VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[JBarrett]

Y'all are all kinds of awesome. I'm loving these ideas. Thank you so much!

Lee: the structure isn't necessarily going to be temporary. It's just going to be a work in progress, and a portable one at that. I want to start cheap(ish) with materials that will give me some kind of improvement in the outside-sound-rejection category, while also leaving me the ability to upgrade the structure over time as my budget permits.

Ventilation wise, I'm not sure what to do. I do have long-form work that comes up now and then, and our manufactured home isn't the best at keeping out the Texas heat in the summer. What if I design a simple roof that could be propped up at one end to let the heat out? (Again, thinking quick and cheap for starters, not necessarily a permanent solution)
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Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/

[Lee Gordon]

I was kind of using "portable" and "temporary" interchangeably. So as I understand it, this structure is not being permanently installed in your home. Either way, I think drywall with a frame may still be a good alternative to MDF. In fact, you could construct the walls from a single layer of drywall and, some time down the road, add a second layer with or without Green Glue.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[JBarrett]

[vkuehn]

I'm reaching just a bit further out than my technical skills, but will share what I have observed about recording spaces. PROXIMITY EFFECT. Some of us who did a bit a radio work when we were young enough that we were a bit self-conscious that our voices didn't boom "like the Big Boys" learned that close talking a mic could beef up your sound a bit.

Then as I experimented with developing a home recording space, I noticed that mic locations designed to minimize reverberations (like the often touted trick of setting your mid in front of the clothes hanging in your closed) could quickly get into the boominess of the proximity effect and as we get older, the last thing some of us need is that extra low frequency stuff!)

I don't know if you plan to sit or stand in this booth you hope to construct, but keep in mind you can get your mouth and your mic too close to the ceiling and create some Proximity Effect you don't want. If you are going to make a booth in a space with a low ceiling, trying to add a floor based isolation layer and a ceiling within the booth below your room ceiling may create a bit of an acoustic problem. Construct such layers in a way you can gracefully remove them if you end up with that closed, confined sound.

[Lee Gordon]

I think you may be over-building in some places and under-building in others. I think you could get by with 2x3 framing or even, 1x2. It doesn't need to provide structural support; it's mainly an attachment point for your hinges. I would go with piano hinges, but full 6' ones could get expensive, especially because they are almost always made of solid brass. You could probably get away with two or three shorter ones on each intersection, except the one you use for a door. I'd go with a full-length one there.
I'd also consider 1/2" or 5/8" drywall rather than 3/8". Although the latter is cheaper and slightly easier to work with, a little thicker slab will give your walls more rigidity and, more importantly, more mass, which will help block out the unwanted noise.
Even if you could get our hands on narrow strips of mass loaded vinyl to cover up the seams between your panels, I don't believe it is the right material for that application. Being bent just one or two times is likely to cause it to split down the seam, defeating its purpose. I think you'd be better off cutting foot-wide strips from a tarp and glueing them over your hinges.
_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[JBarrett]

Thanks, Lee. As I mentioned, I was thinking that framing with 2x4s would be better for future expansion. If I want to later add something like Roxul to insulate the walls, and an outside wall surface (the current plan is to leave the exterior framing uncovered, except for whatever moving blankets I may have left over), using 2x3 or 1x2 wouldn't work, would it? Or am I missing something?

As for the mass-loaded vinyl, I don't think that I explained myself clearly. My thought was to put a strip of it sandwiched between the walls where they connect; i.e. inside the seam, not across/over the seam.
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Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/

[heyguido]

I'm afraid you may be wasting your time and money on this idea by missing a crucial point.

Where isolation is concerned, even the smallest crack can let in a good deal more exterior noise than you would imagine. Hinges and loosely met edges can negate any benefit from the walls you're creating. And since it's wind noise you're dealing with, you need a solid seal against your foe.

Think like you're keeping water out. If water could seep through, so can sound. Odds are, it's exactly why sound is getting into your untreated space in the first place.

One excellent suggestion that was made earlier may be worth revisiting. A simple pvc frame, liberally draped with moving blankets, can be an effective and cheap solution. Care should be taken to make sure of sufficient overlap at edges and floor to prevent sound seepage, and multiple fabric layers to prevent bleed. Moving blankets contain the same recycled denim many advocate here for effective sound dampening. And moving blankets are cheap, as little as $8 at Northern Tool, for instance.... Saving valuable funds for building a real booth when your budget allows.

Just a thought.... But one worth considering before you invest in materials.
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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

[Ed Fisher]

+1 AND a very loud "AMEN" coming from the back of the room to...
EVERYTHING Don just said.
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"I reserve the right to be completely wrong."

[Bob Stevens]

I second the moving blanket and pvc idea.

My space is very reflective with a tile floor, ugh.. and because of my space limitation my recording area cannot be fixed. I did the pvc frame thing with moving blankets I found on craigs for $5 each. When shopping for the blankets I looked for the pro 8-9 pounders per blanket. Works great except for low rumble... So, off to lowes for 4" denim insulation and several 8oz canvas tarps. I sewed up some 4x3 foot canvas bags, stuffed in some cut to fit battens of insulation, grommets in each corner for hanging and now have portable bass trap gobos. I hang them on a couple of spare boom stands, the pvc or throw them in corners depending on my layout at the time. Oh and one for a cloud. Total out of pocket cost ~$150. My LDC noise floor is ~ -52 without using the mics high pass filter.

My floor has been the pita... with a few blankets strewn around. Now with Donna's stall mat idea it should be golden. My local feed store has the 4x6 mats of heavy mass rubber for $65.

Total investment will be ~$225

Bob
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"Dialog is the painting on a canvas of silence"

[JBarrett]

[Bailey]

[Donna]

And Bailey, FTW. Or, for the hokey pokey.

That's what it's all about!
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Dangerous.

Donna Postel
donnapostel.com
donna@donnapostel.com

[JBarrett]

Thanks to everyone who has offered suggestions and advice regarding my desire to build a booth. This thread has definitely given me a lot to consider. Once the build starts rolling, I'll share the construction progress and the results of my efforts.
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Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/

[ccpetersen]

Donna,

I was telling the DH about this idea and he thought that sounded like a very cool idea. His question was about fire safety. How are these mats rated (if at all)? There's a feed store not far from here and this might be a way for us to solve some issues at this end...

Any advice on that?

[Donna]

Never thought about fire rating on the mats, CC, and a cursory glance around teh interweb brought no enlightenment. If you find out, please share!
_________________
Dangerous.

Donna Postel
donnapostel.com
donna@donnapostel.com