Building Vocal Booth

  • Thread starter Thread starter Diffusion
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Diffusion

Future Astrophysicist
im turning the garage into my bedroom, and it echoes a lot so ive decided to build a vocal booth about 4' wide and 7' tall... i need some suggestions on what i should use for the frame, absorbtion, etc... i was thinking i was going to build a wooden frame and use plywood panels for the walls and on the outside i would cover it up with carpet or somethin and on the inside.... i dont know... i need a suggestion for what to use for the inside to absorb sound and reduce echoes... i do rap vocals only... and im looking for a cheap, but effective solution... does carpet work alright? ive heard eggcrates are shit.. suggestions?
 
Ok, number one be sure that you have it clear about what is the difference between absorbtion and isolation. The DIY booth you are describing, whether foam or carpet or whatever is not going to get you isolation. It can get you absorbtion relatively easily. The best bang for the buck would be to find a supplier of 703 fiberglass and hang some fabric covered panels on mic stands or from the ceiling. But why not instead not have to sacrifice the floorspace and instead just use the panels to reduce the echoes in the room as a whole.
 
what is the difference between isolation and absorbtion.. i thought absorbtion was eliminating echoes and isolation was making a booth sound proof? am i wrong? anyway what i want to do basically is to eliminate echoes...
 
Absorbtion refers to ... well .. absorbing sound, which usually translates to reducing the echos in a room.

Isolation refers to keeping a sound trapped in a room, also known as soundproofing. It's very, very difficult and very expensive to create a truly soundproof space, but it's not very difficult to create a deadened space (not very much echo) suitable for a recording vocals.

The product in the link you posted would work, but you could do it for much cheaper if you're willing to do a little work yourself.

You can buy 2' x 4' x 2" sheets of 8pcf mineral wool that will absorb the sound very well, and these can be bought for around $4 or $5 a sheet. Then you can cover them with fabric (or frame them with 1 x 4s or 2 x 4s and cover the whole thing with fabric) and attach them to the walls on the inside of your booth.

The problem with using carpet is that it only really absorbs high frequencies. The mineral wool (or 703 rigid fiberglass, which is another popular choice but more expensive than the mineral wool) is a broadband absorber, which means it absorbs a wide range of frequencies from treble to bass. They don't get the really low bass, but the voice doesn't usually generate frequencies that low anyway.

A place that carries both the mineral wool and 703 rigid fiberglass is SPI. (www.spi-co.com) They've been really helpful when I've worked with them.
 
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