Building A Vocal Booth...Need Your Help (Photo's In Thread)

Hi every one i have been checking out this message board for a while and reckon there is some great information on some post's. Anyways im Smooth Poetics and im an up and coming Emcee/(learning) Producer from Sydney, Australia. The reason why i need you help is that i am building a vocal/recording booth in my garage out back and need to know if im moving in the right direction....there has been heaps of reasearch put into this project so i am just following my instinct and my jedi force. here is the info :- Room Size : 264 x 172 (2.6 x 172 metres) Windows : There is a split beam or stud cause its need for extra support.....Window 1 : 89 x 110 and Window 2 : 79 x 110 Framing is on the corner wall is hard wood studs and the other small wall and window area is metal studs There is thick special sound proofing insulation in the walls. its called sound screen i think ?...damn the **** was expensive. The actual walls are 1.5 cm thick MDF or chipboard panels..what ever you call it. here's a couple of photos to get an idea:

The Insulation. The size of the window section. now what i was also worried about was that are the window sections to big ? there gonna be done with lamnated glass with the inside window on an angel facing down with foam in between the gap Plus what im gonna be adding to the walls is gyprock or sheet rock on top of the walls with a 1 cm gap inside for sound to be traped(small air space).The Booth will then be finished off with acoustic foam covering the walls and ceiling. The lighting is a non transformer 4 rack halogen light and i have placed, the switch is a dimmer, i have heard that the admit a freqency is that true ? I have placed a power piont in the booth as well should this be a problem ? These maybe a lot of question so if you could answer one it would mean the world to me. Well i guess thats about it for about now....your knowlegde and advice will be much apricated Thanx -Smooth Poetics

Smooth, I'll have to get back to you tomorrow nite; long days/short sleep today and tomorrow, but I'll catch you first thing after work tomorrow... Steve

Thanx Steve, cant wait to hear what you have to say.

Your framing is less than ideal for best sound reduction - however, you can make it even WORSE by adding another air gap before adding more gypsum (or any mass for that matter) - do a search here for m-a-m - this will help you understand about best use of mass for walls, ceiling, floor, etc - it's all the same physics, just oriented horizontal for ceilings and floors. Glass - you want approximately 1/3 the thickness of glass in each leaf compared to the total thickness in that leaf of either gypsum or MDF - this balances the mass so the windows don't become a much weaker (or more expensive) leaf. Please read (or re-read) the "complete section" thread, located at the top of this forum's main page under REFERENCE section, for more about proper sound proofing - there are several other threads there that will help on other aspects of building for isolation. Glass - unless you will have a visual glare problem, I wouldn't angle the glass. you get more isolation with wider air gap, so this should be maximised and will perform according to the NARROWEST gap, which will lessen the isolation. Foam - look for insulco semi-rigid in your area, this is better performance for less money, and non-flammable. Check the acoustics forum for more info on where this should be placed - Lighting - yes, dimmers cause noise. Haven't found an exception to that, OTHER than transformers which are bulky and expensive. In my former studio I set up three separate lighting systems - one, just for maintenance, is flourescents behind the gear - then, one par can setup (like stage lighting) using low wattage and colored gels for "mood", and a second par setup using higher wattage (gels optional) for more light without killing the "vibe" - fairly simple, no extra noise, standard wiring materials. It also makes musicians feel "at home"... Power point - do a search here on putty or putty pack , I think it will answer iso questions - if not, ask again... Looks like a fair sized booth, will your gear be in there too or just you and a mic? If any of your questions are NOT answered by the above, don't hesitate to ask again; I get kind of rushed so try to just point to things whenever possible... Steve