Vocal Booth

  • Thread starter Thread starter mentil69
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Well, I have a real vocal booth. But I like this quick portable type of booth idea if we can perfect it, and I'm working on this same type of idea for some quick portable panels/walls. Does anyone else have any ideas?
 
Rockr56 said:
Heck, I just use my walk in closet. I move the clothes around 'til I get the sound I want. heh heh...

" Neccesity is the Mother of Invention "
Click to expand...

I've got one of those too :^)

But it would take me a set of ages to get my computer set up in there just for recording. Maybe I need to buy a new computer...
 
Hey guys

Just thought I'd jump back in here between sleep/work. The MAN has me working 6 days a week 12 hours a day. Without seniority, the union really does me no damn good.

Anyways, Frank Zappa and neccesity being the surrogate mothers of invention, I decided to use safety pins to hold those heavy blankets up for now. I just pin a small tube of blanket up, slide in the PVC and put the pieces together.


I'll try to play with it today (I've been calling it "my fort")... wanna have a song or two ready for the lady friend on valentines day.

Later
Pat
 
I made a vocal booth out of draperies. My studio is in the basement with a drop ceiling, comprised of a frame grid to hold accoustical ceiling tiles (you know the white 2'x2' tiles with the little holes).

I connected little hooks to the frame (the clips are designed to hold things like hanging plants) and then hung curtain rods on the hooks, naturally the draperies hang from the rods, useing standard drapery hooks.

The draperies look much, much better than packing blankets (yeah, I've used those at one time). They provide a reasonably dry accoustic environment.

In my case I had the draperies available, since my wife had redecorated (including new drapes) - which she seems to do way to often. I was able to tie the color of the drapes into the general color layout of the studio (blue, gray & red) - so it looks OK (not as cool as an ISO booth - but OK).

I suspect places like rummage sales, second hand stores, Goodwill, etc. etc. may have drapes at a low cost. Maybe not much more than packing blankets.
 
Great thread!

Okay, I must just be lazy....

I went down the local University's "Re-use & Recycle" shop and picked up a few 6-foot tall partitions. These things are made to be sound-deadening for office spaces and cubicles, and are completely mobile with removable bases and everything.

Only $10.00 a pop, regardless of size! :)

So, I got 2 larger ones (6' tall x 5' wide) as sides, and one smaller one (6' x 3') to go in the corner of the room. With this set up, I still have to use one uncovered room wall, so I think I will either cover it with some carpet padding that I have, or get another panel to set right up against the wall. I'll have to play around with the sound a bit to figure out what will work best.

Actually, it sounds really good having the smaller panel set up in the corner (so that if you were looking down from the ceiling at it towards the floor, it would look like an equilateral triangle), and then one larger partition branches off from that at a bit of an angle, with the last partition running parallel with the studio wall. It kind of looks like a letter "J" from the top, if you know what I mean.

Anyways, in this configuration, I can still get a pretty "roomy" sound, but if I take that last partition and move it's free end to the wall, (making the configuration more of a "U" now, and creating a completely closed off area), I get a nice dampened sound without any echoes or artifacts. I will have to experiment with either placing the padding on the one remaining uncovered wall, or just get another panel to rest on it.

I know it’s not perfect, but it is much better than I had ...and it was dirt cheap!

Anyways..., that’s all I know.

-Mr. Moon
 
That's exactly how I insulated my whole studio...partitions of verious sizes. There are 3 large panels screwed to the ceiling overhead, 3 screwed to the walls behind the drums, and to the right and the left walls, 2 standing across from the drums, (basically infront of the engineering booth...someday these will be replaced with actual walls and a Window...), and one lose panel for moving around the room. Just by doing this, my neighbors complain because they can't hear us anymore.... :rolleyes:
 
i'd love it if someone posted some diagrams (if they have any available).
 
Mr. Moon said:
Great thread!

Okay, I must just be lazy....

I went down the local University's "Re-use & Recycle" shop and picked up a few 6-foot tall partitions. These things are made to be sound-deadening for office spaces and cubicles, and are completely mobile with removable bases and everything.

Only $10.00 a pop, regardless of size! :)

So, I got 2 larger ones (6' tall x 5' wide) as sides, and one smaller one (6' x 3') to go in the corner of the room. With this set up, I still have to use one uncovered room wall, so I think I will either cover it with some carpet padding that I have, or get another panel to set right up against the wall. I'll have to play around with the sound a bit to figure out what will work best.

Actually, it sounds really good having the smaller panel set up in the corner (so that if you were looking down from the ceiling at it towards the floor, it would look like an equilateral triangle), and then one larger partition branches off from that at a bit of an angle, with the last partition running parallel with the studio wall. It kind of looks like a letter "J" from the top, if you know what I mean.

Anyways, in this configuration, I can still get a pretty "roomy" sound, but if I take that last partition and move it's free end to the wall, (making the configuration more of a "U" now, and creating a completely closed off area), I get a nice dampened sound without any echoes or artifacts. I will have to experiment with either placing the padding on the one remaining uncovered wall, or just get another panel to rest on it.

I know it’s not perfect, but it is much better than I had ...and it was dirt cheap!

Anyways..., that’s all I know.

-Mr. Moon
Click to expand...

Oh man if you could ever check out Harvy Gerst studio, you would get a great idea with it. He put those on swivles and mounted them to the wall, he can close them up to a trianle to deaden the sound, he could fold one to another for more wood, or move it around for different angles. It is sweet
 
Someday I'll have a space to be able to do that in ...I wish!

:)

But for now all I can do is be grateful for what I have, and the space that I have been allowed to "tarnish" with my music gear...

(da basement!!)

-Mr. Moon
 
INTERESTING

Hey guys,

I have always wanted a recording booth type setup as well but was never able to afford the materials necessary. Right now I record with the mic jus in my closet and I think that henders the sound of the vocal recorded audio becuase it sounds like its been recorded in a dull moistened type of atmosphere... therefor I will be putting research into this whole packing blacket concept and hope to have something setup by the next month....

Basically I am trying to have a triangl effect with th eblanket as far as I will have blankets lined on wall 1 and wall 2 and these to walls meet to form a 90 degree angle and then have a curtain rod or something to that affect be able to slide the 3rd packing blanket to finish off the triangle and connect wall1 and 2 from their opposite ends....

Is that the way to go?

I do realize that there will be noise coming from above the blankets since they will not by plush with the cieling....

well any suggestions? or any other Ideas to make this dream a reality?

Thnx in advance
 
My idea that I am going to try is:
In a corner, where I have very low ceilings, use those cubicle-like walls and attach studio foam to them (i.e., Auralex) then I would have a hook on a wall with a carrabeener(sp?) on the cubicle-like wall, so I could attach it and remove it. Hinges would be placed on the cubicles so that they could be folded up. I would put carpeting down there that was also removable and the studio foam would overhang the sides of the cubicles so that the cubicles wouldn't be right up against the ceiling and walls. We have insulation on our sealing so that should take care of some of that. Any other suggestions to help make my idea work more??
 
Okay,

Kind of a new direction here, but not really...

So let's say that I have my room and partitions set up as I described a few messages prior to this one. Now, do I want to set up my mic so that I sing *TOWARD* the corner of the room, or *AWAY* from the corner, so that my back is facing the corner?

I've heard people going back and forth about this topic, so I was hoping someone could explain it to me...

Thanks!

-Mr. Moon
 
toadies said:
ALL THIS INFORMATION AND NO PICTURES.
Click to expand...

Aww yeah... That sounds like a challenge..

Well guess who's not working this weekend (Praise the Lord!) ..

My roomate has a digital cam so I'll work on a few things and snap some photos.

off topic: So do ya like the band Toadies? Excellent riffs and a tragically overlooked band.

Later,
Pat
 
re:Toadies and Vocal Booths

trickless,

I was quitly lurking on this great thread and making plans to build a vocal booth but I had to respond to your post on the Toadies. I agree that they are one of the most overlooked bands. Unfortunately, I lent my copy of their first cd to my cousin a few years ago and I never got it back. I thought they broke up until I saw a newer cd of theirs in a record store yesterday (interesting coincidence eh?). Are they still together?

Can't wait to see some photos of your project.

kobuk
 
toadies are not around anymore. Sucks, althou they did a come-back tour in dallas 2 sold out shows back-to-back.
 
crappy pictures..

This is the booth slightly open from the front.
 

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This is my new method of attaching the blankets. Still using the saftey pins, but now they are attached to a twine "curtain ring."

I am currently using 3 mounts per blanket, but am going to use 4. Also I need to pin the rings a little lower on the blanket to eliminate the gap.

Three corners are pinned together at the top, middle, and bottom with one open for entry. Maybe I'll use the velcro so I can close the "door."

Also notice the stupid fake beam in the ceiling...
 

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