Amplifier Booth?

[rbuist]

In my apartment I'm moving into in June, I'll have a basement. I've been doing a bit of home recording myself but I never really dedicated a space for it- the entire recording chain I set up for myself would be wall, carpet/pillows to absorb sound, microphone, amplifier, computer/desk, and me sitting pressing record and playing.

The tones and sound quality I got on my recordings were decent, but for my new apartment, I've been toying around with the idea of building a booth with some degree of acoustic treatment so I can set up the guitar/bass cab and microphone inside, but I can be sitting outside with access to the computer, amplifier head, effect pedals, and the instrument.

I know this kind of setup will make recording easier in general because I can play existing tracks/a metronome through the monitors at a low volume to myself and play along to it outside the booth (no worries about people talking, cell phones, ect), but I'm wondering if the acoustic treatments (not even really sure where to start on that) will make the overall sound quality of my recordings better.

The basement itself is cinder block walls with a concrete floor. My booth would be constructed out of plywood/drywall with a frame for support. Carpet on the floor, acoustic treatment material lining the walls. A door to get into swap amps/mic placement, and a small hole for cables to come out into the rest of the basement- I would plug any gaps up with something whenever I was tracking.

What are your thoughts on this kind of setup? This will not be my permanent residence, but I intend on recording at least one record while I'm living there. Should I spend the money (lets set $1000 as the tentative budget) on the booth, or take that $ and spend on better mics/interface/a new amp ect?

thanks for reading, and if you can direct me to a previous thread(s) I would appreciate it!

 

[Ethan Winer]

Rather than build a permanent booth, you might considering using acoustic baffles as in the photos below.

--Ethan

 

[rbuist]

I like it!

How sound proof are they? Would I be able to separate myself a decent bit away (arbitrary 15 feet) and be able to play along to my track without headphones without the track/click sound bleeding in?

 

[miroslav]

I can't speak for Ethan's baffles...but in most cases, baffles are not going to *soundproof* things, they are just used to create some separation from other instruments when there are multiple players, but at even moderate volumes, there will be some "bleed".
Now...if you are going to be playing with a buddy or a few band mates, then the baffles are actually a decent way to get everyone somewhat in their own space and track, though still having some "bleed" for that live feel.

My advice...if you are playing mostly alone, just learn to track with headphones when needed (just like playing to a click when needed), and then you don't have to worry about your recorded tracks and click bleeding into your current tracking.

While there's some cases of really needing to shove a guitar amp into a small, sealed, soundproof box...it's not the optimal way to track guitar, and it's not going to "improve" your tracks, IMO...it's only a last resort if you might have to keep it soundproofed for other reasons...like neighbors/etc.

Put the headphones on....stick that amp in the middle of your room and let it "breathe", with the mic a foot or two back. You'll get better guitar sounds.
If your room is too "alive"...then instead of baffles for the amp...spend the money on traps for the whole room...you'll get more value and better sound out of doing that. Ethan has plenty of trap options that could work for you...and just to be fair, there are quite a few other manufacturers of good acoustical products (not just "foam")...so you have options.

 

[GIK Acoustics]

I can't speak for Ethan's baffles...but in most cases, baffles are not going to *soundproof* things, they are just used to create some separation from other instruments when there are multiple players, but at even moderate volumes, there will be some "bleed".
Now...if you are going to be playing with a buddy or a few band mates, then the baffles are actually a decent way to get everyone somewhat in their own space and track, though still having some "bleed" for that live feel.

Yes, exactly. The baffles around an amp are a great way to be able to mic the amps close while removing most of the "room" from the recording, and they will give some helpful absorption to reduce the volume, but it won't give you isolation results like enclosing a room just for amps would.

Amp iso booths are quite common and can be easily constructed, but a big problem is often how small they are which can give large resonances in the entire bass region. Treating the walls with thick absorption would work to prevent this though. If you do go ahead with the iso booth, 6-8" of pink fluffy on a lot of wall space (covered with fabric or whatever you choose) can provide good absorption down to the lower octaves. Of course, recording in a treated room resolves these low end issues much easier, but then you aren't isolated.

 

[Ethan Winer]

How sound proof are they? Would I be able to separate myself a decent bit away (arbitrary 15 feet) and be able to play along to my track without headphones without the track/click sound bleeding in?

Yes, absolutely. How much isolation you'll get depends on how bassy a sound you're playing through the guitar amp. But generally speaking you'll around 20 dB isolation, which is quite a lot.

--Ethan