How to Build a Vocal Isolation Booth
Getting a good performance from a singer in a home recording studio is generally based upon making the singer feel comfortable and relaxed. Creating a vocal isolation booth, in addition to minimizing outside distractions, can help facilitate this. Vocal isolation booths run the gamut from simply hanging blankets around an area to building a wooden isolation booth.
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Things You'll Need
- Available corner space
- 2-by-4s or 2-by-6s
- Plywood
- Sound-proof materials
- Tube traps
- Glass windows
Instructions
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Measure the Space
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1
Decide where to put the vocal isolation booth and if you are building a freestanding booth or a permanent booth. If you have a closet space in your studio, it is easy to convert that to a vocal isolation booth with acoustic foam. Without a closet, choose a corner in your studio where you can setup a booth that is about 6 feet wide, 6 feet deep, and 7 or 8 feet high.
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2
Use the existing walls of the corner to start the booth, then erect plywood walls for the dimensions you chosen. For best results, set up a double wall system. For the existing walls, fasten acoustic materials to the wall, then put plywood walls up over that. For the freestanding walls, erect the 2-by-4s of 2-by-6s as the frame and hang the plywood sheets onto them, place acoustic deadening material onto the outside of the first wall, then erect the second wall.
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3
Wire the booth. Decide whether you want to have electric outlets inside the vocal booth and permanent lights, or whether you want to go cheap and hand lights inside the booth and plug them in outside the booth. The best booths will be wired to reduce outside sounds from leaking into the booth. Wire the booth for XLR connections, which are the cables that microphones use.
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4
Hang the door on the booth and screw the hinges into the plywood on one side. Soundproof the top and bottom of the door with a door sweep seal or weather strip.
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5
Create the space for a window in one of the walls and place the glass window in it.
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6
Soundproof the booth, especially the door and the window frame, with acoustic soundproof foam such as Aurelex (see "Resources"). Put carpet on the floor to reduce acoustic reflections.
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