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I was pleased as a pig in poop that our home studio area had a big (8' ceiling, 10'L 6'W) walk in closet I could record VOCALS in. Clothes on one side, rug, and the rest bare walls. Was going to put some 701 board fiberglass up on the walls and ceiling- basically make it dead. Thought that was OK. According to a post I just read (and replied too, so sorry for double post) Seems not (?)
I see those recording booths you can buy pre-fabricated and they look like 4 walls covered with acoustic foam.
What is the best way to set up a vocal booth in a closet- acoustically? Dead or diffused? I don't want a phone booth sounding vocal!

How does this sound for the 'vocal booth' closet.
Build a small false floor on 2x3's and plywood over the rug. Keep the clothes on one wall (stops flutter?) SOME fiberglass on the ceiling and back wall. Building a thick isolation door. A tube trap for bass.
We'll be doing rock (some real singing, some yelling) and rap vocals.
Thanks in advance! :)

Comments

Dan Popp Mon, 03/25/2002 - 13:53

Dear J,
"Too dead" is an issue, but usually the bigger problem is "too dead on the high end." Those pre-fab booths (which are awful) and many home attempts at reducing resonances tend toward sucking out the highs first and asking questions later.

Something like the ASC Tube Trap solution - diffusion plus bass trap - seems better, and has worked better for me.

Yours,
Dan Popp
Colors Audio
USA

radioprof Mon, 03/25/2002 - 17:18

Those pre fab booths aren't awful, they just have to be tuned like any other instrument.
Here's a trick I've found works well.
Put up two window blind type roller shades on the windowless and doorless walls.
You can raise or lower them to change the sound of the room, ie: more or less absorption of sound.
This works well for voice over applications.

mixfactory Mon, 03/25/2002 - 19:44

The ASC TUbe traps work well, but the problem is if the room is too small they will get dented(elbows and hands) and that will affect how they cut down frequencies. That's one of the problems of building a small vocal booth. They are also not cheap, so if you are going to dish out the bucks on some ASC tube traps, than figure out away they can be placed with out them getting destroyed. By the way, they are not that hard to build(I had some a while back and took them apart to reupholster them). I think the money goes into the labor more than anything.

Kemble Mon, 03/25/2002 - 20:19

The "Cylinder Trap", which looks alot like a Tube Trap :D but isn't patented, was first made about a year ago. Find an insulation company that has Pipe Insulation (fiberglass). Should come in many sizes. In....4 foot sections. (sound familiar?). I used a 14" and 10" diameter. This is very rigid fiberglass, about 1/2 inch thick. Reflective paper all the way around, which you just cut off on half of it. Cut disks out of plywood and get some liquid nails. Seal the tube along the side and at both ends with the caps- AIR THT. Wrap with some Polyester batting (I saw a couch the neighbors threw out- snuck out witha knife, slit it open, and got me sum 'dat batting) :cool: . Wrapped it in black burlap from wal-mart, had good ol' mom sew some end caps. And....Tube....I mean..Cylinder Traps! For LESS THAN $20. Anybody want more info, suppliers, or detailed instructions and such, email me or post.
Also made some excellent QRD-734's...I mean JSZ-734's. For......$20 each while recovering from double hernia repairs wanna hear about that one!?? (the diffusors- which work EXCELLENT, not the surgery, the post operative testicular hematoma, the agony, the.........)