Owens Corning 703 for my 4x4 Vocal Booth: Will 1" thickness be enough or 2" better?

[hugocat]

Hey all -

I've been searching threads for info on OC 703 but can't find an answer to this....any help would be appreciated.

I'm building a 4x4x8 vocal booth for voiceovers only: no singing. I'm drying to create a dry, neutral acoustic. I've been trying to decide on whether to go for foam or 703. If I go for 703, do you think I can use the 1" thickness? I'm not hoping for soundproofing: I know how much effort and $$ that takes. It's only for acoustics.

If I get the 1" I can afford 96 square feet, enough for two-thirds of the surface area of the booth. If I go for 2" (or foam) I can only afford 48 square feet, enough for one third.

Any advice appreciated!!

B

[Massive Master]

4" - And in a 4'x4' booth, near 100% coverage. The amount of trapping necessary for such a small space is going to invade the space. If you use really thin drywall on the outside, no drywall on the inside you *MIGHT* be able to get away with filling the studs with R-19 or something and covering with a couple layers of tight cloth...

But in any case, 4'x4'x8' is going to be a little resonance chamber that's going to need massive (no pun intended) amounts of trapping to control. You'd be far better off in a bigger space...

[GIK Acoustics]

I'm drying to create a dry, neutral acoustic.

Not going to happen, even if

It's only for acoustics.

With a 4' x 4' x 8' space. If it isn't for isolation then get out of such a small booth! Record in the room!

If I were forced to use such a booth, I'd opt for 4" of material (at a minimum) on at least 50% of the wall surfaces, trying to trap every corner. Though this would likely be a lot of work for not very great results - some treatment in a larger bedroom would yield better results!

[hugocat]

Thank you for your help, much appreciated. I work in several studios right now who use 4x4 booths and the results are excellent: some use foam, some use traps. I'll look more into the suggestions you've made.

[Massive Master]

I work in several studios right now who use 4x4 booths and the results are excellent:

You can bet the bank that those "booths" aren't of typical construction...

[RAMI]

You can bet the bank that those "booths" aren't of typical construction...

....or that the results aren't actually "excellent". "Several" studios that use 4X4 booths? I find that hard to believe. I also find it hard to believe that the "results are excellent", especially in the ones that use foam. I giuess it's natural to think something sounds good if you have nothing better to compare it to.

[Massive Master]

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt to the point that I know a few places that have turned sound locks into makeshift vocal booths -- One I can think of was even covered in foam. But behind that foam was 4" of stud space filled with 703, behind that 1" soundboard, behind that a 4" void filled with "Safe n Sound" or whatever that green-ish Roxul type stuff was called.

Granted, if one didn't know that, one might assume they're in a closet with foam on the walls. But it's anything but a "closet" of typical closet-type construction...

[Doctor Varney]

I don't mean to sound negative or rude, but I read somewhere in this forum not to build a booth which uses multiples of it's own length, width and height.

[Massive Master]

That's a given, yes. 4x4x8 is (A) awfully tiny for anything other than noisy equipment and (B) custom-made for an acoustical nightmare. Whereas 3x5x8 would be a completely different story (although still tiny and still a nightmare just because it's still a baritone reverberant chamber).