How Do I Trap The Sound From Getting Out?

[The REAL Jigsaw]

Can it be done at a reasonable price? At times, my time for recording is limited because other people are home. Is there a solution that I can record without having the sound escape? I know it'll be pricey, but am just curious what methods are out there. Thanks

[stealth_prod]

there are alot and I mean alot of different variables to take into consideration when asking this question. No one will be able to answer this for you. Try to get a little more detailed. It can be expensive and it could be cheap, the choice is really yours. Give some room sizes, wall materials, and anything else that may have to do will sound control. Good luck with your project.

[The REAL Jigsaw]

Yeah, I should of been a little more specific. The booth'll be used strictly for recording vocals. The space to work with varies, it can go all the way up to the size of a full bedroom, approx. 13ft x 13ft max (but really it all depends on what is neccesary to get this working). I have the flexibity for it. The space right now has drywall. If anything else comes up, then I'll post again. Thanks

[Nightfire]

Is it in a basement? Or something like a freestanding shed in your backyard?
Acoustic Treatment: things done to the inside of your room to make it sound good.
Acoustic Isolation: things done to the wall of your room to prevent the sound from escaping.

When dealing with acoustic isolation it can get expensive quick. Your friend is dead air, and mass. You'll want to build a room inside a room, with lots of dead air or mass in between.
This usually includes building a floating floor and two sets of walls. For the floating floor, some people have had luck using old tires on the floor, then stuffing them with old clothes, then building a floor on top of that. Daptone Studios in Brooklyn has gone this way (Amy Winehouse, Sharon Stone etc.)
Jack Johnson environmentally friendly all-gree studio uses old jeans stuffed between the walls.
These might not be the right ways to go about it, but theyre ways that some big studios have used in the past. Im sure someone is gonna step in here and probably negate everything I told you, so take it with a grain of salt


Mike

[The REAL Jigsaw]

It's in the basement, but could use a spare room if that works better. You're ideas here are very much appreciated. I'll have to give some serious consideration to what you mentioned. Through trial and error I also noticed that a more open area is preferred (or more mass as you say).

Never knew some of the bigger studios used methods as you've described. Thanks

BTW, the basement measures roughly 13ftWx26ftLx7ftH

SHAVEZ

[Dani Pace]

Are you trying to stop sound from getting upstairs? Got any heat/ac vents in the room? A little more info will get better responses.

[The REAL Jigsaw]

Yes there's 2 heat/ac vents, and yeah I'm trying to stop the sound from getting upstairs.

I was thinking, what if I isoloated the whole basement space? How/would that work?

[Pony!]

I've heard of people using lots and lots of hockey pucks under a second floor and between walls

[dualflip]

Glass fiber is one of the cheapest and most efficient materials

[bpape]

If you have the space, you're in a basement, and you just want to do vocals, I'd just build a small free-standing room. Use normal construction methods, insulate the walls, and use double drywall. That's likely your best bet unless I'm missing something.

Bryan

[The REAL Jigsaw]

So Bryan, do you think a free-standing room like you described would completely stop the sound from getting out. I mean.....when I rap....I can get loud.


SHAVEZ

[The REAL Jigsaw]

Originally Posted by Pony!

I've heard of people using lots and lots of hockey pucks under a second floor and between walls

Originally Posted by dualflip

Glass fiber is one of the cheapest and most efficient materials

Thanks for your ideas here too people. I think I'll have to do more investigating on this one.

[acattoir]

Originally Posted by bpape

If you have the space, you're in a basement, and you just want to do vocals, I'd just build a small free-standing room. Use normal construction methods, insulate the walls, and use double drywall. That's likely your best bet unless I'm missing something.

Bryan

YES and AMEN to the above. I once made an enclosure for a twin cylinder air compressor that was inside a photo studio. It had to have ventilation and so will you. What I did was made a U shaped channel for air to flow in and out of the enclosure. And then lined it with 6 inch thick fiberglass, raw side facing into the channel. What happens is the sound had to travel around two corners to get out and the fiberglass soaked up most of the noise.
Make sure to use a solid core door.
BTW I have GIK bass traps all over my project studio, 13 of them. They work great and are very reasonably priced.
ac

[The REAL Jigsaw]

Thanks ac! I like the u-shaped channel idea.

[The REAL Jigsaw]

Any books you guys know of that can help with building this sort of thing?

Also, there's a washroom in the basement that we don't use. It measures about 8ftLx5ftWx8ftH. It's seems that it would be simpler converting that, but I'm not sure if it would be as effective. There's one vent in there, and I believe the walls and ceilling are cement. I'm trying to build something that's a combination of some of the ideas mentioned above. Your help is appreciated.

[The REAL Jigsaw]

Originally Posted by Nightfire

When dealing with acoustic isolation it can get expensive quick. Your friend is dead air, and mass. You'll want to build a room inside a room, with lots of dead air or mass in between.

Okay, I now understand what you meant by "mass". At first, I thought you meant lots of "space" in general, like an open area.

After a bit more reseach, I can see that this is gonna take a while. So I'm thinking maybe it might be wiser for me to just buy an iso booth.

UPDATE - I've decided not to build one, but buy one instead. I'll have the money saved in a month or two, as opposed to constructing it which would take somewhere between 6-12 months. Thanks for your help though guys.


SHAVEZ