vocal booth

[Botinok]

ok so iv decided that i dont want to treat my whole room..but instead build/buy a booth.

I record only hip-hop vocals..so a one man booth would be fine (4' x 4' ?) i looked on vocalbooths.com and $3000 is a bit too much..im looking to stay under $1500...I do not have much experiance in building things..but if there are specific instructions/plans..i am willing to try..

also people have said to have local carpenter do it..where can i find somebody that could do it..

any suggestions are greatly appritiated..thanks!

[pandamonk]

Well are you planning on building in an upper floor? what kind of weight restrictions are there?

[travelin travis]

Did Rick ever finish his design? ........nag.....nag

[Botinok]

yes it will be on the second floor....im not sure on the wieght restriction tho...its not an apartment..its a house....im not suer what the floor can support tho.....

[technominds]

so many have tried this, what kind of isolation will you want the vocal booth to provide? Will you be playing music directly outside the booth booming.. or is it just to get rid of machine noise?

If you want a totally soundproof booth, i wouldnt bother wasting your time.. it just isnt possible.. especially with problems such as ventilation.

If you tell us what you want the booth for its exact purpose.. we can put you in a better direction?

[Botinok]

well...bascically..im most concerned about sound quality....right now, im recording in my room...and i think a booth would make the sound a lot better (no reverb..dead space)...thast my main concern..

thanks alot!

[pandamonk]

Why not just treat an area of your room? Or build broadband absorber gobos(not sure if that's the right word) and put them round you while you record, and then place them in the corners or first reflection points of your room when mixing. A booth is usually built for isolation and it seems that that is not what you need.

[Shout It Out]

I agree with pandamonk. For instance my new vocal booth is in a corner with a 4'' thick piece of 703 in the corner and foam on the walls. the 703 kills all the unwanted frequencies and the foam helps wit hthe reverb issue.


I use the right corner of my control room for vocals with the monitors on mute.

[technominds]

If all you want to do is deaden the sound then you just need to absorb the sound around you. Recording in a vocal booth wont make the 'quality' any better.. it will just isolate the sound better. I record vocals in my room.. and i have very minimal acoustic treatment... the chances of getting any serious reverb from a bedroom is quite unlikely. You have to also be careful with making booths that are too small.. if its too small the recording can actually sound dull and closed in.

Your best option is to treat your room, and if computer noise is a problem... then build some partition floor-standing absorbers and put them around you when you record. Its a cheaper and way more effective way of isolating yoru sound.

[halfguard]

im in the same situation, but i need a little bit of sound proofing. i need a vocal booth that will be in a little garage studio. vocals will be recorded late at night while kids are sleeping. it doesnt have to be noise free, but killing alot of it.

[Innovations]

Originally Posted by halfguard

im in the same situation, but i need a little bit of sound proofing. i need a vocal booth that will be in a little garage studio. vocals will be recorded late at night while kids are sleeping. it doesnt have to be noise free, but killing alot of it.

You have an appropriate level of expectations from a typical freestanding vocal booth. Keep from waking up the kids. but once you start to get to 4x5 foot dimensions you want the place dead from reverbs because otherwise it will sound like a bathroom.

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Did Rick ever finish his design? ........nag.....nag

Naw..Shellshock gave up, so I went on with my studio. Besides, anyone who could build a booth could do it from what I posted...minus the venting...which I SHOULD finish..but...............................MY monitor soffits are more important right now. Besides, after all the drawings I've posted here, I've yet to see anyone post of pic of something they built from them. Oh well, I do it for myself mostly anyway But maybe I will finish them one day. AND SELL THEM

BTW Botinok, DO NOT go to a carpenter. Go to a CABINET SHOP if you get plans....(hint) Carpenters don't have the tool setups it takes to build a knock down booth. Even then, this is specialized fixture fabrication, which few cabinet shops are familiar with anyway. Most don't want to bother with CLOSE TOLERANCE fabrication. Niether do most people who post here. Fortunately....I DO. Where do you live?
fitZ