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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
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 9:32 am Post subject: Booths easiest to assemble/disassemble? |
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Of course, sonic and acoustic qualities are of the utmost importance, but can I get some feedback, please, on which booths might prove to be the easiest to assemble and disassemble?
While it's generally very quiet here 95% of the time, the five percent has caused a decrease in live (directed) bookings as I cannot guarantee sessions will not be interrupted by noise out of my control.
But it's because I rent a condo in an over-55 community that makes getting a booth more of a concern. I don't know how long the landlord will continue to own the place, and the prospect of moving makes me concerned over whether I can find able-and-willing help to disassemble a booth.
Any thoughts? _________________ Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.
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Bish 3.5 kHz

Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Posts: 3738 Location: Lost in the cultural wasteland of Long Island
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 9:44 am Post subject: |
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My only experience has been with both the construction and deconstruction of a StudioBricks booth. There are a breeze to put together and dismantle (with two people... which you are going to need for a slab-sided booth anyway). They may be a more expensive option, but (as far as I understand) if you take another manufacturer's basic booth (which are usually single-sheet plywood and a smattering of cheap foam) and add all the stuff that makes it usable and comparable to the SudioBricks... they work out not that much more for something that's "fit-for-purpose" straight out of the box. _________________ Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls. |
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Glenn Moore Been Here Awhile

Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 241
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 10:10 am Post subject: |
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Hey Mike. I can only speak for a WhisperRoom because I have an enhanced 4x4. They are pretty easy to put together but you do need to have at least one other person to help and two helpers would be even better. I got mine in 2012 and it took about 3-4 hours to put it together. We took our time and made sure everything was done according to the manual, which lays it out step-by-step for you. My only advice would be to make sure your floor can handle the weight if you are not on a ground floor. Plus I would avoid getting a square-sized one like the 4x4. The acoustics seem harder to tune in a square room, in my opinion. Wish I would have got the 4x6 if I had to do over again. I have heard Studio Bricks are pretty easy to assemble and they look great but if money was no option, a Diamond Series Vocal Booth might be my next choice. Just make sure you hire a trained audio engineer like George Whittam or Tim Tippets to help with the sound-proofing and to help you tune your gear to it. A used booth my save you some money as well. Just my 2 cents:-) |
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Bruce Boardmeister

Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 7977 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:03 am Post subject: |
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George Whittam’s TriBooth looks good for dampening internal noises but I’m guessing not so good for noisy neighbors. Maybe you could sponsor a Bingo tournament at the local VFW hall during your next directed session to draw them away.
B _________________ VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005
I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. . |
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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
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the feedback thus far, guys.
One good thing is that these condos are single-level and built on a concrete slab, so there's no issues with booth weight.
My current recording environment (in my living room) has excellent acoustics, but it's far from soundproof. The "enclosure" is made up of two free-standing ClearSonic Sorber panels (each unit consists of two 66" high x 24" wide panels, hinged together in the center), and each has a 12" height extender. The vertical portion of my mic stand sits just outside the point where the two separate baffles come together, and a short boom comes between them, and suspends my 416 from above the copy stand. While the two baffle units create the "semi-circular" enclosure that I face (standing), the enclosure "door" (behind me) consists of two 4' x 8' sections of velour theatrical drape, doubled and hung over a stage mic boom. Another two similar sections of drape are hung against the largest section of bare wall in the living room. Between the ClearSonic baffles, theatrical drape and my couch, there's plenty of absorption in the room. I get the perfect amount of "liveness" from the bare ceiling directly above the mic, but the mic points downward, away from the ceiling.
So, my chief problem is the sporadic and spontaneous noise caused by landscapers, single-engine planes from the municipal airport two miles away, occasional dog barking... and the audio potpourri created by the three fairly nearby military bases: jet & chopper flyovers and occasional (what seems to be) munitions testing: things that go "BOOM!" in the light and shake the whole building. Of course, I realize no booth will completely block out the explosions, but any improvement is an improvement.  _________________ Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.
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Glenn Moore Been Here Awhile

Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 241
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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I should also add that while my enhanced WhisperRoom is great for keeping out external noise through the walls and door, the roof does not do quite the same job. My studio is in the lower level of my house and my boy's bedroom is right above me. When he walks on the hardwood floors (or in his case runs and stomps and jumps) it feels like the house is shaking and it definitely bleeds through. You still might get some airplane noise overhead but noise from outside your apartment shouldn't be an issues as long as the mowers and chain saws are not right up near your front door and windows:-) |
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todd ellis A Zillion

Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 10529 Location: little egypt
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: | landscapers, single-engine planes from the municipal airport two miles away, occasional dog barking... and the audio potpourri created by the three fairly nearby military bases: jet & chopper flyovers and occasional (what seems to be) munitions testing: things that go "BOOM!" in the light and shake the whole building. |
JEBUS! have you considered moving?
only 1/2 kidding. _________________ "i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?
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Philip Banks Je Ne Sais Quoi

Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 11075 Location: Portgordon, Scotland
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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Before they were retired RAF Tornados flew over my house during sessions. Level of noise pollution 0%. Whisper Room and Studio Bricks one can hear an asthmatic Hake breathing 10 miles away. |
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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
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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todd ellis wrote: | JEBUS! have you considered moving? |
Doing so is, unfortunately, financially not feasible at the present time. But the noise is nowhere near constant; it's very quiet here 95% of the time. The problem is when the noise does occur, it's spontaneous and out of my control. The stress of playing Russian Roulette when booking and doing directed sessions was killing me and ultimately got to me. I do self-directed projects by working around the noise. I guess I just need to find more of those jobs. _________________ Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.
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Jack Daniel Cinquecento

Joined: 23 Jun 2016 Posts: 585 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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No prefab booth will keep things quiet if the outside noise is as loud as you say. Booths can work wonders, and they do every day for me, but physics admits of no marketing. _________________ Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town |
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