Any Recommendations for Home Voice Over?

Hi all! First, let me offer an apology for my lack of knowledge in this area. To be honest, I have read many posts and much of the information here is way over my head. If I use the wrong terms or do a poor job explaining, please be patient with me. I'll do my best. Here we go... I am a new voice over artist and, like so many in this field, I'm working from home. I live in a rented two story townhouse in South Carolina, USA. As you have probably guessed, my problem is noise -- too much of it getting in the way of my work. I've done a lot to reduce some of the noise - i.e. move the PC to another room, turn off the HVAC, hang moving blankets and put pillows around the bottom of the door. I've also invested in a Reflexion Filter, which seemed to help reduce some noise coming from the back and sides of the mic. However, after all of that, there's still too much noise. Once again, being a town house, I'm recording in the rear bedroom of the house (approx 10X12), which means that while I'm away from street noise, I pick up the neighbors' HVAC noise and any time it rains, I have to step away until it passes. Being in a rented house, I obviously cannot embark on a major construction process, but I'd like to create some sort of portable iso booth solution. Is this possible? Of course, I've seen the Whisper Booth and other "portable" vocal booths, but I don't have $4,000 to spend. As I have been thinking about a cheap solution, I've considered enlisting the help of a local contractor to help me build it. The problem is I do not have a design. I guess a simple "box" design could work -- although I realize more than 4 walls would be optimal. More pressing, what sort of material(s) could I use for the walls? I assume bass traps and Auaralex would be suitable for the inside, but what material(s) can I use to construct the walls that won't be too heavy, as I will need to break it down and transport it when I move? I realize it won't be "sound proof," but something to reduce outside noise would be great! Based on what I've read on this forum, I'm guessing my solution probably involves rock wool, gypsum and MDF. That's about as far as I've gotten. I've also considered just creating a two wall solution -- two panels with hinges that kind of fold up. Any thoughts, tips and/or advice would be much appreciated. Many thanks, David

Hi David, Bummer. Do you have a garage/garden shed or yard? lil

Hi! No, I have none of those things. Bummer, indeed.

What about making my panels out of the following, starting with the outside: MDF Roxul Green Glue Peace Maker from Audimute Another peace of MDF Auralex (on inside of booth) Does this sound like a good plan? Thanks!

Okay, slight change: How about this? Starting from the outside... - Dry Wall - AudiMute Peacemaker - Rockwool - Dry Wall - Audimute Sound Absorption blankets on inside of booth Do you think this would work?

Starting from the outside... - Dry Wall - AudiMute Peacemaker - Rockwool - Dry Wall - Audimute Sound Absorption blankets on inside of booth

The basic idea is OK, but forget that "peacemaker" stuff. It appears to be something similar to MLV, which is basically just very expensive mass. Another sheet of plain old drywall would work just as well, and be quite a bit cheaper. The sound waves don't care how much you paid for your mass. All they care about is how much mass there is, and how well it is sealed. A very curious statement from the website for that stuff: "A 20 sheet set of Peacemaker sound insulation covers 125 sq. ft. and weighs approximately 2 lbs. per sheet, much lighter than other sound deadening materials." Ummmm... so if it is "much lighter" than other isolation materials, that also implies that it is "much less effective"! 20 sheets is 125 sq.ft, so each sheet is 6 sq.ft and weights just TWO POUNDS???? 0.3 pounds per square foot? Why would they advertise that??? You can't beat the laws of physics, not even with marketing hype... How can light weight be good for sound isolation? ( And then there is THIS statement form the same web site: "Sound travels in waves. Longer waves are fast and produce lower tones while short waves travel more slowly and produce a higher tone. " :shock: :!: :!: HUH?? :) Personally, I don't think I'd buy anything from folks with such a strange understanding of sound!!!! ) Anyway, you also need to address the issue of decoupling: you didn't mention where your stud frames go, but I imagine what you meant was something like this: - Drywall (1 or 2 layers) - Studs - Air gap with rockwool - Studs - Drywall (1 or 2 layers) - Acoustic treatment That's the normal way of building a proper decoupled MSM wall: Two leaves of mass, decoupled and separated by an air gap that is damped with insulation, with no mechanical connections between the leaves. And that also applies to the ceiling. Two leaves, separate leaves, fully decoupled from each other. - Stuart - (Edited to fix spelling errors)

Stuart, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for your advice. I feel slightly at a disadvantage when it comes to this area and really appreciate your input. If I do decide to build this booth, I will surely follow your advice, but I've started thinking about the cost/benefit. Here's what I mean: as I am not skilled when it comes to construction projects, I would want to hire a skilled carpenter to head the project. I figure that by the time I buy the materials and pay him, I'd be close to $1,000 US. While I'm not opposed to spending that much to get the booth, I can't help but wonder if I'd be better off putting that money toward the purchase of a Whisper Room or some sort of other portable vocal booth. Granted, each one I've seen costs well over $1,000, but it goes back to cost/benefit. Would spending the additional $2,000 or $3,000 give me any exceptional benefits that I would not get by taking the DIY route? Would the extra money be worth it? Thanks again! David

David, you might want to try the search feature here. Several folks have been in your situation, asked the same basic question and come to different conclusions. Perhaps seeing their though processes and solutions might give you some ideas too. There is a wealth of information here on booths, and a lot of it is probably very relevant for what you want to do. The only trouble is, it isn't organized or cataloged in an easy-to-find index, but the "search" feature helps a lot, I find, if you can figure out good keywords to look for! Also, please check the stickies! And in particular, this one: viewforum.php?f=17 :) If you do decide to build your own, then plenty of folks around here will be glad to comment and offer advice, but only if you do what that post says.... - Stuart -