Minimum Booth Size?

[technominds]

I have the builders coming in march to start plans, and i need to confirm that my sizes will be usable.

The inside measurement of my booth once constructed will be 3ft x 4ft and about 6'5 tall.

I can extend if need-be, so the booth is 3ft by 8ft, but i would like to use the space as wisely as possible.

Will that be big enough for it to not sound overly dead?

The outer frame will be filled with either rockwool or i will use insulation. Should I cover as much as i can of the inside with foam?

im am really looking for a dead vocal sound, that will not sound so dead once recorded.

Any help would be great.

[SRR]

Someone correct me if you think I am out of whack, but a 3x4x6.5 vocal booth is going to have a lot of bass build up in it. I record my vocals in a 12x19x7.9 ft room, and I think it sounds just right, half of the room has tiered seating as the room is also my front projection home theater room, with some 2" foam on the early reflection points on the side walls from where the front row of seating is vs the main speakers. And I know music videos are whack jobs compared to what really happens in studio's, but do you really ever see vocal booths that small? I know they have vocal booths that are computer modeled with all the proper treatment, but still they are sometimes rather large rooms, maybe with some gobo's around the singer, maybe not. So anyways, if you have to have a booth that small watch for bass build up, and you may want to use 2 inch 705 in there.

[Dani Pace]

3X4X6.5 sounds like the potential for an early reflection nightmare. If a room that size is very tight, you will run out of air before you finish a song. Unless treated propperly small rooms make you sound like you were recorded in a barrel (or a coffin.)

[technominds]

This is what i feared. I could extend it to 8ft long, would that make a difference?

[pandamonk]

Originally Posted by technominds

This is what i feared. I could extend it to 8ft long, would that make a difference?

I doubt it. You'd just need to make it really dead, with at least 4" absorption. It doesn't matter if you have dead vox, 'cause you can add reverb after, as you know. You just gotta make sure that you absorb bass as well as highs. I'd suggest the 3x8 booth. But you could make 3x5 and use the rest for something else, if that's what you were planning.

Ohh and yeh, you need an air supply. I don't know best way to provide this, but I'm using extractor fans as my ventilation, one in one out, although they are rather loud. If built properly, you could cut this noise down though.

[technominds]

Originally Posted by pandamonk

Ohh and yeh, you need an air supply. I don't know best way to provide this, but I'm using extractor fans as my ventilation, one in one out, although they are rather loud. If built properly, you could cut this noise down though.

As for air supply. Cant I just leave the door open while noones in there? The booth wont be used for very long without the vocalist coming out. Its mainly to get rid of machine noise, and to clean up my signal a little?

[pandamonk]

Originally Posted by technominds

As for air supply. Cant I just leave the door open while noones in there? The booth wont be used for very long without the vocalist coming out. Its mainly to get rid of machine noise, and to clean up my signal a little?

Well vocalists breathe a lot, so the little air that is in there will be used up pretty quick. The bigger room would obviously allow for longer. You could do that, yeah, but it'll get really hot and stuffy in there and you don't wanna pass out.