How to Build a Sound Booth for Drums

Even the acoustics in a garage can be improved with homemade baffles.

Acoustic drums are loud. In the case of live performance, drums often dictate the necessary volume from other instruments in small- and medium-sized venues. In large-scale concerts, drum sounds bleeding into other microphones can create such problems as feedback and loss of clarity. Soundproofing drums is difficult because to completely isolate the sound of drums, you need walls 8 inches thick and acoustic decoupling through cushioned floors. This is impractical for most home users. However, using easy-to-build gobos, or go-betweens, can reduce sound levels and improve separation for home studio recording.

Things You'll Need

• 1-by-6-inch lumber
• Angle brackets
• 3/4-inch wood screws
• 1 1/2-inch drywall screws
• Washers (optional)
• Open-weave fabric, such as burlap
• Mineral insulation
• Masonite sheets
• Assorted woodworking hardware
• Woodworking tools

Instructions

1. Decide on practical dimensions for your space. A good starting point is a gobo 4 feet high by 3 feet wide. This provides good sight lines between performers and allows you to use two pieces of mineral insulation side by side. Taller dimensions will reduce more sound passing the gobos at the expense of visibility. Wider dimensions mean fewer gobos to contain the drums, but these may be impractical to move and store.

2. Cut three pieces of 1-by-6 lumber to the height dimension you decided on. Cut four pieces to your width dimension. Build a rectangular box using two boards each from your height and width pieces. Place the width piece on top and below the height pieces. Fasten the box using angle brackets and wood screws.

3. Add the remaining height-dimension board to the center of the box, using the drywall screws through the width boards, top and bottom. The two remaining width boards will be attached to the bottom of the gobo for stability. Place the boards side by side so that the seam is centered along the bottom board of the box. Attach with the wood screws. Use washers, if you want, to ensure no screws break through the bottom.

4. Cut open-weave fabric to fit the smaller rectangles formed by the center height board with 2 inches extra. Cut a 2-inch square from each corner of the fabric to form folding tabs. Staple the fabric inside the box frame as close to the edge as possible, about a quarter-inch. Start with the top edge. Staple the sides, alternating left and right, stretching the fabric slightly. Work down to the bottom edge until all sides are secure.

5. Fill the frame with mineral insulation, making sure it is packed tightly between the boards. It should cause the fabric to pillow out slightly on the face, but do not put too much pressure on the back of the fabric. Cover the open side of the insulation with Masonite sheets cut to fit.

Tips & Warnings

• You can adapt the gobo construction to framed wall construction by exchanging the 1-inch lumber for 2-inch and replacing the Masonite with wallboard. Do so only if you have a large enough space to completely enclose a drum kit with room to move around it and to set up microphones with plenty of extra space for the sound of the drums to develop acoustically.

References

• Sound on Sound; The Studio SOS Guide To Monitoring & Acoustic Treatment; Paul White; February 2006