How small can a vocal booth be?

B

bcnx

New member
Hi all,


last step in creating my own homestudio is building a vocal booth.
Thing is I only have a small limited space available: (I hope I get these US size units correct) 2.5 by 2.5 by 6. So just about enough to stand upright in.

The main purpose is to have some decent isolation. Acoustics are important, but perhaps a bit relative, since we make extreme industrial metal, where vocals are distorted anyway. But who knows one day I could decide to make balads or whatever ...

Is it a good idea to build the vocal booth in this tiny space?

Thx already!


Bart
 
I hope I get these measurements correct. In my book 1' equals 33 centimeters, but I might be wrong. I'm quite tall myself, and I would easily fit in this booth, but again, I probably got the figures wrong.

Thx for your reply!
 
Actually 30.48 cm per foot so a 2.5x2.5x6 foot booth is 76.20x76.20x182.88 cm I would double the width anddepth and add some extra height just in case!
 
Wish that were possible, but that's exactly the problem, I only have that space available. I red another post though about someone claiming that if you henge 4 doors together, it might result in a reasonable good booth too. And 4 doors would fit I think. Perhaps that might be an idea ...
 
heh... sounds like you wanna build a coffin!
you could go dig one up for dirt cheap :p (sorry, couldn't help myself)...

seriously ... i think you'd be better off going with some baffles or gobos or something. Comfort is the key to any good recording, imho ... you could have the best singer in the world ... but if they're not at ease in the environment they're in ... you'll get a shitty performance every time.
What do you want to isolate from? Drums? your monitors?
It's probably better to monitor in headphones and use gobos while tracking. Check out that Max Wall thing at www.auralex.com ... that may give you some ideas.

Good Luck!
 
Actually, I would like to isolate my neighbours from whatever is going on in the booth. Monitoring is done via headphones, there are no drums involved (drummachine).
Comfort is somewhat relative since it will be me shouting my throat out, which will be uncomfortable anyway.
 
ok it makes more sense now ...
2'6" x 2'6" is pretty tight ... also ... is that exterior dimensions or interior? if exterior ... and you're going to build it yourself out of standard building materials ... and you want to add at least 1" of acoustic foam ... you should figure an interior of more like 2' x 2'.
I personally wouldn't want to be in there for any long duration... and also you may want to try and not make it perfectly square.
I checked whisper room and the smallest they offer is 3'6" x 2'6" ... i think the height is 7' though.

http://www.whisperroom.com/WEB_specs/td4230S.htm

btw ... don't forget ventilation!!
don't know if that helps you or not ... but I tried :)
Good luck!
 
That thar is a towel closet :)

Don't forget when you add acoustical material the room gets even smaller. I hope your singer(s) are not carbohydrate saturated :)

I'm in the process of building a studio, and I just framed out a 3'x4' room, and after framing it, I don't see how a 135lb singer, a stool, and a mic stand is going to fit!

In all seriousness, remember that space and comfort are important for creativity. If one's uncomfortable, and packed in like a sardine (regardless of body type), the singer will rarely reach their full potential.

bcnx said:
Hi all,


last step in creating my own homestudio is building a vocal booth.
Thing is I only have a small limited space available: (I hope I get these US size units correct) 2.5 by 2.5 by 6. So just about enough to stand upright in.

The main purpose is to have some decent isolation. Acoustics are important, but perhaps a bit relative, since we make extreme industrial metal, where vocals are distorted anyway. But who knows one day I could decide to make balads or whatever ...

Is it a good idea to build the vocal booth in this tiny space?

Thx already!


Bart
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, I can see your point. Unfortunately, reality poses it's bounderies: that's simply the space I have available, no less, no more.
I'm gonna try to figure out a way to maximize the available space.

What strikes me though is that nobody sees any acoustical problems, which is quite comforting.

Thx for all the help!
 
What strikes me though is that nobody sees any acoustical problems, which is quite comforting.

Thx for all the help!
[/B]
Click to expand...

Well, a room that small generally has very fast echos, which you will hear if the surface is flat, hard, etc. Foam can fix this.

If I may make a suggestion... instead of making this tiny space a vocal booth, make it a closet, or put a rack for your rackmount gear in it :)

Then, purchase or make some acoustical absorption panels, and make a vocal "booth" using panels, this way, you can set it up for vocals, and tear it down and compress it flat when you're done. Its not 100% isolation of course, but probably better than an uncomfortable singing space?

Hope that helps!

Frederic
 
How about a bit more information?

How about a bit more information?

Where are you recording? How much room are you using in total?
Mabye you could isolate the whole room, not just vocals?

*Perhaps a frame of small lumber or PVC pipe draped over with heavy blankets woule be the best answer? Quilts absorb sound very well, and your wife or mother will love them too!

Sincerely;

Dom Franco
(30 year closet musician)
 
What if you fart while in there? It's like a gas chamber. I think gobos would be a good idea. Question If you dont have much space why not just use the main room to sing in? The proposed small space with a cardiod mic will have tons of proximity effect IE lots of bass, because you can't get far enough away from the mic.
 
Wallycleaver,

as stated, the primary goal of the vocal booth is to prevent the neighbours thinking someone is being slaughtered. So using the room itself is obviously a no-go.


Dom Franco,

I'm recording in my living room. Everything is done without mics, even guitar and bass (Line 6 POD). Isolating the room will be far more expensive, especially since the hallway gives out in to the living room. Your suggestion for the small room is very good. I hope to achieve the same result by building some sort of cage, well isolated. I'm going to study a bit about how to optimally make a cage like that soundproof, but it should work. Lack of comfort is a drawback, but not having to hold yourself in because of any neighbours is a major plus. I'll gladly bear with an accosional fart. Plus, in my kind of music, comfort is a relative thing. We're not into ballads.
 
Use the bathroom man! Seriously, you can deaden it by adding blankets or keep it live by leaving the blankets off. Pluss more room to move and breath and and still get the results. Are you in an apartment is that why you are so worried about leakage? You can take care of that with some small things, can make a comfortable, sound resistant (not proof) area.
 
WARNING! - This is probably a real stupid question - What are gobos? I want to make an Isobooth in my garage for vocals. I originally wanted to make something big enough for drums, but I have now sadfully abandoned that thought and become complacent with the idea of at least isolating vocals. I'm working out of my garage, a standard two car garage. Currently, I record vocals in the laundry room, which is about 6x4 feet. The only problem is that the mic cables are barely large enough, as I try to use cables no larger than 25ft.

Concern #2: Are snakes a no-no when it comes to recording? I'd love to record in my family room; it has a vaulted ceiling, looks great, and sounds awesome. However, I know that one should typically avoid running long cables in the recording chain. How is this mediated? How do "big" studios do it?

THANKS!
 
There are no stupid questions. Well, except for "I've jumped out of an airplane, and forgot my parachute. What should I do?". :)

Anyway, a Gobo is a name for a portable, movable sound absorbing partition.

Gobos are very useful for small spaces where you cannot build multiple rooms for specific purposes. I highly recommend them in these situations.

problem is that the mic cables are barely large enough, as I try to use cables no larger than 25ft.
Click to expand...

If you are careful where you route them (not over things with motors like washers/dryers/AC and flourescent lights) you'll probably be okay with longer cables. If you need five more feet, just do it. PA companies often have 100' mic snakes or more. This is the advantage of low-impedence condenser microphones with XLR cables - the signal can go a very long way without picking up too much hum. This is because they are low-impedance, typically 500-700 ohms.

Concern #2: Are snakes a no-no when it comes to recording? I'd love to record in my family room; it has a vaulted ceiling, looks great, and sounds awesome. However, I know that one should typically avoid running long cables in the recording chain. How is this mediated? How do "big" studios do it?
Click to expand...

Amatuer studios usually run their Hosa (or equiv) snakes from the instruments right to the mixing board. Top of the line pro studios typically run snakes from teh equipment, to a close proximity patch bay, which in turn is soldered to a very thick multi-line balanced cable, which ends by the console, attached to yet another patch bay. Then, the console is patched the back of the patch bay, and interconnected with individual cables. Basically, a giant snake.

You're right that shorter cables are generally better, but if you route carefully and make sure you use quality cable/connectors, a little distance is okay.
 
I just ordered a WhisperRoom for vocal practice and recording. Second smallest they make. The interior is 3'4" x 3'4" x 6'8".

Im pretty psyched.. looking forward to knowing I can go in there at any hour, and make any noise that I want to (vocally, that is), and not be heard by the girlfriend or the landlord or anyone else. Good for creativity, I figure.
 
Frederic

Thanks for the clarification buddy. Good thing I know what a gobo is - especially since I OWN FOUR OF THEM! I guess I just wasnt in tune with recording lingo. I have four cubicle partitions - cheap brown ones that stand on their own. These particular ones don't do a thing for me though - they don't deflect, reflect, absorb, or look good. Any suggestions where I can get some good gobos?

Also, I'm probably going to build a small room within my garage. The dimensions are going to be 8x8x6. What is the best way to run cables in there? One of my friends as a similar setup and he has a junction box. Where can I find these? What are they usually priced at?

JERRY: I looked into whisperbooth; it seemed awfully expensive! Lucky you!
 
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