building a "cone of silence"

[tdratler]

I’m trying to assemble a home studio for voice recording. My wife is going to be recording adaptations of classic children’s stories and (hopefully) some commercial voice-over work (phone messages, computer games, that sort of thing). We might also record some instrumental (percussion) and some sound effects for background.

My main problem is figuring out some way to create a “cone of silence” to blot out the background noise floating around my house without resorting to creating a traditional home studio.

Anyone think this will work:

1.Build an enclosure consisting of acoustic foam in a frame that is suspended such that it surrounds the speaker at head-height (perhaps 2 strips bent into a semi-circular shape wrapping around the speaker – front and back.)

2. Use a directional microphone to isolate the sound source and avoid picking up spurious sounds.

I’d welcome your advice and suggestions for alternatives.

Tom Dratler
tdratler@gate.net

[Electric Acid]

I read this idea a few months ago on this BBS and I thought it was a very good idea. buy 4 doors, like regular doors for rooms in your home and hinge them all together so you make like 4 walls then insulate the outside or inside with blankets or whatever you have to dampen the sound and just toss the mic cable over the top of the little porta-potty thing and there u go, a home made vocal booth. I dont know how effective this is, but id give it a try if it became nessary.

BTW, u could even use a closet.

[This message has been edited by Electric Acid (edited 12-29-1999).]

[tdratler]

"porta-potty thing" LMAO at the metaphor !

I like it ! Building it will be a no-brainer.

I think I'll try it with three doors to create kind of a non-symmetric surface and cover it with sound absorbing tiles. Then if I put this “shield” behind the vocalist and use a cardioid microphone (shure sm58)…

Sounds like a plan.

Thanks !

[shalom777]

Working in a closet works great, and I'm speaking from experience. A master closet with enough room for the vocalist and a mic works the best and all the clothing make for a very 'dead' room. It might not be to glamourous, but it works.

[Recording Engineer]

I like it!!!

[kristian]

i once recorded vocals in my bathroom, it was a mistake. i needed a lot of deadener if i was try it again, the more and more i sang, the worse and worse it got, seemed like the echo never died.

[Recording Engineer]

There's two unisex bathrooms here at work which have the best acoustics; funny.

[digital wonder]

i used my closet and put carpet padding all over the walls it sounds absolutly dead. it works better then most iso boths that ive worked with(is that a good thing or bad thing). but there anothet idea for you.