How critical are vocal booths?

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GuitarGoblin

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So I realize every major studio has a vocal booth but truly how necessary is it to get a decent recording? I suspect the main reason for a vocal booth is to isolate who/what is inside from the outside and/or vice versa, but let's say I don't need the isolation but I need something to help with standing waves, would the blanket trick work?

For those who don't know, you can take a few mic stands and while using some moving blankets (the ones movers use to protect furniture) create a 'booth' with them. I figure using an absorption panel right behind the mic (in front of the person singing but behind it) in conjunction with the blanket method described, the only thing left to blame for poor sound is the singer and/or the engineer right?

I'm new to recording vocals so I figured I'd ask. Thanks for any comments/criticism/insight.
 
Guitargauntlet said:
So I realize every major studio has a vocal booth but truly how necessary is it to get a decent recording?
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Well, if your mic sucks ass, and it's ran into a budget preamp(yes, even the PRO model!), then into a soundblaster card and mixed in headphones, it's not really all that important, IMO.

If all other aspects are dialed in enough for it to matter, than it's relatively important, I guess. I'm no studio owner or even a working engineer, but it seems like if your vocal recordings have lots of background noise, then a vocal booth would help eliminate a good hunk of it.
 
I too have been researching the need for vocal booths. From what I have read, the main improvement would be to have something behind the singer. The mic has a pattern to what it hears and most have pretty good rejection at its rear. So sound reflection from a wall behind the singer are a major problem. I've been looking at (believe it or not) curtains on a track. Like hospital curtains. Something I can use when needed and push back when I done. If you have a closet available use it. I dont and Im not in the mood or position to partition and drywall a room (and add treatments). And from what Ive read the curtain thing works rather well. And you can always build the track to completely circle the area.
 
You know, I have recorded vocals in my living room with a CAD vx2 tube mic with very pleasant results (that turned out better than takes from an "actual studio". WIth a vocal booth, it's probably going to be more consistant overall, but that's not to say that you cannot get wonderful results in even a non audio related room, such as a living room... it's jst a bit more hit and miss.
 
To me, it depends on how you record. If you only record one track at a time a vocal booth is not always nessassary, especially if you have a decent room. When recording multiple tracks a booth (or seperate room) is needed for seperation of the vocal track. A lot depends on if you want room ambience on your vocal track(s) or if you want them flat, and which way sounds better. In many ways a vocal booth is mostly an isolation chamber, just designed to accomodate vocals.
 
good point =D I do almost exclusively track by track.
 
ez_willis said:
I should also mention that if you buy an AKG Perception 200 Professional Microphone, you won't even need a booth. They're THAT GOOD!
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i got the AKG 400, and yes i agree, with the different functions and settings, i haven't needed to use a booth when i record with it, thats why it's my "at home" mic..... works great for me!
 
i don't think they are critical at all.

I think that they can be used as a tool to obtain a very dry uneffected sound for anything you put in there.

However some of the best vocal recordings i've done have been in very large ambient rooms. It gives you the option of doing a standard close mic'd vocal track, and a distant ambient vocal track with another mic.
 
Sinistah said:
i got the AKG 400, and yes i agree, with the different functions and settings, i haven't needed to use a booth when i record with it, thats why it's my "at home" mic..... works great for me!
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How about the Audio-Technica ATR20 Professional Microphone ? Everyone should have half a dozen or so of them, huh?
 
Guitargauntlet said:
So I realize every major studio has a vocal booth but truly how necessary is it to get a decent recording? I suspect the main reason for a vocal booth is to isolate who/what is inside from the outside and/or vice versa, but let's say I don't need the isolation but I need something to help with standing waves, would the blanket trick work?

For those who don't know, you can take a few mic stands and while using some moving blankets (the ones movers use to protect furniture) create a 'booth' with them. I figure using an absorption panel right behind the mic (in front of the person singing but behind it) in conjunction with the blanket method described, the only thing left to blame for poor sound is the singer and/or the engineer right?

I'm new to recording vocals so I figured I'd ask. Thanks for any comments/criticism/insight.
Click to expand...

If you are using a highly sensitive condensor mic made for studio vocal recordings (ie Neumann) then a vocal booth is a must. These mics are so sensitive for the reason of picking up as much detail as possible. So if you are not using a vocal booth then it will pick up alot of unwanted room noise.

If however you are using a budget vocal mic like the Rode NT2, then you can simply place a blanket up behind the mic and that should be enough to get a clean vocal recording.

Eck
 
It depends on the room you are tracking vocals in (and the mic you are using). If it is a small, highly reflective room (and a sensitive condensor mic) then you may pick up some refections - which may not be "good reflections".
If it is a larger room the reflection off the back/side walls may not be that problematic.

I used the blanket method for several years (actually heavy curtains). Beyond the fact that it looked pretty low class when I had paying customers - the more significant concerns were: 1) the recording environment was so dead, I was completely dependent on sound processing to achieve any ambiance - and 2) while the curtains did provide a dead space, it did nothing to isolate outside sounds (in my case the computer fan and on occasion the washer/dryer and/or furnace) - naturally I worked around the outside sounds as best as possible.

When we purchased a new home I was able to build a vocal booth and treat it with absorbant panels, deflectors and bass traps - while I still need to use processing for the correct ambience for each song, I am not as dependant as I previously was. More importantly, I no longer have to plan vocal sessions around laundry day, etc. Without a doubt, it is now a much more professional and pleasant place for singers to work (vs. my old curtain dungeon). Some singers have actually indicated the curtain dungeon compromised their ability to provide the best possible performance - and the the new vocal booth makes them much more comfortable.

Is a booth critical? In most cases I would think no. Can they make life easier and result in a better recorded sound? In most cases I would think yes.
 
Where does room noise come from? I never thought a room can be noisy by itself, there are just things like noise from the street, neighbours, ac or computer.
 
kubeek said:
Where does room noise come from? I never thought a room can be noisy by itself, there are just things like noise from the street, neighbours, ac or computer.
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Well, we just had an earthquake here in California, so I think anyone recording at that time would have had actual room noise. :D
When we say room noise, we don't mean the room is the source of the noise so much as whatever noise is present in the room, regardless of it's source. It's room noise as opposed to noise injected by the signal chain. There are actually cases where the room itself makes noise though, by way of mechanical coupling of vibrations from nearby freeways, train tracks, mechanical equipment, etc. Those subsonic vibrations can cause walls, floors and ceilings to become transducers, which is why high end recording facilities have floating construction that decouples these structural elements from the rest of the building.
 
kubeek said:
Where does room noise come from?.
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I can give you an example: I built a studio with a moderate amount of room treatment in my garage. If my girlfriend is in the room closest to the studio, the mics will pick up the sound of her voice bitching at me. The same is true if she's in the room past that, or even the master bedroom, which is the furthest point from my studio.

There are even times that I swear I can hear the sound of her voice nagging me as she's pulling in the driveway.
 
Now I know where that strange nagging voice is comming from.
 
kubeek said:
Where does room noise come from? I never thought a room can be noisy by itself, there are just things like noise from the street, neighbours, ac or computer.
Click to expand...

lol.
When a singer sings in a room, they usually make noise. :D And they are in the room.

\this is a joke.
Eck
 
ez_willis said:
I can give you an example: I built a studio with a moderate amount of room treatment in my garage. If my girlfriend is in the room closest to the studio, the mics will pick up the sound of her voice bitching at me. The same is true if she's in the room past that, or even the master bedroom, which is the furthest point from my studio.

There are even times that I swear I can hear the sound of her voice nagging me as she's pulling in the driveway.
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I think I married her sister!!!!
 
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