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A booth consideration

 
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Mike Harrison
M&M


Joined: 03 Nov 2007
Posts: 2029
Location: Equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, along the NJ Shore

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:17 am    Post subject: A booth consideration Reply with quote

I've been extremely lucky in that I've managed to get by without a proper recording enclosure for 15 years. That luck is successfully missing landscapers and the other spontaneous noise sources which are out of my control. But the stress from constantly playing Russian Roulette when scheduling directed sessions around projected (guessed) landscaper visits, etc. has become too great. And the number of nearby spontaneous noise sources seems to have increased, as well.

Thus, a booth is in order. I've researched my needs on this many times. My only reservation about buying a booth is this: I rent this condo. If get a booth and am successful in assembling/disassembling it by myself, I still wonder - when the time comes for me to move (the thing I hate most) - whether conventional movers would have a problem handling the parts of the booth (due to weight or other concerns).

Any thoughts?

Thanks.
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AlanTaylor
Contributor II


Joined: 23 May 2014
Posts: 69
Location: Nashville

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a WhisperRoom. It arrived in 11 boxes. No box weighed over 50 pounds and a buddy and I easily carried them into my home. (We're both in our 60's.) I think movers wouldn't have much of a problem. Assembly is easy if you watch a couple of YouTube videos and I wouldn't be hesitant about disassembling it for moving and then re-assembling it. Assembled, it weighs about 700 pounds so make sure your condo space can handle that.
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Mike Harrison
M&M


Joined: 03 Nov 2007
Posts: 2029
Location: Equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, along the NJ Shore

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks very much, Alan. Good to know. My condo is ground-level, on a slab, and 10 steps (not stairs) from the parking lot.

The ease of assembly/disassembly and whether movers would have any reason to back away from a job involving a booth were my main concerns.

Thanks again!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
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Rick Riley
Flight Attendant


Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Posts: 807
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

However remember Mr. Mike, your standard Whisper Room ( I had one from Vocalbooth.com) is designed to offer you acceptable acoustics for recording, once you are inside. In order to block outside noises from coming IN, I believe you need to step up a grade or two to isolated walls, etc., increasing the cost accordingly.

Mine was 6 x 6 and even then sounded a bit boxy and I had to add some baffles of OC 703 here and there. And it didn't keep a whole lot of noise out, just provided me a better environment to record in. And yes, assembly and disassembly is not a concern, considering overall moving is a pain in the butt anyway, it will just add to the size of the pain and the size of the butt.
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ballenberg
Lucky 700


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 793
Location: United States

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So Rick, are you noting that the 6x6 from Vocal Booth that didn't keep much noise out was the single wall version?
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Rick Riley
Flight Attendant


Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Posts: 807
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ballenberg wrote:
So Rick, are you noting that the 6x6 from Vocal Booth that didn't keep much noise out was the single wall version?


Yes. I live 850 feet off the road in the 'kinda' country, outside of Portland, Oregon. In fact, Mr. Ballenberg, you've been here. And my work space is away from the house. So I didn't really need the double wall vocal booth. Or so I thought. But when planes came overheard or someone was mowing with a tractor within a 100 feet or so, I heard it. And when doing a session with someone else recording you on the other end, you want nothin'. And there was somethin' that I often had to make an excuse for.

We had just moved into a home and I got the booth to hold me over while I built a studio. I learned a lot from just having the booth, which is why I went to such great lengths to build what I have now. Isolated walls / ceiling using Genie Clips, green glue, non-parallel walls, etc. I didn’t want to make any more excuses.

Sound has interesting properties and it takes a lot of remedies to manage it. The worst thing you can do as a VO person, is to spend a lot of money and 'almost' manage it and then realize all your efforts have been in vain. Which is why I spent $2200 just on the door. ISO walls don’t help much if you’ve got weak links elsewhere.

The point is, make sure it’s going to solve your problem because the expense and effort of ‘almost’ will make you even more frustrated than before you began.
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Rob Ellis
M&M


Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 2385
Location: Detroit

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 5:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a double-walled Whisper Room that has moved with me 3 times. I think there may have been one time when a gang of Harleys drove by the house in Florida and a slight rumble could be heard on my recording if you listened very closely.

Other than that it has provided a reliable recording space for me going on 10 years.
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AlanTaylor
Contributor II


Joined: 23 May 2014
Posts: 69
Location: Nashville

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a single wall WhisperRoom. I live in a pretty quiet neighborhood. I no longer hear leaf blowers, landscapers and passing helicopters. But, everyone's situation is different. One nice, albeit expensive, option of the WhisperRoom is that I can always convert mine to double wall if necessary.
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Rick Riley
Flight Attendant


Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Posts: 807
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 8:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I should have noted that my booth went into a garage. There was minimal insulation as you can see by the picture. And it was only while I was constructing a permanent room. I sold the booth afterwards.

A booth going into a home would be a vastly different story, as the home is already insulated and you would be putting a room within a room, which is what I ended up building.

In my post I was just urging caution that the intention of the single walled booth is for appropriate recording acoustics. Whether it keeps OUT noises without a double wall construction but yet inside a home, is probably a wait and see proposition.

Starting point...


Finishing point...

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AlanTaylor
Contributor II


Joined: 23 May 2014
Posts: 69
Location: Nashville

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rick,

That's a beautiful studio! I'm envious...
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ballenberg
Lucky 700


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 793
Location: United States

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Rick...Oh yes, I wouldn't forget your studio, or booth (or warm hospitality!) In fact, your space is the best I've ever been in, NYC studios included..I remember being in the booth and hearing high heels clicking on the floor above at the late, lamented Howard Schwartz Recording near Grand Central.
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Rick Riley
Flight Attendant


Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Posts: 807
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

AlanTaylor wrote:
That's a beautiful studio! I'm envious...


It's a great place to work. And I realize how blessed I am every day. Thanks Alan!!!
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Monk
King's Row


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 1152
Location: Nestled in the Taconic Hills

PostPosted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are things to consider, how much of a noise problem are you trying to deal with, will you have to move it eventually, (most important for apartment and condo dwellers) and how much money do you have to spend.

I personally don't like a booth. My "booth" is my studio and it has 1500cubic feet of air in it. (13.5x15.5x8) and does not sound "boothy"

but I own the house, and had the room to build it. Not everyone can do that.

On campus I have access to a studio I built that's a room within a room, floated on the floor and THEN has a 4x6 Wenger booth inside it. Talk about some double or triple walls! The Wenger is designed for noise isolation and is HEAVY. OMG each panel that makes up the structure is at least 80 pounds. This thing is all about mass.

And that's the point. Use Mass to stop vibrations, and airtight to keep sound from leaking in. The sound we had to fight was people in the hallways, doors closing and conversations. Not truck traffic, leafblowers or an airport.

Constructing your own booth is affordable, but making easy to assemble, dis-assemble and move... that's a little harder. Ok, a lot harder. Especially if you're trying to maintain an airtight structure. Foam tape goes a long way on those joints.

So buying a booth. Buy the biggest you can get. The more air around your microphone the better. Especially if using a large condenser microphone. If the noise you're trying to deal with is high frequency buzzes and such, you can go with a lighter, yet airtight booth. If it's low frequency vibrations, you'll need something sturdier. Or move it into a room in the basement or center of the house. Creating a room within a room with as much mass around you as possible. Basements work because of the mostly earthen walls sucking up the vibrations. People in Florida and other southern states may not have a basement as the house is on a slab.

What I'd love to see someday, and I'll have to see if it can be done, is a lightweight booth, with pockets in the walls that you can fill with water or something once it's setup. That way when it comes time to move, you can drain the material and easily pack it up.

And don't forget Craigslist. There are a few used booths out in the world and you can save a bundle.
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