that can help out), so that should make things much easier.

So will the idea of putting a couple of layers of soundproof material under the carpet. Then getting a thick mat, then a heavy solid peice of wood the same width and lenght as the booth, then putting another mat ontop of that(so like a floating floor kind of idea). Then building the floor, walls and ceiling of the booth with two layers of Ply wood(or some other lightish wood), fill the gap with some material (not sure what would be best) coated on the inside with some other thick material like MLV (or something better) Then get a two door system, instead of just one, creating an airspace between them. Then fill in all the gaps and cracks round the booth with caulk. Then sit it all on the floating floor.

Will that not knock a few decibels from reaching my downstair neighbours apartment? Surley, it will be better than just singing in my room as normal? I'm not that loud a singer, just need a bit of the edge taken off.

Thanks for all the replies!
 
You are not thinking this through properly, Danyil.

You just gotta sing? Go outdoors. Did you wanna record too? Buy one of them Zoom things. All this construction talk is a waste of time and money.

How about some background info; how old are you, where do you live, what are your intentions? How long will you likely be staying in that apartment, know any other musicians, are you a student?

I'm sure there are better options you aren't seeing but it's hard for us to guess at it.


lou
 
Yeah, but I practice between 4-6 hours a day; or I did before the neighbours complained. It's cold outside where I live too. I've been looking for a place to rent (garages/workshops/storage space), but haven't found anything suitable. I need a bit of privacy to experiment and do exercises. I really think this is my only option at the moment unfortuantlely. Thanks for the suggestions though!
 
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