VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Kristin Lennox · Flight Attendant Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 858

I'm venturing into the Gear forum. Be gentle.

So I have a lovely custom-built iso-booth that produces lovely audio... but I neglected to think about getting any air in and out of it, which makes any summer session over ten minutes a little warm. OK, a lot warm.

I went back and looked at some older ventilation threads, and it seems that a good way to add ventilation is to zig-zag the duct-work over the top of the booth and connect to a vent in the ceiling. BUT I usually turn off the heat/AC when I record, just to make everything extra silent... this would turn off the ventilation as well, yes?

Any other ways to air out a booth, short of fanning the door open and shut?
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Benjamin Stovall · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:37 pm Post subject:

There is a DIY plan by DAWBOX which claims to be "dead silent." I don't know this is true first-hand, but here's the link:

http://www.dawbox.com/acoustic%20products%20Ventilation.htm

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Kristin Lennox · Flight Attendant Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 858

OK, that looks kind of cool! I'm guessing you need to cut two holes in the wall, though, for it to work...?

I'm going to try to find some reviews out there -- if it truly is "dead silent," it might be worth getting... thanks, Benjamin!
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ChrisMezzolesta · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:05 am Post subject:

From experience I can say that while this looks like it'll work nicely, the truth is that the room the booth is in had better be nice n cool to begin with; mine is in a FROG room over the garage, in coastal NC, so the room itself can get into the 80s during the summer and that's with AC on. In the booth itself, yikes. They are only small computer fans and aren't moving that much air, and if the air they're moving is already 75-80, it doesn't do much good...unfortunately I can't recommend this despite living with one. YMMV of course, but it's a good thing I don't have a cam in the booth cause that would be not a pretty sight!!!!! Laugh

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Benjamin Stovall · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:37 am Post subject:

Great point, Chris. The temperature in the room has to be cool if you want to be cool in the booth. However, some folks just need AIR to circulate and can deal with the heat. It sounds like Kristin didn't include any ventilation for her custom booth and if this unit is quiet enough, it may make her life a little more bearable, even if the room itself isn't cool.

Optionally, Kristin, you may be able to turn the A/C up high to really cool the space before recording. Then, you can could kill the A/C and reap the benefits of the ventilation system for a little while.
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Kristin Lennox · Flight Attendant Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 858

Benjamin Stovall · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 1:38 pm Post subject:

MBVOXX · Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:20 pm Post subject:

this is the age old dilemma related to recording voice in an isolation booth....
how quiet do you want it? how quiet does it really need to be?
depends on how the project is going to be mixed. Music/SFX/ Dry?

More times than not, when I work in high end studios, there is little, if any ventilation in the smaller booths. Fortunately the engineers are savvy to cooling those booths prior to the session so most of the time it's not an issue. But sometimes, especially in the summer, it gets pretty steamy. Short breaks on longer sessions help. And short sessions usually aren't a problem.

Pre fab booths seem to be the most common without A/C whereas permanent Iso Booths usually get a trickle of air flow from the bldg system.

If you need to condition a small booth, though, it doesn't take a lot of air flow to do it. Use a good length of insulated flex duct, and just send enough air into the booth to keep it from getting hot...doesn't have to be a meat locker.

ChrisMezzolesta · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:19 am Post subject:

Yes my dad and I did build the DAWbox (a nightmare), and yes they are only 120mm computer fans...they do move some air, and are definitely very quiet (being on the outside of the plenum shown, only the intake/output of the ducting are inside the booth, the ducting is snaked around to increase distance from the fans) - Nice idea but perhaps a more robust fan might still be able to keep it quiet while moving more air...Am looking into a Mitsubishi Mr Slim for the main room so that I can run AC while in the booth and it won't make noise, being outside the house.
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ballenberg · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:02 am Post subject:

Chris has got the right idea.

Now I can't speak from a female perspective (obviously) but I can tell you as a guy, if there is no ventilation in a booth, you don't have a recording environment. What you have is a coffin with a microphone. I hear you can get a lily with a Neumann logo. You're gonna need it, cause you'll die in there. In these parts, the word is schvitzing--look it up.

I can think of at least one NYC studio, a bit frayed and decrepit, where I worked at a few years back, that had one of these. Closet with window and mic--no air at all. High-energy read. Heaven help me! Awful.

By all means, get as much air flowing into your space as you can afford and make it as quiet as you can afford. My same standards as always apply: Sounds good=Is Good. But add: Feels Good=Is Good.

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:04 am Post subject:

this thread is informative AND funny!

i had some serious schvitzing going on as my fever broke during the night. frEEkin gross. (strep throat -- hooooray!)

great idea for lily farmers, bill!
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georgethetech · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:23 pm Post subject:

Just spoke to a celebri-voice who wants a studio, but wants to leave out the ventilation to save money. I said if you aren't in there for more than 5 minutes at a time (4x6 room), it's doable, but you are making a big mistake because you are bound to be in there longer...

A large, slow moving air duct, serpentined, with a quiet squirrel cage blower is the best possible solution for the outlet. The inlet should be passive, with a similar serpentine to keep additional noise from passing through.
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ChrisMezzolesta · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:45 pm Post subject:

Yep, that's pretty much what I have, just that the room is usually on the hot side, so the little fans really are only wisping already warm air, and not enough to appreciably cool it down in there. Hopefully a few more gigs and I can afford to get a Mr Slim installed, which ought to influence the situation.
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ballenberg · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:10 am Post subject:

celebri-voice who wants a studio, but wants to leave out the ventilation to save money

Oh, brother. Not sure whether to laugh or cry. Okay, I'll laugh: Mwa-ha-ha! He'll be sorry!

Hope you're better, post-schvitzing, Diane!

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:21 am Post subject:

bill, my husband asked if he should burn the sheets.

much better, thank you. modern medicine is marvy!
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