Hi all,
Preface -- I'm a long-time lurker on the forum, but new to posting. I'm not new to recording. I understand the foundations of sound control but I'm by no means a master of that or construction. Call me an extremely enthused hobbyist, I guess. I'm a musician that is tired of not being able to make noise or record in proper isolation.
About a month ago I completed a construction project I thought you guys might be interested in, especially if you live in an apartment or some other attached home situation. I built a sound booth in my apartment garage based on the following criteria:
VIDEO BELOW. I'LL ADD ADDITIONAL VIDEOS IN FOLLOW UP REPLIES. Here's a (not-so) quick rundown:
Interior dimensions are 5'W x 6'L x 7'H.
The entire frame is 2x3 instead of 2x4 to conserve space. Simple 16-on-center design and squaring up was done when drywall was attached to the frame.
The floor is made of a layer of osb, then the frame stuffed with R13 insulation, and then 2 more layers of OSB sandwiched together with Green Glue. It's unfortunately really heavy, but incredibly solid. The floor also has a rim that is used to connect the walls.
All of the wall and ceiling panels use the same basic process -- 1/2" drywall, frame stuffed with R13, then a layer of "soundboard" (available at The Home Depot) with a layer of 1/2" drywall sandwiched together by Green Glue. I'm familiar with the controversy surrounding soundboard, but remember, this is a modular system; it's the lightest material I could find and as a bonus, provides a different level of density than the drywall, which I believe will affect the resonant frequency of the drywall, especially when GreenGlue is introduced in between. Just a theory and I'm sure the senior sound pros will have something to add here, but the result was impressive, so maybe there is something to that after all...
The 2 ceiling panels have the same type of rim as the floor to connect the walls. The side walls and ceiling are all comprised of 2 panels each, connected by draw-style latches that allow me to connect them together so I can treat them as a single unit when assembling. There are several other reasons for this design feature that go beyond the scope of this write-up.
All panels connect together with neoprene foam rubber for sealing purposes. This stuff wasn't cheap and was hard to find in the right size/quantity, but all worked out and it did a great job.
The window is made with 2 pieces of glass - 1/4" and 3/8". I chose these based on a calculation method I found online comparing glass sound properties to its surrounding surfaces, and I chose different thicknesses for resonance reduction.
The door is a solid core Jeld Wen door, slightly modified, and then fitted with several layers of soundboard and drywall to increase its mass. There are minor sound leaks around the door where the materials don't perfectly meet the frame, but I can live with that for now.
The rear panel is massive...too big, in fact. It should have been cut into 2 panels, just like the floor. Live and learn, I guess. :\
Lighting is simple LED strips. Power was run as you would normally run power in a standard american home -- 12/2 residential wire with outlets in boxes. However, the power runs to an inlet, which I can then plug an extension cord into. So yeah, it's basically a very elaborate extension cord. As a safety precaution, the extension cord is plugged into a surge protector with circuit breaker. I also added a couple combo xlr & 1/4" ports internally and externally for obvious reasons.
The walls are bolted together with large lag screws. The walls also connect to the floor with many bolts...roughly 5" long with washers and nuts.
The window and other areas that need sealed were done with Green Glue Sealant.
The floor is dirt cheap carpet and the walls are sound foam from Next Acoustics (including floor-to-ceiling "bass traps"...not that they trap that much). I've seen some mixed opinions about them, but it's not the cheap ebay-level stuff for sure. Considering the type of noise I'm making, it serves me very well and works great in this small space.
To answer some questions that might come up...
Preface -- I'm a long-time lurker on the forum, but new to posting. I'm not new to recording. I understand the foundations of sound control but I'm by no means a master of that or construction. Call me an extremely enthused hobbyist, I guess. I'm a musician that is tired of not being able to make noise or record in proper isolation.
About a month ago I completed a construction project I thought you guys might be interested in, especially if you live in an apartment or some other attached home situation. I built a sound booth in my apartment garage based on the following criteria:
- It had to provide proper isolation for recording
- It had to be large enough to avoid the boxy "closet booth" sound and also fit my electronic drums (those things are surprisingly loud)
- It had to significantly reduce the decibel level of whatever noise I'm making in it for my neighbors and family
- It had to be modular so I could dismantle it and take it with me if I move
VIDEO BELOW. I'LL ADD ADDITIONAL VIDEOS IN FOLLOW UP REPLIES. Here's a (not-so) quick rundown:
Interior dimensions are 5'W x 6'L x 7'H.
The entire frame is 2x3 instead of 2x4 to conserve space. Simple 16-on-center design and squaring up was done when drywall was attached to the frame.
The floor is made of a layer of osb, then the frame stuffed with R13 insulation, and then 2 more layers of OSB sandwiched together with Green Glue. It's unfortunately really heavy, but incredibly solid. The floor also has a rim that is used to connect the walls.
All of the wall and ceiling panels use the same basic process -- 1/2" drywall, frame stuffed with R13, then a layer of "soundboard" (available at The Home Depot) with a layer of 1/2" drywall sandwiched together by Green Glue. I'm familiar with the controversy surrounding soundboard, but remember, this is a modular system; it's the lightest material I could find and as a bonus, provides a different level of density than the drywall, which I believe will affect the resonant frequency of the drywall, especially when GreenGlue is introduced in between. Just a theory and I'm sure the senior sound pros will have something to add here, but the result was impressive, so maybe there is something to that after all...
The 2 ceiling panels have the same type of rim as the floor to connect the walls. The side walls and ceiling are all comprised of 2 panels each, connected by draw-style latches that allow me to connect them together so I can treat them as a single unit when assembling. There are several other reasons for this design feature that go beyond the scope of this write-up.
All panels connect together with neoprene foam rubber for sealing purposes. This stuff wasn't cheap and was hard to find in the right size/quantity, but all worked out and it did a great job.
The window is made with 2 pieces of glass - 1/4" and 3/8". I chose these based on a calculation method I found online comparing glass sound properties to its surrounding surfaces, and I chose different thicknesses for resonance reduction.
The door is a solid core Jeld Wen door, slightly modified, and then fitted with several layers of soundboard and drywall to increase its mass. There are minor sound leaks around the door where the materials don't perfectly meet the frame, but I can live with that for now.
The rear panel is massive...too big, in fact. It should have been cut into 2 panels, just like the floor. Live and learn, I guess. :\
Lighting is simple LED strips. Power was run as you would normally run power in a standard american home -- 12/2 residential wire with outlets in boxes. However, the power runs to an inlet, which I can then plug an extension cord into. So yeah, it's basically a very elaborate extension cord. As a safety precaution, the extension cord is plugged into a surge protector with circuit breaker. I also added a couple combo xlr & 1/4" ports internally and externally for obvious reasons.
The walls are bolted together with large lag screws. The walls also connect to the floor with many bolts...roughly 5" long with washers and nuts.
The window and other areas that need sealed were done with Green Glue Sealant.
The floor is dirt cheap carpet and the walls are sound foam from Next Acoustics (including floor-to-ceiling "bass traps"...not that they trap that much). I've seen some mixed opinions about them, but it's not the cheap ebay-level stuff for sure. Considering the type of noise I'm making, it serves me very well and works great in this small space.
To answer some questions that might come up...
- Why did I build parallel walls? Space restrictions and simplicity in modular design.
- Why did I not build rigid fiberglass panels? Space limitations and longterm health concerns for fiberglass panels in such a small space, even if covered.
- Why did I bother with that crappy "soundboard" when I know it doesn't do much for dampening lower frequencies? As I mentioned above, it's about balance. It was the best "sandwich" layer material I could find for weight savings. This thing is already insanely heavy. 2 layers of drywall sandwiched is just too much weight.
- How much did I spend? I kept all of the receipts, but haven't totaled everything up yet. I believe it was somewhere around $2000 USD. Definitely not cheap, but SO worth the investment. This could have been considerably cheaper if I didn't waste some money experimenting.
- Will I be posting up sound tests, db measurements, etc.? Yes.
- Why did I not finish the outside yet? I'll be hiring someone to finish it...finishing is not my strong suit.
- How do you breathe in that thing? I open the door. Proper intake/exhaust baffles with fans will happen eventually.
Last edited:
