Vocal booth opinions. Please view.

[ryanformato]

Hi.

Right now I am recording in my basement and doing some tests, I never realized how much outside noise actually just bled into my mics (everything from walking to the fish tank) It is inaudible -60db, but when you copy the track like 10 times you begin to hear a hiss. So what I did was put up blankets (2 around the mic) so it formed an L and it knocked the sound dramatically down. I was very happy with this.

In doing this I was thinking of getting a vocal booth. I have 3 options. Can anyone with any knowledge please respond to this. I am in a huge basement with concrete walls so treating the room in near impossible (especially since I'm moving out in about 1.3 years)

Here are my options

a ) Use the blankets except surround the vocalist on all 4 sides.

b) Get something like this http://www.soundbooth.us/

c) or get something like this http://www.auralex.com/category_max-wall/category_max-wall.asp (the auralex MAX-Wall 831 or 1141vb)

I don't want to build my own vocal booth because I don't really have the know how or the time. Any input would be appreciated. Also, I know the auralex and the blankets tame high frequencies, so would I be smart in buying like 4 bass traps for each corner if I went that way?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[Ethan Winer]

Ryan,

If putting up a few blankets helped, then you probably don't need anything as large (and expensive) as an entire booth. Either the MaxWall you showed, or my company's MiniTraps on stands, will do a fine job.

> I know the auralex and the blankets tame high frequencies, so would I be smart in buying like 4 bass traps for each corner if I went that way? <

One advantage of using my company's traps on stands is they serve well as bass traps and can be placed around a singer. So you can leave them in the corners for bass trapping while mixing, and pull them out when recording vocals.

--Ethan

 

[Innovations]

Hi.

Right now I am recording in my basement and doing some tests, I never realized how much outside noise actually just bled into my mics (everything from walking to the fish tank) It is inaudible -60db, but when you copy the track like 10 times you begin to hear a hiss. So what I did was put up blankets (2 around the mic) so it formed an L and it knocked the sound dramatically down. I was very happy with this.

In doing this I was thinking of getting a vocal booth. I have 3 options. Can anyone with any knowledge please respond to this. I am in a huge basement with concrete walls so treating the room in near impossible (especially since I'm moving out in about 1.3 years)

Here are my options

a ) Use the blankets except surround the vocalist on all 4 sides.

b) Get something like this http://www.soundbooth.us/

c) or get something like this http://www.auralex.com/category_max-wall/category_max-wall.asp (the auralex MAX-Wall 831 or 1141vb)

I don't want to build my own vocal booth because I don't really have the know how or the time. Any input would be appreciated. Also, I know the auralex and the blankets tame high frequencies, so would I be smart in buying like 4 bass traps for each corner if I went that way?

Thanks,
Ryan

building a small vocal booth does not have to be rocket science. Five sheets of MDF and some brackets, weatherstripping, caulk and hinges will get you a lot more isolation than you can ever hope for from blankets and still be able to be disassembled and moved. You'll still want absorbtion within the box however so that it wont sound like you are in a box!

 

[AvoidTheClap]

right now i'm using sound proofing blankets.

it works ok. these recordings were done with it:

www.myspace.com/diminishingreturns

the first 2 songs.


i started buidling an actual book this weekend though. still in the frame building process. i'm just building a wood frame (76"x48"with 2 beams suporting the middle parts). putting insulation inside. & then putting thin plywood boards (3 2x4' boards) on each side.

i just wanted something light i could fold up easily. probably not the best way to go. but its what made sense to me. spent a little under $100 in materials.