Lanceindastudio
Max Output Level: -29 dBFS
- Total Posts : 4604
- Joined: 2004/01/22 02:28:30
- Status: offline
Vocal Booth
Hey peeps, I wanna build a vocal booth. Is there a cheap effective way of doing this? It only needs to be like 4X4. I mainly want to prevent sound from coming in the booth, at least where when I sing, you dont get background noise. I can cut out the track where Im not singing of course. Anybody done it or know an cheap and effective solution? Thanx, Lance
|
pdarg
Max Output Level: -52.5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 2265
- Joined: 2004/03/26 17:52:53
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/17 14:07:51
(permalink)
Wow! What a coincidence - I just built one this weekend.
Use a corner - that way two of the walls will be taken care of. Add a third wall, but don't worry about the fourth wall if you are using cardoid: point the mic into the "U" area and you should get minimal spill.
I used MarkerTek 54" foam panels on all surfaces. I just mounted the foam on the two corner walls. The third wall will be foam on a lightweight frame.
And yes, there is a significant improvement in mic'ed sound.
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/17 14:58:00
(permalink)
I put about $800 into building my vocal booth. Worth every penny of it.
If you are going to buid walls, the "pink stuff" insulation that you put inside the wall is nowhere near as good as using "mineral fiber". I checked the specs and there is a product called Roxul that comes in 3" 2'x4' sheets and absorbs well at all frequencies. You won't find it at your local home improvement store but if you go to Rockwool's website you can find a link to locate a dealer near you.
|
casper13
Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
- Total Posts : 79
- Joined: 2003/11/14 17:12:56
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/17 15:29:38
(permalink)
☄ Helpfulby donbelisle 2015/05/06 11:52:15
I must chime in with the most important azpect of building a vocal booth.... Proper ventilation and climate control... you need air!! after singing a couple of phrases th air in the booth will die out and the air will get hot very quickly.. the last thing you want is to keep opening the door to get air after every take..and spending tons of money on a silent air system is not the answer.. not only does that disturb the recording , but it is a quick "vibe killer"... I learned the hard way.. what I ended up doing was using the whole room... I sound proofed any windows.. then I carpeted the floor.. next is place sound proofing material directly in front of you and on the sides.. sound proof material on the ceiling directly above where you stand.. get a $20 comforter (blanket) cut it up and hang it in the corners... wholla!!! instant vocal booth that was cheap and works very well and has ample space for guitars/drums/etc.... I don't care what anyone says.. the vocals are crisp clean and there is 0 background noise.. my room is 9x16 and the singer stands in the middle of it.... check out a sample of the vocals at http://www.ikandimusic.com/music.shtml <<<< please don't consider this a plug.. just a reference of a great vocal recording using the room i described>>>
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 09:58:37
(permalink)
Interesting approach to building a vocal room. Yes, it will work. Especially considering that most musical works these days will be mixed in with other instruments so much of the background is masked in the mix. Computer fans, your house air conditioner, and even the sound of your mouse sliding across the desk can be picked up on a good microphone. If you are using a gate on your inputs, odds are the only time you will hear anything is on the quiet parts of your songs. If it works for you, great. Not to be rude, but your "zero background noise" cannot be totally accruate. I'm sure you had to redo takes because someone slammed a door in another room or your furnace kicked on at the wrong time. Also, keep in mind that when you have a song where your vocalist is barely wispering in one bar and screaming in the next, you will have to do some crafty compression which will bring the sound levels of anything quiet in the background up to an audible level that will show up in the mix.
As for my studio, I recently recorded during one of the worst thunderstorms I have seen in a while and even in the quietest vocal sections, not even a hint of thunder or the rain beating down outside. When you walk in my control room there is a very noticable silence from just walking through the doorway, even distinctly noticable by those that know absolutely nothing about recording. Then when you walk into the vocal booth the silencing effect is twice as noticable. I have done some testing and I found that sounds under the 45 dBA level don't even register on any equipment that I have. I can turn my studio monitors on at a decent volume while recording vocals and not have to worry about the music or metronome bleading into the vocal track. In fact, the headphones the vocalist wears is louder inside the booth than normal conversation outside the booth.
If anyone is curious how I built it, it wasn't too hard. I think the sheetrock is the most difficult task. It's 4' x 6' in size. If you do a google one this topic you will find a lot of bad advice and lots of people telling you to use plywood. Before I built anything I read all of the engineering specs and found that sheetrock works best, is cheaper, but you have to install it in layers with a barrier or isolator inbetween. Use two layers of 5/8" sheetrock on each side of the wall and seperate the layers with "sound barrier" material (also known as limp mass vinyl) which is 1/8" thick. I lined the inside with studio foam with 100% coverage and bass traps in half of the corners. It should be air tight, and yes, ventalation will be an issue so put a (insulated) window in it large enough to get some light in but small enough to keep the sound out (glass transmits sound more than sheetrock does). Having a window will cut down on heat because you don't have a lightbulb, which is a heat source, inside the booth. Or, try one of those new LED lights if you need to. Either way, you need a window for visual communication with your vocalist. Don't forget about the ceiling! The ceiling and floor should also have a layer of 1/8" sound barrier material as well as an additional layer of floor board and/or sheetrock.
|
SteveD
Max Output Level: -47 dBFS
- Total Posts : 2831
- Joined: 2003/11/07 13:35:57
- Location: NJ
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 10:11:54
(permalink)
Thought you guys might find this interesting: < $35.00 for ISO Booth plans> NOTE: DAWBOX is not affiliated with DAWPRO Studios... there's no marketing pitch here.
|
patrickhamm
Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
- Total Posts : 1177
- Joined: 2004/01/14 16:46:59
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 10:12:17
(permalink)
Hey peeps, I wanna build a vocal booth. Is there a cheap effective way of doing this? It only needs to be like 4X4. I mainly want to prevent sound from coming in the booth, at least where when I sing, you dont get background noise. I can cut out the track where Im not singing of course. Anybody done it or know an cheap and effective solution? Thanx, Lance Cheap and effective, huh? at http://www.markertek.com/ I got myself 2 of these blankets, stuck some grommets in them and hung them from hooks. (you can use regular moving blankets, but these are larger by a foot, I believe) I have an area of my apartment that is about 3.5' by 3.5' (the 4 sides are the closet door, bathroom door, bedroom door, opening to living room) and the hooks went up there. Then I hung the blankets on the walls, I stand on a small rug, and I hang a towel across the hooks at the top. like someone pointed out, it gets HOT in there, but I am very happy with the results I get. I have recorded with the A/C running (you know, so I don't pass out from heat exhaustion, which is unfortunately more important then getting a good sound. Well, maybe not...  ) and I can't hear it at all. If you want to hear how it sounds, check this out: The song is called cracked out maniac and there is a part at the beginning where the vocals are soloed. I recorded it in this "booth". Anyway, there's a good cheap and effective suggestion. Hope it helps...
|
HammerHead
Max Output Level: -62 dBFS
- Total Posts : 1403
- Joined: 2004/01/07 15:59:53
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 10:18:31
(permalink)
You won't find it at your local home improvement store but if you go to Rockwool's website you can find a link to locate a dealer near you.
you're right home depot/ lowes wont have it but i found it at a local supply house not listed on rockwools website. i called around to local construction suppliers & found it. these are the places where the pros go, usually tucked away in an industrial section of town...look in your phone book & call around. ask for rockwool & they'll know what you're asking for if they have it. it's reasonably afforable as well.
|
harmony gardens
Max Output Level: -40.5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 3490
- Joined: 2004/01/10 18:50:48
- Location: Richland Center WI
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 10:43:21
(permalink)
I thought seriously about building a vocal booth, but decided to buy a quiet computer instead. I bought a Carillon computer and I love it. I thought about the fact that if I'm singing, I would require someone to be there to run the system. The room would be an expense, a fair amount of work, take up space, and won't add any value to my house. It might even be a liability when I try to sell it. I also considered building a quiet box for the noisey parts of my computer, or putting it in a closet. I have found that the money spent on a quiet computer was well worth it, all things considered. This doesn't stop outside noise from the mechanicals of my house, though. I adjust the thermostats, unplug any appliances, turn off the phone ringers, and make sure my dog is tired out and well fed to deal with that. In my workflow, I probably only work with mics 15% of the time, anyway. When I'm recording with softsynths, recording guitar with direct inputs, mixing, or editing, backround noise isn't an issue at all. The other thing I love about the Carillon is that it is rack mountable, making my system mobile. Just my two cents.
< Message edited by harmony gardens -- 5/18/2004 10:12:34 AM >
|
pdarg
Max Output Level: -52.5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 2265
- Joined: 2004/03/26 17:52:53
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:04:31
(permalink)
ORIGINAL: patrickhamm
If you want to hear how it sounds, check this out: The song is called cracked out maniac and there is a part at the beginning where the vocals are soloed. I recorded it in this "booth". Anyway, there's a good cheap and effective suggestion. Hope it helps...
Omigod! What a great, hilarious song! F***in' awesome! It's the best thing I've ever heard in these forums.
Did you get it professionally mastered - sounds excellent!
|
polymod
Max Output Level: -81 dBFS
- Total Posts : 498
- Joined: 2003/11/06 12:25:00
- Location: Connecticut
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:10:46
(permalink)
I was going to do the vocal booth thingie, but between the ventilation, lighting, monitor, etc, and cutting the physical size of my small studio, I decided to just cut my noise sources instead. I put the computer in the next room and that made a huge difference in background noise. It's actually kind of weird working at the monitor when you can't hear the computer running. When vocals are being done, all power amps, synths, everything but the bare minimum gets shut down. For the type of music that I do, which is mostly progressive rock, this method works very good. And I can still breathe!!!  Poly
|
patrickhamm
Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
- Total Posts : 1177
- Joined: 2004/01/14 16:46:59
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:13:07
(permalink)
ORIGINAL: patrickhamm
If you want to hear how it sounds, check this out: The song is called cracked out maniac and there is a part at the beginning where the vocals are soloed. I recorded it in this "booth". Anyway, there's a good cheap and effective suggestion. Hope it helps...
Omigod! What a great, hilarious song! F***in' awesome! It's the best thing I've ever heard in these forums.
Did you get it professionally mastered - sounds excellent!
No, I did it all myself. Thanks for the kind words and asterisks!
|
casper13
Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
- Total Posts : 79
- Joined: 2003/11/14 17:12:56
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:13:32
(permalink)
ORIGINAL: rickgn
Yes, it will work. Especially considering that most musical works these days will be mixed in with other instruments so much of the background is masked in the mix. Computer fans, your house air conditioner, and even the sound of your mouse sliding across the desk can be picked up on a good microphone. If you are using a gate on your inputs, odds are the only time you will hear anything is on the quiet parts of your songs. If it works for you, great. Not to be rude, but your "zero background noise" cannot be totally accruate. I'm sure you had to redo takes because someone slammed a door in another room or your furnace kicked on at the wrong time. I must clarify.. that my control room and live room are on opposite sides of the house. both rooms have doors . the live room has nothing but a mic, chair and music stand.. 0 background noise is achieved because we take the appropriete measures to eliminate background noise. I do shut off the furnace. I do not have tons of people running around the house while I record. anyone who is, is there for the recording and are in the control room with the engineer... but rickgn does make good points if you don't have 2 rooms to spare...and have people slamming doors and making a ruckus while you record.. (which doesn't exist in this particular environment) casper13
www.pulseblackrecords.com
|
pdarg
Max Output Level: -52.5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 2265
- Joined: 2004/03/26 17:52:53
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:19:48
(permalink)
Did you get it professionally mastered - sounds excellent!
No, I did it all myself. Thanks for the kind words and asterisks! What did you use for mastering? plug-ins, etc.? Sounds very slick - did you compress your drums? What sound modules are you using? Or are you using loops?
|
bigdaddy_ad5
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
- Total Posts : 30
- Joined: 2004/04/19 16:25:09
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:42:31
(permalink)
Cheap and effective, huh? at http://www.markertek.com/ I got myself 2 of these blankets, stuck some grommets in them and hung them from hooks. (you can use regular moving blankets, but these are larger by a foot, I believe) Thanks for the lead! I have consturcted a booth using 3/4 MDF and 2x4's its great for containment but has tons of "slap-back". I used some carpeting on the walls for dampening, but that is just not good enough for me. I did manage to hang some blankets one day and I was quite impressed with the results. These blankets may be perfect for my situation. If not, it will be back to the drawing board. I did manage to find a site that will price out all of the materials that you will need. You just give them the spec's you are working with and they will do the rest. I priced mine out and it was like $500. They did manage to tell me some of the key components of what kills sound. MASS KILLS SOUND!!!! Get as close to the density of a brick wall as possible. There are manufacturers that provide "mass loaded vinyl". It has the same density as a plate of lead. Good luck building your booth!! Remeber! It can be as expensive or least expensive as you want it to be.
The art of music is not what is heard... but what is felt.
|
patrickhamm
Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
- Total Posts : 1177
- Joined: 2004/01/14 16:46:59
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:49:11
(permalink)
Did you get it professionally mastered - sounds excellent!
No, I did it all myself. Thanks for the kind words and asterisks!
What did you use for mastering? plug-ins, etc.? Sounds very slick - did you compress your drums? What sound modules are you using? Or are you using loops?
drums and loops (and a few synths, I think) with reason using some random loop and the joey kramer drum sounds from eastwest, and yes they are compressed, again within reason. mastering with the Sonic Foundary Wave Hammer, and off hand, I think that's it, but I can't be sure since I am at work now and can't check. Vocals in my "blanket booth". sound good, huh? so good in fact, that michael jackson asked if he could name his kid after my booth!!!
|
patrickhamm
Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
- Total Posts : 1177
- Joined: 2004/01/14 16:46:59
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:53:12
(permalink)
another thing I didn't mention about the blanket method is that the whole booth fits neatly under my bed. If you are doing home recording with limited space (like say a 1-bedroom apt?) this is another advantage to this method.
|
pdarg
Max Output Level: -52.5 dBFS
- Total Posts : 2265
- Joined: 2004/03/26 17:52:53
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:56:49
(permalink)
What did you use for mastering?
What microphone and pre-amp are you using?
|
patrickhamm
Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
- Total Posts : 1177
- Joined: 2004/01/14 16:46:59
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 11:58:31
(permalink)
What did you use for mastering?
What microphone and pre-amp are you using? Sonic Foudary Wave Hammer for mastering. I recorded that with a mackie 1402vlz mixer and the vocals through an autio technica AT4033.
|
HammerHead
Max Output Level: -62 dBFS
- Total Posts : 1403
- Joined: 2004/01/07 15:59:53
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 13:16:40
(permalink)
that michael jackson asked if he could name his kid after my booth!!!
michael jackson and kids in the same sentence. i guess as long as he wasn't asking about your kids everything is ok.
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 14:12:26
(permalink)
I found it locally in Atlanta area for 66 cents per square foot. Get the 3" stuff but the 4" does not add signifigant performance gain so if you are going cheap 3" will do fine. 2" won't absorb bass frequencies, so if you are monitoring close by the 2" stuff won't work. I installed this stuff in the floor joists (studio is in basement) above and at a high deafening volume in the studio you can hardly hear anything upstairs. And that was just with the Rockwool. This stuff is great! Next I added Sonex celing tiles. Expensive, but now you can drop a bomb in my front yard and I doubt I would hear it over my mix monitors. And the vocal booth has another layer around it. Like I said, I recoreded in a thunderstorm and hear no storm on my vocal tracks. ORIGINAL: HammerHead
You won't find it at your local home improvement store but if you go to Rockwool's website you can find a link to locate a dealer near you.
you're right home depot/ lowes wont have it but i found it at a local supply house not listed on rockwools website.
i called around to local construction suppliers & found it. these are the places
where the pros go, usually tucked away in an industrial section of town...look in your phone book & call around. ask for rockwool & they'll know what you're asking for if they have it.
it's reasonably afforable as well.
|
bigdaddy_ad5
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
- Total Posts : 30
- Joined: 2004/04/19 16:25:09
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 16:32:23
(permalink)
I checked the specs and there is a product called Roxul that comes in 3" 2'x4' sheets and absorbs well at all frequencies. You won't find it at your local home improvement store but if you go to Rockwool's website you can find a link to locate a dealer near you. I might have to look into this as well! Thanks!
The art of music is not what is heard... but what is felt.
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/18 17:02:01
(permalink)
Some links for you all regarding sound booth construction and noise control: http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html NOTE: When he talks about the Owens Corning 705-FRK or 703 product, use Roxul or Rockwool instead. Use 3" or for confined spaces don't go less than 2" thick. There is a PDF link on this page that has all of the engineering data on it: http://www.roxul.com/sw34325.asp For those of you that don't know what STC and NRC ratings are, basically the higher the number the better it is. NRC rating of 90 absorbs 90% of the sound that hits it, or approximately 35 decibels of SPL. Note the installation instruction in the top link. Insulation and ceiling tiles are rated with NRC. STC rating is relevant to solid materials such as sheetrock or particle board. If you have a STC rating of 50 and a 100 decibel sound, 50 db will be transferred to the other side. With this in mind, you should do the following: 1) absorb as much as you can before the sound hits a solid surface 2) use materials with the highest STC rating (double sheetrock, etc) for your walls. FYI: A blanket has an NRC rating of about 30, and only applies to high frequencies. Low frequencies will pass straight through the blanket like it isn't even there. Sorry guys. :-)
|
Lanceindastudio
Max Output Level: -29 dBFS
- Total Posts : 4604
- Joined: 2004/01/22 02:28:30
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/19 13:26:31
(permalink)
Hey, wuts up. Your booth sounds like more of what Im looking to do. I was wondering if you could help me out with a few questions.
1. On each wall, you used:
2 layers 5/8 sheetrock---sound barrier---2 layers 5/8' sheetrock?
2. Did you have the sound barrier flush between the sheetrock, or with space between it and the sheetrock?
3. I want this booth to be able to be taken apart fairly easy in case I move, and so I dont want to use caulking or anything like that. Any ideas?
4. How did you join the panels together? How did you make sure they were sealed?
5. How did you put the glass window in and make sure it is sealed?
I know its a lot of info, but you seem to have what I want, an effective booth!
Thanx, Lance
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/19 14:32:24
(permalink)
The most effective formula seems to be:
1) absorb sound
2) block sound
3) isolate vibrations
4) block sounds
5) absorb sounds
Or any combinatoin of the above. But if you put two pieces of sheetrock butt up against each other you are wasting your time and materials because it will only drop another 4 dB of sound! You have to isolate, insulate, and absorb by using multiple layers of different materal (every material has a resonant frequency that seeps through).
There are a few ways that you can accomplish this. The simplest way is 5/8" sheetrock, sound barrier, 5/8" sheetrock, 2x4 studs filled with Roxul mineral fiber insulation (3" Roxul works better than the similar OwensCorning product for sound absorbtion). Fill in the gaps in the inner layer of sheetrock with acoustic cauking. Don't bother with the time consuming sheetrock mud in the inner layer because the cauking is more effective. Make sure to cauk around the top and bottom of each sheet so it's absolutly air-tight. For "bonus points" (bonus decibels dropped) try putting some 1 1/2" foam self-stick weatherstripping on the 2/4's before mounting the inner layer of sheetrock to it. (just a thin 1/4" strip will do the job). Use 24" centers on your 2x4's. 16" will only cause more vibrations to get through and make you work more.
If you got the space for it, and the time to do it, the best configuration seems to be two totally seperated walls. I have seen tests where an STC rating of 70 was achieved (70 decibels of sound or less will not transfer through at all and a frieght train on your front porch would not be heard as more than a whisper inside your vocal booth). If you are in the basement of your house, even better because the concrete and several feet of earth will block a lot of sound too. Mine is in my basement, and like I said, a load crack of thunder doesn't even trigger my microphone noise gates adjusted to -50 dbA.
Try to have as little of the vocal booth touching the structure that surrounds it as possible. This may mean that you could build a free-standing booth and put it 1/4" away from the walls in the corner of the room that you are using. Or, even better, place the sound barrier material in between the vocal booth and the walls. Insulate the seams with weatherstripping self-stick foam rubber. Sound vibrates along the surrounding walls and can transfer in if it's not free-standing.
Whether you choose two walls or a single, Be careful to not put the screws of the outer layer of sheetrock all the way through to the studs of the inner layer of sheetrock. The outer layer should be fastened to the inner layer only. The sound barrier is minimally attached with glue, just enough to hold into place while the outer sheetrock layer is applied which sandwiches the sound barrier in between. This 1/8" sound barrier stuff is HEAVY so be prepared to have someone help you handle it. It weighs more per square foot than sheetrock but is flexible.
If you can spare the extra 6" of space, build a wall with 5/8" sheetrock, sound barrier, and 5/8" sheetrock again. Leave the back open, seperate by 1/4", fill both walls with Roxul mineral fiber insulation (3") and if you can afford it put another layer of sound barrier between the two walls. Duplicate the wall in the opposite direction on the other side. There are many discussions about resilient channels but I have heard just as many bad things about them as good things. Resiliant channels are easy to break and defeat by putting in a single screw incorrectly. The time and money is better spent on the sound barrier sandwiched between the sheetrock.
As for windows and doors, if you are brave enough, construct your own door. Otherwise, get yourself a good solid-core door. The heavier the better. Minimal glass exposure is desirable but you need a window because some vocalists are clostophobic. Not to mention the value of visual communication. I sometimes have to sit outside the booth and make funny faces at my vocalists for them to get their act in gear.
I'll have to give you an update when I finish my 10' x 13' sound room this summer, which will be constucted with the double wall/ half inch gap setup. I will also be using a double door. But then again, at this point I'm going professional with it :-) Feel free to ask any other questions. I'd be happy to share my expreriences as a "studio handyman".
|
halljams
Max Output Level: -88 dBFS
- Total Posts : 148
- Joined: 2003/11/06 20:54:22
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/19 14:34:36
(permalink)
you guys, don't waste your hard earned money on that fancy foam and ****.
Go to the big hardware superstore and get some 2x4 sheets of 2" or 4"
"owens corning" 703 rigid fiberglass insulation.
This is all you need in a vocal booth. 4" of It absorbs down to around a 100hz and everything above.
Put on some gloves, cut the stuff to size, wrap it in the thinnest plastic you can get then go to wallmart and get some cheap thin material to wrap around it as panels or a sheet to cover the wall, what ever. You can attach the panels to the wall with long screws with big washers.
Read any good acoustics book and it will recommend the stuff.
Keep in mind if you are dealing with frequencies lower that 100-150 you need to build some traps.
cheers
|
groove
Max Output Level: -85 dBFS
- Total Posts : 270
- Joined: 2003/12/19 05:09:48
- Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/19 14:38:27
(permalink)
As a followup to your questions, I think he was saying:
sheetrock/sound barrier/sheetrock/framing(2x4)/sheetrock/barrier/sheetrock
I have the same questions about securing the walls to each other and being able to break it down and move it in a year or two. Not sure you could do it with this type of construction, though...
The other question is - how did you do the door? I'd be willing to nix the window and get a really good door w/ a seal... Maybe something premade with a gasket and compression lock... how did you do yours?
thanks,
pete
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/19 14:46:50
(permalink)
ORIGINAL: Lanceindastudio
1. On each wall, you used:
2 layers 5/8 sheetrock---sound barrier---2 layers 5/8' sheetrock?
1 layer sheetrock, 1 layer sound barrier, 1 layer sheetrock, 2x4 stud, sheetrock, soundbarrier, sheetrock, studio foam (inside). Note that outer layers of sheetrock attach to inner layers but NOT to the supporting 2x4 walls.
2. Did you have the sound barrier flush between the sheetrock, or with space between it and the sheetrock?
I have it sandwiched in between, lightly glued with acoustic glue, acoustic cauking around the edges.
3. I want this booth to be able to be taken apart fairly easy in case I move, and so I dont want to use caulking or anything like that. Any ideas?
Make it free standing, as if it were in the middle of the room. Floor, ceiling, everything. Move it into the corner when you are done building it.
4. How did you join the panels together? How did you make sure they were sealed?
More on this in my other recent posting. Resiliant glues, cauking that does not harden. The cauking acutally works better than the sheetrock mud but looks terrible. But since you are going to cover it with studio foam, who cares. The objective is sound control.
5. How did you put the glass window in and make sure it is sealed?
Initially I used an exterier solid core (wood) door from home depot and put it on a good exterier weather-tight frame. The door has a window in it. My current project is to actually constuct a door from two sheets of 3/4" MDF with sound barrer sandwiched in between it. I'm also going to eliminate a traditional door handle because I'm suspeciting a few dB's of sound are seeping through it. All depends on how far you want to take it!
I know its a lot of info, but you seem to have what I want, an effective booth!
- Glad to know that there are people out there that believe as I do that a blanket handing from the ceiling is a poor man's half-*** fix that will work ok sometimes as compared to a real solution that works all the time.
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/19 14:59:42
(permalink)
I have the same questions about securing the walls to each other and being able to break it down and move it in a year or two. Not sure you could do it with this type of construction, though...
The other question is - how did you do the door? I'd be willing to nix the window and get a really good door w/ a seal... Maybe something premade with a gasket and compression lock... how did you do yours?
thanks,
pete
As for moving it, see my other recent posts. Basically, buit it as a free standing unit. Keep in mind that vocalists are performers and need an audience to be good at what they do. Many times I make funny faces and jestures to my singers to make them perform better. They feed off your reactions and if they can't see you it doesn't matter how good yoru soundproofing is cause the singing it's self will be bad. (unless you work with freaks that like to work in closets) It would be okay to use an exterior door with a window in it but don't get a cheap one. the thicker the glass appears to be, and the more spacing between the two panes the higher the STC rating, which is the sound blockage rating. A rule of thumb for windows: The further apart the glass layers are, the better. This is more important than the actual glass thickness.
< Message edited by rickgn -- 5/19/2004 3:14:40 PM >
|
rickgn
Max Output Level: -75 dBFS
- Total Posts : 774
- Joined: 2004/03/10 14:00:03
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Status: offline
RE: Vocal Booth
2004/05/19 15:09:31
(permalink)
ORIGINAL: halljams
you guys, don't waste your hard earned money on that fancy foam and ****.
Go to the big hardware superstore and get some 2x4 sheets of 2" or 4"
"owens corning" 703 rigid fiberglass insulation.
This is all you need in a vocal booth. 4" of It absorbs down to around a 100hz and everything above.
Put on some gloves, cut the stuff to size, wrap it in the thinnest plastic you can get then go to wallmart and get some cheap thin material to wrap around it as panels or a sheet to cover the wall, what ever. You can attach the panels to the wall with long screws with big washers.
Read any good acoustics book and it will recommend the stuff.
Keep in mind if you are dealing with frequencies lower that 100-150 you need to build some traps.
I agree, but be sure to consider that open-face fiberglass is 1) not healty and 2) looks like ****. Make sure you are covering it with cloth. I used studio foam because I am as concerned about appearance as performance. One more thing though... Roxul mineral fiber insulation is similar to Owens Corning 703 but the engineering specs show that Roxul (Rockwool) has much better acoustical properties. 3" Roxul outperforms the 4" 703 stuff. You can't find it at HD or Lowe's. Go to rockwool's website and do a dealer lookup. Definiately worth your time, and is probably cheaper too. I have singers working with me that have low boomy voices so bass freqs are a concern. Yes, I used coner traps.
|