C
chiefnoshow
New member
Everyone's got to figure out how you're going to do it. You've got to kill a lot of white noise and to do it you need to pick a space and devote it to recording. You need a solution and maybe you don't have the budget for a tricked out sound booth. If you're living in an apartment or house with a garage outfitted with a garage door opener this makes a great space. As long as you can part with your covered parking spot you're in business. Otherwise, you will spend a over a hundred building walls. I built one at my apartment for under a hunny and here's how:
Lowes and Home Depot carry a spongy speckled material called carpet padding. It's the padding that contractors put under your carpet. It comes about 3/4-inch thick and is about 6 feet wide. The price is dictated by how many feet you buy in length. Lowe's was selling it at 1.80 per foot, so I bought 45 feet for $81.00. Also at Lowe's I found a package of nylon spring clamps of assorted sizes for $9.98. Last I bought a box razor blade for under a dollar, bringing my total to $94.93.
Use a measuring device (measure tape or rope if you're not handy) to measure the length of a wall you're going to cover. Cut the padding giving yourself about 8 in. to a foot for good measure. Then simply hang the padding on the chassis of your garage door opener. This works very efficiently because most garage door chaises are about 7-8 ft off the ground and at least a couple of inches from the walls. The space between the walls is clutch because it dampens the sound so much more. It's a good idea to cut the padding in half before you hang it, as the padding isn't super strong and may rip if you're not careful. You should be able to hang the padding in a square form. I left a space uncovered and hung a blanket there that I use as a door I can close by sliding it over. Simple. 45 feet gave me enough padding to cover 4 - 8 foot panels, lay a piece on the ground, and cut a few pieces to fill the gaps between the padding and the floor. I need one more 10 ft piece to hang over the top and my sound booth will be a padded box of sound deadness, hehe.
Every garage is different so you may need a little more material. FYI, I recorded this week in the booth and I experienced little to no white noise distortion in my recording. Many garages extend farther than the chassis so it actually gives you a second space you can use to put equipment, mixers, computers etc.
Oh and about power, look up. your garage door motor has to be plugged into a socket. If you don't have wall outlets run an extension cord down from it. At my apartments, we don't pay for the electricity of the garages so I have a recording studio downstairs and my apartment managers foot the electricity bill. Sticking it to the man...now that's rock and roll.
Lowes and Home Depot carry a spongy speckled material called carpet padding. It's the padding that contractors put under your carpet. It comes about 3/4-inch thick and is about 6 feet wide. The price is dictated by how many feet you buy in length. Lowe's was selling it at 1.80 per foot, so I bought 45 feet for $81.00. Also at Lowe's I found a package of nylon spring clamps of assorted sizes for $9.98. Last I bought a box razor blade for under a dollar, bringing my total to $94.93.
Use a measuring device (measure tape or rope if you're not handy) to measure the length of a wall you're going to cover. Cut the padding giving yourself about 8 in. to a foot for good measure. Then simply hang the padding on the chassis of your garage door opener. This works very efficiently because most garage door chaises are about 7-8 ft off the ground and at least a couple of inches from the walls. The space between the walls is clutch because it dampens the sound so much more. It's a good idea to cut the padding in half before you hang it, as the padding isn't super strong and may rip if you're not careful. You should be able to hang the padding in a square form. I left a space uncovered and hung a blanket there that I use as a door I can close by sliding it over. Simple. 45 feet gave me enough padding to cover 4 - 8 foot panels, lay a piece on the ground, and cut a few pieces to fill the gaps between the padding and the floor. I need one more 10 ft piece to hang over the top and my sound booth will be a padded box of sound deadness, hehe.
Every garage is different so you may need a little more material. FYI, I recorded this week in the booth and I experienced little to no white noise distortion in my recording. Many garages extend farther than the chassis so it actually gives you a second space you can use to put equipment, mixers, computers etc.
Oh and about power, look up. your garage door motor has to be plugged into a socket. If you don't have wall outlets run an extension cord down from it. At my apartments, we don't pay for the electricity of the garages so I have a recording studio downstairs and my apartment managers foot the electricity bill. Sticking it to the man...now that's rock and roll.
