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DIY Booth Build: Interior Dimensions?

 
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nick
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Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 71
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 12:15 am    Post subject: DIY Booth Build: Interior Dimensions? Reply with quote

Okay, so I am at the very beginning of the design process of a DIY Vocal Booth.

Well, not the VERY beginning, I have already looked at commercially available booth designs and some DIY designs, so I don't have to re-invent the wheel.

I am starting this thread for two reasons. One, to share what I am doing with others who are considering doing this, AND to get input from people who have real booth experience that I do not have.

The very first consideration is internal dimensions. Many of us know about the Golden Ratio or the Acoustic Ratio. Using this ratio, helps to prevent "room modes" or build-up of standing waves. A cubical room would be the worst scenario, for example a room of 8' by 8' by 8', because it would reinforce a particular frequency, making that frequency louder than all others. The next worst, is a room sharing two dimensions, such as 4' x 4' x 8'. So, dimensions that are not multiples of each other are the goal. The Acoustic Ratio used by sound designers is meant to avoid this problem. The Acoustic Ratio is .62 x 1 x 1.62. However, though this particular ratio works great for rooms or a loudspeaker, it does not scale down for a booth.

So, what I did was to run some numbers (that made more sense for a booth) through an online room mode calculator. You can see this or do this at...
https://amcoustics.com/tools/amroc?l=5&w=3&h=6.5&ft=true&r60=0.6

Since 3' is the smallest dimension that I would consider and 7' was the tallest that I would consider, I ran several different sizes using these as the minimum and maximum. BTW, I used 7' max because this is an interior measurement. The exterior will of course be larger, and it must fit under an 8' ceiling. I used, more or less, "round numbers" and here are the results that I got. BTW, we know that 4' is a rather common dimension because sheets of MDF or OSB or whatever, come in 4' by 8' panels. Making a 5' or 6' length requires adding material to a panel and that complicates things a bit. So, 4'x4' is just easier to make.

These all fell within the acceptable range, what is called the "Bolt Area" on the calculator. If the Red X falls in the Bolt Area, then it is reasonably acceptable.

W x L x H -- Volume -- Surface Area

3 x 5 x 6.5 = 97.5 cu ft, 134 sq ft
4 x 5 x 6.5 = 130 cu ft, 157 sq ft
4 x 5 x 7 = 140 cu ft, 166 sq ft
4 x 6 x 7 = 168 cu ft, 188 sq ft

Not as ideal as the above, as far as room modes, but 3 x 4 x 6.5 (or 7) is just outside the recommended range. Still better than 4x4 though. This would be the easiest to build without extending panels, just cutting right from the 4x8.

I put the Cubic Volume in to add another dimension of comparison and for air exchange calculation, and the Surface Area, so that one would know how much carpet or surface treatment they would need for the project.

Okay... discuss, discuss!


Last edited by nick on Wed Oct 04, 2017 1:19 am; edited 1 time in total
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Lee Gordon
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Joined: 25 Jul 2008
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 1:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a suggestion from someone who's "been there; done that:" do not sacrifice interior space for the convenience of using whole 4x8 sheet goods. If you build a smaller booth than you have room for, just because you want to avoid a few saw cuts, you will kick yourself later.

The booth I built is 58" x 58" on the outside because that's all the room I had. I clear the wall on one side by 3" and the radiator on the opposite wall by 1½" and was left with an interior of 39" x 42". I would kill for more room inside.
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nick
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Joined: 31 Jul 2017
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Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

PostPosted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Lee, that is good information.

You have convinced me that I should be considering a 4x6 booth as a minimum.
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Monk
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good for you for using a room mode calculation. That's where I always start. You're usually limited by the ceiling, so that number isn't flexible.

Bob Golds room mode calculator gives you more ratio options. http://www.bobgolds.com/Mode/RoomModes.htm and tells you how close you're getting to problem frequencies. Pay attention to the 85Hz to 180Hz range. The male voice range.

From there it's about bass traps, and knocking down interior reflections. Making the walls out of square can help as well, but will drive you bats trying to make everything fit.

And don't forget about ventilation. We're quite the little furnace, and in an insulated space, can raise the temp rather quickly. Some good mufflers and small fans can move the air in/out.

When building, don't overdo it. Tackle the sounds you need to deal with, you don't have to build it bombproof. (Unless you live near a large airport or truck depot.)

I hate people spending and wasting money!
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Lee Gordon
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Monk wrote:
I hate people spending and wasting money!

I hear you. First, thanks for all the great information you've shared here, as well as last week at Faffcon. Your suggestion of using a different mic to mitigate the boxy sound in my booth would be a very cost-effective solution. But in the spirit of spending as little as possible, I recalled a thread from last year in this forum and decided to try an even cheaper approach first. It was a discussion about moving blankets and Jason Huggins recommended these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IBKAQ14/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I ordered a package and hung a couple of them in front of my doors (and on top of my ATS panels) and am so far sufficiently satisfied with the improvement, that I don't need to invest in another mic just yet.
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nick
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Joined: 31 Jul 2017
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Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Monk wrote:
...And don't forget about ventilation. We're quite the little furnace, and in an insulated space, can raise the temp rather quickly. Some good mufflers and small fans can move the air in/out.

When building, don't overdo it. Tackle the sounds you need to deal with, you don't have to build it bombproof. (Unless you live near a large airport or truck depot.)

I hate people spending and wasting money!


Right Monk. I haven't forgotten ventilation... just not quite there yet.

I will need your help with NOT over-engineering it. I have a tendency to do that when left to my own devices.

My next post will be "DIY Booth Build: Wall Materials and Thickness" or something like that.

Please check it out and set me straight. Thanks.
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JohnV
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My next post will be "DIY Booth Build: Wall Materials and Thickness" or something like that.

best thing to get in mind is that the walls should be built to be absorbers deeper than grey-foam-on-the-wall. what youre looking for is a few inches of rockwool/fiberglas703 as your interior wall surface (with a layer or two of fabric) rather than drywall-with-stuff-on-it. THis can be accomplished by using the raw not-drywalled stud wall as the cavity or John Sayers' 'inside-out-wall' concept which is VERy interesting and maybe not well-known.

NB: the ventilation-thing is reeeeealy far from trivial. You;re building a soundproof closet, which means, in a much as you can, NO open airflow in or out as that means SOUND in and out. You won;t last long in there!
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sounddguy
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="JohnV"]My next post will be "DIY Booth Build: Wall Materials and Thickness" or something like that.

The best book I ever bought was "building a recording studio" by Jeff Cooper. It's hard to find/expensive but has very clear cut examples / techniques.
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JohnV
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="sounddguy"]
JohnV wrote:
My next post will be "DIY Booth Build: Wall Materials and Thickness" or something like that.

that should have presented as a re-quote from teh OP...!


The best book I ever bought was "building a recording studio" by Jeff Cooper. It's hard to find/expensive but has very clear cut examples / techniques.


don;t know Cooper.. but I figure it's worth following up.

My bible has been the painfully thorough and brutally comprehensive
Rod Gervais book...
Home Recording Studio: Build It Like the Pros

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X
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nick
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Joined: 31 Jul 2017
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Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JohnV wrote:
best thing to get in mind is that the walls should be built to be absorbers deeper than grey-foam-on-the-wall. what youre looking for is a few inches of rockwool/fiberglas703 as your interior wall surface (with a layer or two of fabric) rather than drywall-with-stuff-on-it. THis can be accomplished by using the raw not-drywalled stud wall as the cavity or John Sayers' 'inside-out-wall' concept which is VERy interesting and maybe not well-known.

NB: the ventilation-thing is reeeeealy far from trivial. You;re building a soundproof closet, which means, in a much as you can, NO open airflow in or out as that means SOUND in and out. You won;t last long in there!


Thanks, John.

Sorry it took so long to get back to this thread but I have been very busy lately.
Since I am not planning to build stud walls, could I just hang some panels of 703 on the walls? Or, do the panels of the 703 need to entirely cover the walls 100%?
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JohnV
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 5:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Make a cuppa and have a few minutes watching something pretty pragmatic and hopefully helpful...

https://youtu.be/HdEYNdzi4kw
(there's a PART 2... do both!)

CORNING 703 is, after all, compressed block fibreglas and so will NEED covering of fabric (I have prefered poly quilt batting and then fabric) so you arent BREATHING it...!
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todd ellis
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 6:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i like the tutorial - but i am a big fan of ultra touch recycled denim insulation over fiberglass. MUCH easier to work with - and fiberglass will off-gas formaldehyde as it breaks down over time. not good (imho) in an enclosed space like a vo booth.
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JohnV
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 6:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hadn't heard of the denim stuffing...

some discussion

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/studio-building-acoustics/937978-ultratouch-denim-insulation-superior-bass-buster.html
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Jason Huggins
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

While there isn't a lot of data with regards to the ultra low frequencies, and the verdict may be out about the lows, I personally can say that I swapped out the Rockwool stuff for the denim stuff (because of lung irritation) and it fixed the irritation issue and didn't change the sound of my booth. I essentially just replaced the stuffing in the panels and bass traps with identical amounts of the denim stuff. Sounded the same to me. I don't think the human voice creates enough of the ultra low frequencies to hit the limits of the denim.

Just my personal experience...I don't have any scientific evidence to back up anything I say, but it's work for me for 6 years.
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JohnV
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The discussion I pointed to is about REALLY low frequencies in recording spaces for critical monitoring. for voice booth work it seems to me this denim stuff might well be good enough... especiallly about the irritation issue!

Anything about fire-retardant issues?
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