Vocal Booth, Soooo dissapointed

Hi,

I have always had a hard time recording vocals. It seems that the best success that I've had with my own voice has been when using a sm58 type mic at close proximity in a regular room, but the levels / tone consistency between takes has always been a mess which means spending hours and hours editing the the best takes and then the results are only so so.

O.K. so I take the plunge and buy a Whisper Room (used). First of all it has made the whole room that I have it in smell funny. It's hard to describe, kinda musty and it really gets to my throat... (it really got to my wife.. she's asthmatic and noticed that her throat got real tight and itchy fast) I couldn't even spend more than 3 minutes inside the booth with the door closed singing without my throat tightening up and my voice starting to break up! (it has the same smell / odor inside)
Even after steam cleaning the inside and washing all the Auralex panels it's not much better... so that is the 1st disappointment.

2nd disappointment: I set up a nice GT condenser mic (that I've had good results with before) and all my vocal recordings / tracks sound like c**p. It's like there is a low frequency distortion in the lower range / low frequencies of my voice, almost a doubling sound. Funny thing is I hardly notice it through my monitors, I only noticed it after converting the tracks to MP3 and playing them through our regular home stereo.

So I tried a different audio interface, a different mic, moved the foam / position of the mic around a few different ways in the booth (standing waves)?? even tried a different DAW software but it's always the same problem. All my levels are well in limits and I am not clipping any pre amps in the input chain (that I can see) .

I've spent almost 2 grand on this room and I am getting the worst sound that I have ever gotten.
Not to mention that I can't even be in it to sing / record!

Jees, I think I need to give up this s***, I'm a looser. I guess I should just pay to go to a studio and do my vocals.

I'm starting to think that the odor is from the MDF wood but it's 3 years old, you would think that it would have stabilized by now.

Any advice re: the distorted vocals?

I also tried to eq it out but it didn't go away.

There isn't any glue odour from the plywood because they are not constructed from plywood. The Whisper Rooms  are made out of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) which is then covered in cloth.

The Auralex foam should be held in place by Velcro, so I presume you have tried removing that and seeing whether it makes a difference.

My guess is that your unit has been both smoked in, and stored somewhere damp. You could try using a product like Febreze which is designed to elimate odours, but don't use one of the scented varieties.
See here...Febreze Anti Allergen

It might also be a good idea to move it to somewhere well ventilated and dry for a few weeks as that would help it get a good airing.

Phil

"I have gotten great vocals my whole career in open rooms"

Last time I shared my opinion that vocal booths were merely conveniences for industrial grade product production I was told that I didn't know what I was talking about... by a guy who had friends that once recorded at a studio... I think it was Ocean Way.

Lance, I'm with you... open spaces and near field mic-ing make for a nice deluxe sound.

That doubling sound is probably a phasey bulge in the low mids from the reflection coming back off the MDF. The foam is simply sucking up your 4-20k... so you hear some difference when you step in... it's not a good difference... but gosh, it's different.

Dispose of that thing properly.... MDF is nasty stuff.

Definately sounds like a mold problem. I just went through that earlier this year when my basement flooded. I was able to stop the mold in the basement, but it developed in my wet/dry vac. Using gave me the smell and the symptoms.

THIS WILL WORK if you want to try:
Rent an industrial de-humidifier, and run it in your booth for about a week. Any soft surfaces should be removed beforehand. ONce done, you will need to vaccuum out the entire unit.

So how do you guys keep the ambient noise out of your recordings if you are using "open rooms"? e.g the neighbors dog barking, TV on in the next room etc.?

 
Close your eyes and wish for good luck.  When the dog starts barking, or your birds start singing along with you (mine do this all the time), start over.
 
Not a good method, but it's mine.  All mine.  :)

hell, what do you know about where it came from?
if there had been water damage, even if it didn't touch the panels, there could be mold in it.

there could be offgassing from where it came from, that got into it..

it's just a shame that you ended up with this, but i've used these things before, they're great.

it just seems this one is problematic..
my condolances, and maybe you can sell it, and build your own.

At my "day" job we purchase a lot of MDF.  There have been changes to production of this board over the last two years to minimize Urea Formaldahyde emmissions - a known carcinogen - from products made using industrial boards like MDF.  As of January of 2009 you can't even bring products into California that don't comply with CARB - a California restriction.  3 Years ago there were definitely more formaldahyde emmissions from MDF than now.  It took the industry 2 years prior to Jan 2009 to change techniques to acheive these new emmission standards.  So the odor your smelling could be Urea Formaldahyde.  Or, strong possibility: Mold.  Both can cause respritory irritations. 

I agree with Bit - get this thing out of your house.

my first choice would be to dispose of it, if I could absorb the loss I'd simply dispose of it, but if I needed to recoup at least part of the investment then I'd at least make an effort to resolve the odor problem.

Of course if you can resolve the odor problem you may want to keep it<G>... but that's another topic. Most of the small vocal booths I've used have really been quite useful, with a little effort. Some were commercial products, a couple were home made.

And for the record, I don't like small dead spaces. I prefer a space with a good ambiance. But that's me, YMMV.

So, back to fixing the odor problem...

Throw away the foam, yes, you'll need something to cover those walls, but foam products are notorious for picking up odors. Doesn't matter if it is the glue used to form the MDF or a smoker or even a cat<G>... just toss the foam.

If that does not make the problem go away then you need to get the entire assembly into a space where it can genuinely "air out". That could be tricky! Someone suggested an industrial strength dehumidifier, and if you can rent one that's probably a good idea.

You may also need to scrub down the inside surfaces.

All of this just to dispose of the thing... a real bummer!

Last thought - if the foam turns out to be the root of the problem consider using a different absorber inside. O/C 703 or 705 and similar rockwool panels work quite nicely in small spaces. And don't cover all four walls, leave some space for a little ambiance!

MemphisJo

I've spent almost 2 grand on this room and I am getting the worst sound that I have ever gotten.
 
 

We made a sound booth out of blankets and roll up sleeping bag cushions. Not very fancy but sure cuts down the noise when your neighbor's power tools coincide with your recording sessions.

That doubling sound is probably a phasey bulge in the low mids from the reflection coming back off the MDF. The foam is simply sucking up your 4-20k...

 
My thoughts exactly...
Sounds like the vocal booth might have been stored in a damp basement.
I'd sell it... and go back to recording in open space.
The OP can setup gobos... and/or treat the room to minimize reflections.
Note that "room treatment" can also be things like adding a nice soft/plush sofa...

I know that vocal booth.....my drummer was murdered in it and left for days in the Miami heat.

You will never get the smell out of it...

(Just kidding of course..)

Dexter

I just  record vox in my studio room.... also my home biz office.... I can hear trucks and dogs and things like that ...also the AC unit when it cycles on/off.... if I can hear it in the take..I punch in a better part.

On the booth.... they are selling sealants now that apply like paint. That could seal the MDF. Either clean very well, or replace the other panels. Yeah... that might be good money after bad....  but it's your choice now....

How about this - use it as an amp isolation room/cabinet!
Stick your guitar amp in there, an SM57 or such in front of it, close the door, crank that sucker, and wail away without honking off the neighbors (or your wife).
If you go the Reflexion route, make sure you either have a real stout mic stand or use a separate stand from the mic itself. On a typical stand, and with the Reflexion put together the recommended way, you stand a better than even chance of things tipping over. When putting it together, instead of the maunfacturer's way, flip things around so the curved part is on the opposite side of the mic stand from the mic itself. Learned that trick from SOS magazine a few years back. Works well and you don't have to worry about a U87 falling to the ground (don't ask me how I know about that one).

Just buy a shure sm7b, problem solved

Any advice re: the distorted vocals?

 
I don't see any mention of EQ settings. Your space has changed so your EQ'ing technique needs to be redone for your vocals to accomadate the new space parameters. It sounds like you don't have the booth properly ventilated if you have a hanging smell in it. What thickness of foam is in the booth? Perhaps your Mic gain should be turned down a notch or two.
 
I also tried to eq it out but it didn't go away.
 
 
Didn't see that last line. Do you get the same effect if you make an audio CD ( not MP3 ) and play it on your home stereo?