booth from doors

[paul14227]

I'm reading around and figure I can make a 'diamond shaped' vocal booth shape http://www.vocalbooth.com/products/diamondseries.html for voice recording (voice over, not singing) from unfinished door panels.

The room is pretty quiet overall, but it is open (no door) to a hallway and a staircase up from the basement level. It is a pain when recording longer voice jobs (elearning, audio books...).

I know it would be relatively cheap to use 36" luan door panels (about $25 ish) for the walls, frame it with 1"x1"'s and securing it with screws and liquid nail. Then fix Gypsum (drywall) sheets to the outside and inside. I was even thinking of using Green Glue (or equivalent) between the door/drywall contact surface.

Seal it up with acoustic caulk and attack a solid door to the front of it.

Overhead would be either same construction or just heavy plywood with insulation.

Interior would have all the trimmings (treatment - foam, light, venting).

I was even thinking of experimenting with sound blankets instead of foam (cheaper and less space).

Any adjustments or 'absolutely don'ts' I should be aware of?

 

[TimOBrien]

The doors will just make it too heavy to bother moving around.
I've already built this - the same configuration you're proposing- and it works for me:

http://www.palmcitystudios.com/timobrien/music/soundbooth/simplesoundbooth.html

Portable, storable and cheap (about $50-60 for 2 sets to make a diamond booth)

 

[paul14227]

Not worried about portability.

Tim,

I love simple, and yours looks very simple and low maintenance.

Unfortunately, for voice over projects that take a lot of time, I have to have an isolated space (or pretty isolated) that will keep the sound of my dog, wife, 14 year old son, trucks...and such from sneaking into the recording. I have tried to record long projects in the basement space with just some absorber panels. It get's very frustrating when things are going well and 20 minutes into a narration that is going well, some thump or phone ring or car with heavy base messes it up.

I want to move more into audio book/narrations, so the isolation will mean that I can eliminate those types of mess ups.

Once it is assembled, it won't move, but that is okay for now. Having it closed off also gives the advantage of a separated area where visiting kids won't see and want to play with my gear.

Your sound blankets though, I was thinking of using those instead of acoustic foam for the interior treatment, how much?

The doors will just make it too heavy to bother moving around.
I've already built this - the same configuration you're proposing- and it works for me:

http://www.palmcitystudios.com/timobrien/music/soundbooth/simplesoundbooth.html

Portable, storable and cheap (about $50-60 for 2 sets to make a diamond booth)

 

[TimOBrien]

Sorry, but if you have trucks, animals and kids already bleeding in, neither of these solutions is going to work for you. Sound absorbtion is a tweak, but soundPROOFING takes MASS and lots of it.

Studios spend million$ to completely isolate with rooms-within-rooms and special materials. You're just not going to get that with a cheap DIY project.

More info over on www.ethanwiner.com for you to scan through...

 

[Ethan Winer]

I know it would be relatively cheap to use 36" luan door panels (about $25 ish) for the walls, frame it with 1"x1"'s and securing it with screws and liquid nail. Then fix Gypsum (drywall) sheets to the outside and inside. I was even thinking of using Green Glue (or equivalent) between the door/drywall contact surface.

Real sound isolation is tough to do and expensive. But if your main problem is a large open doorway, of course that's the first thing to deal with. Then you'll have to find the next weakest link, and the next, and so forth. An SPL meter, or microphone and VU meter, can help you pinpoint the leakage sources. But once it's down to leakage through the walls and ceiling, further isolation is not trivial.

--Ethan