Turning A Closet Into A Vocal Booth

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SecondHeartbeat

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hey guys im new on this forum but everyone seemed like they could be helpful to me.

Im trying to turn my closet into a vocal booth.
The dimensions are:
-8.5 ft. Tall
-4.5 ft. Wide
-5.5 ft. Long

Im on a very low budget and im looking for some guidance on every aspect of making it from soundproofing to how it looks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks.

Sean
 
My cheapo vocal booth:

In the bedroom do you have a closet with sliding or bifold dorrs? Open the doors as wide as you can exposing the most hanging clothes. That would be my wife's at my house. Put the micstand in between the clothes so that the mic is outside the clothes by about 6". Stand in the bedroom and sing toward the clothes.

The clothes act as a major kickin' good absorber acting on almost 180° of your projection. There is very little left to go bouncin' round the room and hit the mic again. The bed is a big absorber, too. Open up the other closets if you can. This makes for a very localized acoustically dead space which will take care of 99% of those echoes and reflections.
 
apl said:
My cheapo vocal booth:

In the bedroom do you have a closet with sliding or bifold dorrs? Open the doors as wide as you can exposing the most hanging clothes. That would be my wife's at my house. Put the micstand in between the clothes so that the mic is outside the clothes by about 6". Stand in the bedroom and sing toward the clothes.

The clothes act as a major kickin' good absorber acting on almost 180° of your projection. There is very little left to go bouncin' round the room and hit the mic again. The bed is a big absorber, too. Open up the other closets if you can. This makes for a very localized acoustically dead space which will take care of 99% of those echoes and reflections.
Click to expand...

thanks dude.

but mine is another little room right in the corner of the main room.
 
thanks dude.

also do you have any advice on what some good mics would be for vocals and what some good ones would be for micing a guitar or bass amp.

and im on a very low budget.

also does anyone else have any advice for the vocal booth?
 
It'd be easier to answer if you'd throw out a number and what your goals are.
 
Just follow whatever apl suggested, and you will be perfectly fine. Also try to hang blanklets.
 
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SecondHeartbeat said:
thanks dude.

also do you have any advice on what some good mics would be for vocals and what some good ones would be for micing a guitar or bass amp.

and im on a very low budget.
Click to expand...

Heres the generic answer - sm57 for instruments

I use an akg perception 200 for vocals
 
Welcom to The site!! What works for me at home is to take my matress of the bed and use that to line one wall, then take the other part of the bed (i use a double) And stand it on its side. Now you have a right angle, so i usually take a boom mic stand, hoist it right up to its limit and then take the boom section and make a T shape. This enables me to hang blankets from the T shape, I then move it into position so i have a make shift Right angle U shape. If you have a Walk in closet you should look to dampen The walls with some fabrics. You could put hooks in and hang curtains all around it, or bed covers. The more layers the better, But you should try and get a bit of "air" between them and the wall. Good mics for guitars on a buget would be a SM57, cost about 60 pounds here in the uk, not sure on worldwide prices, for Bass you could get a Akg D112, tho im not sure on your budget. You could get a Beyer M201 which is a very versatile mic.
 
wow.....i thought me and my egg cartons were ghetto. The mattresses are just ghetto FAB!!!!
 
oops, forgot to mention you can make a neat windscreen out of Nylons and coat hanger too. Just try not to get used nylons, that could get icky :D
 
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djhead said:
wow.....i thought me and my egg cartons were ghetto. The mattresses are just ghetto FAB!!!!
Click to expand...

Egg cartons are only good for storing eggs. They have no useful acoustic properties.
 
apl said:
Egg cartons are only good for storing eggs. They have no useful acoustic properties.
Click to expand...
really? i never thought of using egg-carton "cusions" but maybe i shouldnt now?

hmm... i'm also a "closet" recorder and i was wondering how to dampen sounds too. i got a bunch of clothes but the ceiling is pretty high (14 feet maybe?)

i know the first thing i have to do is get some carpet for the floor... hard wood floors and hiphop dont mix. i hang some bath towels/sheets to cover the inside of the door.

but i do have another question: is it better to record from outside the closet (from my room looking in), or to close myself in?




bless.
 
BillyBo said:
....is it better to record from outside the closet (from my room looking in), or to close myself in?
Click to expand...

I record standing in room looking into the closet.
 
well, what would be the advantages/disadvantages of recording inside of the closet compared to recording inTO the closet? i'm always looking to get better sound from a small, hardwood-floored apartment. if i were to record facing my closet instead of into it, i would have to worry about an echo from the kitchen behind me getting recorded.

lemme try to explain my layout. all the floors are either hardwood or vinyl. facing the closet i would stand on vinyl, with the bathroom doorway to my left, the stairs to my entrance a few feet back to my left, and the doorway to my living room to my right, the kitchen is right behind me.

my closet is about 8-10 feet deep, 14' ceiling, and about 4-5 wide. there isnt too much moving room, although it is a "walkin closet".

i'm only pushing this issue of the "egg carton" pads to dampen sound/echo because it's extremely cheap and anything to help cut down the 'extra' sounds would be great. like i said before, i am gonna lay a carpet/rug on the floor, but what should i get for the walls? i know i sound wwaaaay to ghetto for my own good, i've gotten good results from recording in bedrooms, living rooms, etc., it's just that i'd like to make my closet my recording room while i have a button-pushing monkey in the kitchen. :p

examples can be found at www.soundclick.com/billybo or www.myspace.com/billybomusic

sorry for the long and redundant posts, but the egg-carton thing got me intrigued.




bless.
 
BillyBo said:
well, what would be the advantages/disadvantages of recording inside of the closet compared to recording inTO the closet? i'm always looking to get better sound from a small, hardwood-floored apartment. if i were to record facing my closet instead of into it, i would have to worry about an echo from the kitchen behind me getting recorded.

lemme try to explain my layout. all the floors are either hardwood or vinyl. facing the closet i would stand on vinyl, with the bathroom doorway to my left, the stairs to my entrance a few feet back to my left, and the doorway to my living room to my right, the kitchen is right behind me.

my closet is about 8-10 feet deep, 14' ceiling, and about 4-5 wide. there isnt too much moving room, although it is a "walkin closet".
Click to expand...

If it's got a lot of clothes in it, it'd probably work for a booth. I was thinking of the closets in most newer houses that are a couple of feet deep, and yours is nothing like that..

BillyBo said:
i'm only pushing this issue of the "egg carton" pads to dampen sound/echo because it's extremely cheap and anything to help cut down the 'extra' sounds would be great. like i said before, i am gonna lay a carpet/rug on the floor, but what should i get for the walls?
Click to expand...

See www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html and www.realtraps.com

The cheapest acoustic treatment is 703 rigid fiberblass panels hung on the wall.
 
interesting sites... and i've seen something like the "minitrap" before. i thought the clothes would act as that would, but i suppose i need to rethink my closet layout and where i put the mic... it could make all the difference.... now to figure out that buzz..... (hint: my post is in the "newbie" section ;))




bless.
 
I went to a fancy pants recording school before signing my life away, and one of our project was to make our own traps. We found that egg cartons and carpet (strategically placed) can really tune your room to within 80% of what acoustic treatment can.
 
djhead said:
I went to a fancy pants recording school before signing my life away, and one of our project was to make our own traps. We found that egg cartons and carpet (strategically placed) can really tune your room to within 80% of what acoustic treatment can.
Click to expand...

How did the flame spread test go? Got any curves?

HA: To point out the danger of such construction and to express doubt.
 
I gotta ask, since I am fairly simple. Whats the HA: ???
 
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