Modular Iso Booth

Hi guys, i started to think about building myself a booth that i could "easily" dismantle and rebuild when i move. The design is based of John's vocal booth design, using Glenn's drum riser design as a floor. It would have the possibility to be expanded or reduced in size depending on the space available. Leakage is expected, but can hopefully be controlled with your help! I'm using 4x4 squares as pieces for my puzzle. Here's the general idea: So basically i would be putting 5/8" plywood as sub floor maintained together by 12x12 plates around the edge. on top, 4x8 frames (16" center) would be supporting the gypsum boards. I have a question at this point: When i mount the side panels side-by-side, is it necessary to put acoustic sealant between them or would sealing the joints do? (considering the 2x4 are tight together) Ideally, the gypsum board would be mounted directly on the 4x8 frames to be transported if necessary. I know that one major flaw of this design is the presence of possible direct paths for sound along the joints of the pieces of the module. Do you think it is possible to make these joints tight enough and seal them so the isolation of the gypsum boards is not circumvented along these lines? The space inside would be used to put absorption, along the guidelines that have emerged from this community. I am planning on putting 4'' 703 fiberboard around the cube (yes i know, its a cube...), 2' deep bass traps in the corners and possibly broadband slat resonators on two of the walls. Another option for this last bit would be pressure zone absorption, 4'' deep 703 mounted off the wall. I know i'm looking for modal problems by building a cube, so i'm thinking of revisiting this whole concept by using 3x4 segments instead so the ratio is a little better. The same questions remain though: Will sealing the joints airtight be enough to preserve the isolation properties of the gypsum boards i put up, or is this all a student's fantasy? How hard is it to peel of acoustic sealant once it is applied? Things like that... Anyways, the thread is open, if any of you have ideas regarding a modulable isolation booth, i'll be around. Many thanks to everyone for the good reads on this forum, and a special one to John and to Glenn for their designs which inspired mine. PS. I left the vent and the electricity out of the equation for now, focussing on isolation and treatment...

Use the 3x4 to avoid the main squareness issue. Use keyed joins to ensure seals without caulking but consider that ceiling spans should be a single unit across to avoid collapsing. Consider inside out construction to adds built in treatments.

I've designed something similar. I have a soffit going through the middle of the room, so I designed the last section of ceiling to be 2 panels attaching to a girder (doubled joist) so I can install them easily. My room is also bad, modally: I used the inside out method. Rockwool covered with cloth is my built in treatment for the ceilings and walls:

Interesting design, thank you. How well would you say it performs in terms of soundproofing, acoustics?

"How hard is it to peel of acoustic sealant once it is applied?" It doesn't peel it would have to be gouged out.

eery wrote:

Interesting design, thank you. How well would you say it performs in terms of soundproofing, acoustics?

I'd have to say that it performs sub-par in terms of soundproofing and acoustics. The purpose of the design is to provide low cost isolation. In those terms, it's a great design. It provides SOME isolation, but not much, for minimal cost. It all depends upon your goal. You have to decide initially if you want total isolation. If so, I hope you're prepared to pay the cost. Option 2 is to utilize the existing space as much as possible, without re-building the major components of the structure. Isolation clips, hat channel, drywall, mineral wool, acoustic caulk are main ingredients. Option 3 is to forget about isolation and worry about acoustics instead. (More for home theaters, but on a tiny budget, it could work for you.) That should narrow it down enough for you to make a decision as to what type of studio you'd like to build. Would it be more efficient to build it right into the structure? Is that an option? If not, and you're looking for cheap, John's modular-style design should be fine for your use. You're not going to get much more out of the space, unless the more knowledgeable folks on the forum speak up with a better design.