April 24th, 2011
A few posts ago I gave an update on how the blog was doing (visitor-wise). So now I think it might be a good time to update everyone on my new, home-made sound booth. In addition I’ll offer up some ideas on how to improve your own home-made booth.
Last year, I posted some photos of my sound booth. Well, a lot has changed since then. So let’s go back in time and follow my home studio’s progress up until the present day…
How it was…
I used to use a simple pipe frame with a blanket wrapped around it to cover my closet. It was quick to setup, but it didn’t block the sounds from outside too well. (Click on the images to see them larger.)
 |
 |
How it morphed…
I then decided to go all out and really enclose the closet area with a permanent frame. It blocked the outside sounds very well and even improved the room tone. Unfortunately it was a huge eyesore that stuck out into the middle of the room and was a pain to maintain. (Click on the images to see them larger.)
 |
 |
 |
How it moved…
A few months later, when I was cleaning up the house, I had one of those “man inspirations”. You know, when an idea involving hammers, nails, a lot of construction, and a healthy amount of destruction pops into your mind.
The man inspiration came after seeing my children’s closet. It was the perfect size for a sound booth. My previous booth was wide but not very deep, so I needed to build a frame around it. This closet was almost perfectly square so no frame would be needed! All I had to do was “gently” remove the door (it was one of those folding V style closet doors), rip out three securely nailed shelves, and all would be ready for the acoustic foam I had ordered!
I hung some thick blankets to cover the entrance. The blankets were flush with the wall so nothing stuck out. To make things even sweeter, the closet was behind the door to the room. So when the door to the room was open, it almost completely hid my booth making my house look neat and organized. (Again, click to see the larger size.)
 |
 |
How the acoustic foam sorta sucked…
You know what? Acoustic foam doesn’t always solve your sound issues. This acoustic foam did a fantastic job of cutting most of the mid to high frequencies, but left the low frequencies pretty much untouched. This, along with the fact the closet walls were quite hollow (a bad thing), left me with a slightly boomy and very boxy room tone.
Ack!
The final solution…
It took a lot of experimentation with a variety of blankets, carpeting, and the acoustic foam, but I was finally able to get rid of the boomy boxy room tone, smooth out the frequencies, and even make the sound booth look almost elegant. And even though it may not look like it, there is plenty of room for me to move my arms about while performing.
And here it is…
The moral of the story…
Voice actors who have their own studio are always looking for ways to improve their sound. It’s a never-ending, ongoing process. As a budding voice talent you, too, should always be on the lookout for ways to improve your own sound. Here are some ideas for those of you on a tight budget:
- Try different rooms and/or closets. No two closets are created equal.
- Test a variety of blanket fabrics and thicknesses.
- Try moving your blankets around within your booth. This will change the room tone.
- Experiment with different body placements. You’d be surprised how your sound can change just by facing a different direction within the same booth.
- Move the mic around to different locations.
- If your closet ceiling is low, try sitting down. This WILL change your sound immensely!
Remember to record yourself as you experiment. Even though you think the room sounds good, the actual recording might stink. And even though you think the room sounds bad, the actual recording might shine.
If you have any other suggestions for improving your sound on a budget, please share them in the comment section below!