VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

JBarrett · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 2:20 pm Post subject: Building a booth...sort of...

(My apologies for initially appending this to Lee's thread. Not sure how I didn't catch that sooner.)

With today's wind postponing one VO session and preventing me from starting on another (that has a large chunk due on Friday), the build/buy decision has been made: I'm committed to build. I can't currently afford the full booth treatment (like the one that Lee is building, which looks awesome), but I need to do something to reject more outside noise.

As you read the following plans, please keep in mind that my goal is not to build the perfect space right now. What I do need right now is something...

that I can afford
that I can build relatively quickly
that will prevent my mic from picking up as much of Mother Nature as it does currently.
that I can expand/improve later without my initial efforts going to waste.

In short, I can't afford perfect. I'm simply aiming for better.

Here's a mockup of where I want to start:

This represents five 3/4" MDF panels. The height would be 6', the three longest sides would be 4' wide, and the shorter sides would be 2'. The squashed pentagon shape would give me a decent amount of room (it's essentially the same size as the space I'm working in currently), and the non-parallel walls would minimize interior bounce.

Materials
This design needs four 4'x8' MDF sheets, which will run me about $150 based on the current price of 3/4" MDF at our local Lowes. Because I'm cutting them down to 6' high, I could take those remaining 2'x4' sections and build a ceiling, though that may come later.

Treatment
I'm going to take all of the moving blankets that surround my existing space and hang them inside the booth. Not ideal, I know, but it's what I have on hand.

Placement
I'm planning on setting this on the existing floor in my room, with an inch or two of space separating the 90-degree corner from the current room corner.

Questions:

How should I attach the panels to each other? I'm trying to think of options that would allow for relatively easy disassembly when it comes time to move, and also make it easy to improve the booth in the future. Would door hinges work? What about industrial-strength velcro? Some have recommended bolting the pieces together, but I'm just trying to think outside the box for other ideas.
Should I put some rubber pads under the walls to keep them from directly contacting the floor? I'm not building a floor for the booth at this time, so I don't know if spacers under the walls would actually help in any way (other than protecting the floor from being damaged by the MDF).
Are there any other items that I should definitely consider adding to this design, or changing? I'd like to keep the initial outlay for this "phase one" build in the $200-300 range if at all possible.

Thanks!
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Justin S. Barrett
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vkuehn · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 4:09 pm Post subject:

Tell us about your floor. Are you on a concrete slab? Are you on a floor with a crawl space underneath, or is there another story of living space under the floor?

Where do you think the wind noise enters your room? Is there a window? (An exterior window is now the weakest link in my space!) Is the wind entering a soffit at the eaves of your building and the noise coming down through the ceiling? Is it the howl and whilstle of wind... or is the wind causing the building frame to shake and "rack" causing a more mechanical noise?

Fastening the pieces together: What if you got some fabric or paper tape (maybe a paperized tape with strands of fabric content six inches wide, and you applied it to your walls much like covering the joints of drywall. Glue it on, mud it on... I might look very sloppy... or it could have a very functional look.

georgethetech · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 4:43 pm Post subject:

Keep it simple, a rectangle. The complexity of assembling this shape outweighs the benefits, IMHO. I speak from experience:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111784955195223625993/albums/5652427146514623265
A very small booth will have bass trapping issues no matter what crazy shape it is. Make it as roomy as possible for your given space.
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Bailey · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 4:55 pm Post subject:

Just a suggestion...

Use long piano hinges (vertical) on 4 of the 5 corners of the "booth". I didn't see a door in the plan, so I'm assuming you're just going to leave one corner unhinged to open and close. Rubber/Foam shocks along the bottom of each MDF would help some, but it would also be easy to make a sound flooring. about 6"-8" thick, shaped as a "drop in" fit for the booth bottom. Is there any reason for the 6 foot height limitation?

Attaching sound blankets could be done with Velcro strips at the top of each panel. Sew the other Velcro hook part to the tops of the blankets.
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JBarrett · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:21 pm Post subject:

vkuehn: I don't know many gory details about the floor itself, but it's a manufactured home, and not a very new one at that, so you can probably guess. The crawlspace underneath is a couple feet high (guessing).

It's the howl and whistle of the wind against the house that comes through, and I hear it pretty much everywhere. This room does have a window, but I can't say that it lets in more noise than any other part of the room. I should point out that we're renting this house, so our ability to "fix" the problem in the house itself is limited.

George: thanks for the tip re: the shape. I'm curious, though...considering that I want this thing to be free-standing and easily disassembled -- not permanently built into an existing space like the one in your example -- would you still recommend a rectangle over my current shape? I chose a pentagon mostly to avoid the reflections caused by the parallel walls of a rectangular design. My interior sound treatment options are super limited (I'm only planning on using my current moving blankets), so if I can address some issues -- like parallel wall reflections -- via the design rather than needing treatment after the fact, would it not be better to go that route?

Bailey: You're correct. I'm just planning on using one panel as a "door" for now. As for the 6 foot height, I'm glad you asked, 'cause it prompted me to re-check my measurements of the room, and I found an error. Embarrassed

As with many manufactured homes, the ceiling slopes. I had incorrectly interpreted my initial measurements, and thought that the ceiling was just over 6 feet from the floor at its lowest point, but it's actually a hair over 7 feet. Whatever the case, I plan on leaving a few inches of wiggle room between the "booth" top and the ceiling. Now I've just got more room to wiggle. Smile

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Frank F · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:46 pm Post subject:

Moving blankets on the outside too. Use a screen material on the top then place moving blankets/roxul/foam on top of that for a "cloud" effect.

Make sure you can breathe and have air movement inside your booth.

Also, get some clear silicone sealant and caulk the edges of the booth "walls" where they connect. The silicone sealant is flexible and will move when you need to "adjust" the walls a bit. Silicone will also seal the edges from unwanted sounds and vibrations. When you need to or choose to move, simply peel it off and as you set up the "booth" again, add new sealant.

On the Bottom of each "wall" caulk a bead of silicone about a quarter inch to one half inch thick and let air dry for a couple of days. This will help isolate them from the floor. Better yet, build a floor for your booth and isolate it as well.

I also suggest you get bright LED lighting for the inside of the booth.

Frank F
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Donna · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:16 am Post subject:

Another way to separate from the floor - go to your feed store and get a stall mat (I know you know where the feed store is!). Very heavy rubber, 3/4" thick, 4' X 6'. Using this as your floor, build the booth on top and you have pretty good separation. As for how to connect the panels? A piano hinge is elegant but leaves air space, which you don't want. 1X3s on the outside edges will give you enough material to connect the panels to each other, and protect the edges of the MDF which tends to crumble if you take it apart and reassemble often.
I built a trapezoidal booth last summer, and while I love love love the space I made, I will never do that again. As George says, it's just too much of a bother. Build some good bass traps for the inside corners instead.
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heyguido · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:21 am Post subject:

Dang, Donna....

I'm impressed. Great suggestions. Smile

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Lee Gordon · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:07 am Post subject:

I was going to suggest getting a sheet of homasote to use for the floor (as I was planning to do for my own booth), but I like Donna's suggestion of a horse trailer mat better. I also like the idea of building a 1x3 frame around your walls. MDF is a great material, but one thing it's not very good at is, holding screws. But if you're going to frame the walls, and the structure is meant to be temporary anyway, why not use ¾" drywall instead of MDF? It will give your walls just a bit more mass, it's slightly easier to work with, and it's cheaper. Or, if you really wanted to go nuts, make each wall from two sheets of 3/8" drywall laminated with Green Glue in between. That would probably add $75-100 to the overall cost vs. MDF.
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Frank F · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:19 am Post subject:

Good ideas all around, especially Donna's "stall mat" thought.

I have used industrial restaurant fatigue mats which are also cheap and come in varying thicknesses for flooring and walls as Mass Loaded Vinyl/rubber.

FF
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Bob Stevens · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:17 pm Post subject:

Donna, you may have my kingdom!

Brilliant idea about the stall mat! I have been unhappy with everything I have put on my tile floor. 4 x 6 ft and weighs a whopping 100 POUNDS! Holy Crap! Absolutely perfect!

I live half a block from a feed barn. Guess where I am going later... Smile

Bob
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Donna · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:27 pm Post subject:

Bob, if I realized they weighed 100 pounds I would have given myself more credit for slinging them around the barn. (we actually use them for their intended purpose too!)
Here's a tip for wrestling the beasts (the mats, not the horses) into place: from the car to the house, have the feed store guys roll and tie the mat into a cylinder, as they're much easier to pick up that way. And use two pair of pliers to drag it into place, rather than your hands.
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 3:14 pm Post subject:

When I get one, I will cut it to size before I load it into my truck.
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Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

Bailey · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 3:19 pm Post subject:

Justin... with no ventilation, I'm guessing you won't be doing any audio books.
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Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
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"Be a Voice, not an Echo." Ninja

Ed Fisher · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:45 am Post subject:

Having done this before, I can tell you that if it's not "air tight" sound is still going to enter from the outside. Even with it being a "thermos bottle," some low frequencies can still get though, but typically a hi-pass filter will take care of most of that.

Also, Frank's suggestion re: Led lightinig is a good one. Regular lighting will turn your booth into a child's "Easy Bake" oven.

And what George said about "keep it simple" is only going to help you. I can tell you have been giving this a lot of thought. The problem is over thinking it. With the size booth you are constructing, the benefits of the physics involved in "no parallel" walls will be minimal compared to the trouble you are asking for by making the design so elaborate. George usually get's paid for the kind of advice he has given you for free, so if I were you, I would take it.

The thing that struck me in your beginning description was that it was going to be only 6 ft high. Are you perhaps a very small person? I think as much head room as you can reasonable fit in your space would be the best way to go.

Good luck. And as I said, I once had to build a booth when I realized that I had just rented an office/studio space directly above where most of the City's buses came to drop off passengers downtown. (lucky me) But, I found it manageable with an air tight booth with thick walls.
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