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paulstefano · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:46 pm Post subject: Giant Roadie Case as a Booth

Has anybody tried to use a giant Roadie case as a booth? See this listing.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/5278072190.html

The seller claims he's been recording in it to great effect. The size is about the same as the smallest Whisper Room model, it just doesn't have a built in window.

We use a similar one here at work to record narration. I've recorded in it, untreated. It wasn't sound proof, but sounded very good, and could be better with more dampening materials.

Thoughts?
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Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

I seriously question if that was built to block out sound.

You would never use a true isolation booth to store and transport equipment. It would be way too heavy, because to block out noise you have to have incredibly dense and heavy material. If you just want to have an enclosure to record in, maybe, but if you want to prevent noise from creeping in I would look elsewhere.

todd ellis · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:11 pm Post subject:

unless you're looking to be a roadie for reo speedwagon - or maybe saw a lovely assistant in half -- i say pass.
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Deirdre · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:27 pm Post subject:

I'm sure it could work in a pinch, but I'll bet you'd get better sound quality in your car.
If you have a good car, that is.
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paulstefano · Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 5:07 pm Post subject:

Well it's been sold anyway. Hopefully some band is getting good use out of it
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WillMWatt · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:18 am Post subject:

Probably not terrible. The one thing that would worry me is the room. I have the 4x6 WhisperRoom, and even that feels claustrophobic at times. That said, I'm 6'2", and certainly not slight.

Roar-duh · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 11:42 am Post subject:

With relentless scouring of Craigslist, I was able to get my hands on a lightly used audiology booth for free. Barely fit in the back of my father-in-law's pickup, and cost me a few hundred for movers to get it into my basement.

Upsides: Free. Built-in ventilation and power. Loads of sound absorbing fiberglass already in the walls. Built like a gun safe with heavy double-wall steel. Free. Did I say free?

Downsides: Tiny - interior 24 x 34 x not quite tall enough to stand in. Fan is just barely too noisy to use without an expander, even after adding duct baffles and speed control. F###ing heavy - easily 800+ pounds, probably never leaving my basement.

In retrospect, I'm wondering if I would have been farther ahead if I took the money I spent on movers, and instead put it towards a pile of 5/8" drywall and UltraTouch insulation to build a more proper studio. But my audiology booth does the job for now, and it'll hopefully get me making enough money to build something better down the line. Keep searching Craigslist with persistence, and maybe something similar will pop up in your area.
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paulstefano · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 9:56 am Post subject:

Wow interesting. I'm looking at that same audiology booth now. Not free, but $800, and that seems like a steal.

How did you move your's? How many people and any tools like a hand truck?

EDIT. I see you mentioned movers. Do you know how many of them it took and what tools they used? I'm hoping to get this down in the basement as well, with the help of some friends

Thanks
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Roar-duh · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 10:34 am Post subject:

"Some friends" aren't going to cut it. This was a team of 5 movers, using only some thick straps underneath the booth and hand tools for removing a door and the wheels from the bottom of the booth. I got every penny's worth of $375 out of those guys... If I had done it with inexperienced friends, odds are that one of us would be dead and another would probably still be hospitalized.

Also, measure every step of it's path carefully in advance. I had one inch of width to spare going down the stairs, two inches of height to spare in its final location, and the wheels had to come off to keep it from smashing the eave over the back door on its way in.

Ask your local gun shop for a recommendation on who they use to move gin safes, that's what I did and I definitely got the right guys.
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paulstefano · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 10:39 am Post subject:

Hmmm. Maybe that is more of a project than I bargained for.

Thanks
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Bruce · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 11:45 am Post subject:

+1 for using professional movers. Every time I've done a big or heavy move on my own or with "pizza and a case of beer buddies", it has cost me more in medical troubles and repairs than hiring quality movers would have. It takes a little research, but the right crew can make it a breeze.

B
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