How to build a semi portable soundproof isolation booth?

[Finnis]

I am ready to start building my own semi portable vocal booth because I live in an apartment and would like to build a booth that is maybe 7ft high 4ft wide or so...Small enough to put a mic and 1 person in to record dead quiet vocals. What materials are needed as I wanna just go in and purchase all materials first and take my time and put it together. Thanks in advance..

 

[phriq]

I am ready to start building my own semi portable vocal booth because I live in an apartment and would like to build a booth that is maybe 7ft high 4ft wide or so...Small enough to put a mic and 1 person in to record dead quiet vocals. What materials are needed as I wanna just go in and purchase all materials first and take my time and put it together. Thanks in advance..

These questions are VERY frequent, I would recommend doing some searches in the forum and you will find a whole ton of information on doing this exact thing that you are talking about. Here is one for example:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener.../help-building-soundproof-vocal-booth-319359/

 

[Hazmatstrat]

I built one a couple of years ago for a client who lived in an apartment and wanted to play Sax in the room. It was 3'x4'x7' and was constructed with 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF glued together for mass. The unit was screwed together with drywall screws so that it could be taklen apart at a later date. The size would not fit through the doorway so it was assembled on site. The booth was raised up on casters so that it was portable in the room and it had only 4 small points of sound transmission to the floor. Carpet was below.

I made a vent system with a small quiet bath fan, isolated from the booth, and some insulated flex duct for the supply and return. (long pieces with several bends) A vent system is a must!!

The door was made from MDF with hindges and a latch. Some foam was used at ear level to reduce the early reflection.

I took apart a power strip and fed the wire through a small hole and sealed the hole for power inside the unit. I also added a small light in the booth. You will also need a mic cable and headphone jack wired inside the booth.

From inside the booth, it was very quiet. The outside sounds were blocked very well. Outside of the booth, the Alto Sax, being a loud instrument could be distinctly heard. About the volume of normal voices. Outside the apartment the Sax was barely audible.

I am sure that Mass Loaded Vinyl added between the sheets would have made it much quieter however we were working with a budget.

The overall sound inside the booth was "boxey" and recording vocals in a small confined space will color the sound.

It was very heavy!!!



​

I am ready to start building my own semi portable vocal booth because I live in an apartment and would like to build a booth that is maybe 7ft high 4ft wide or so...Small enough to put a mic and 1 person in to record dead quiet vocals. What materials are needed as I wanna just go in and purchase all materials first and take my time and put it together. Thanks in advance..

 

[pianobenjjamin]

Use "Continuous hinges" on 3 corners. Use a sound-barrier gasket along the edges of the corners so that when the booth is erect and in use, the corners are sealed. The one corner not sealed is the doorway. The ceiling can be a hinge-swung ceiling. Or it can just sit on top and have a gasket seal, the seal of which is in effect by virtue of its own weight. Cost will determine your materials. If you are going for affordability, look on websites like craigslist for free, or inexpensive plywood. 1 inch thick will product roughly 26 STC rating. Two layers of 1 inch plywood with greenglue sandwhiched between will greatly increase that rating. Mass Loaded Vinyl is also a good choise for sound barrier.

Acrylic sheets are pretty good. 1/2" will get you into the mid 30's for STC. That isn't great, but it is decent if you are looking for something very sturdy and portable. But a 4x4x6.5 booth of this material will cost in the neighborhood of $2000, or more...

 

[pianobenjjamin]

oops

I meant to say that the one corner no hinged was the doorway. You need to seal every corner with a gasket using this method or else you wont have a sound barrier. haha, my bad.

 

[RAMI]

....and once you've done all you can do to make it as quiet as you can, think about finding a way to breathe in there. Sound and oxygen. You can't have one without the other.