Voice Booth Im building - HELP! Ventilation/Soundproofing

How thick should my walls be, should I float my floors (and if so, how), why is two leaf mass-air-mass design important, etc.

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PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

Here is an outline I drew up before I started building, to spec how much material I'd need. I managed to keep the 57" horizontal width inside the booth, but the inside exterior wall to door is 63" inside.

(And I cut a 36" x 24" glass instead of 48" x 24" for the window.)


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PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

I just HAD to see if I could fit a basic drum kit in there :D

If I had to record a big kit, I'd just have to go back to my drum shield setup.

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xSpace
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Post by xSpace »

How are you planing to seal those two doors? Gaskets, weather stripping...something right? All the effect gained from using two panes of laminate glass will be lost with leaking doors.

I would even go as far as to pull that doorknob off, bondo the hole completely and install a pull handle on the inside of the iso booth door with a bolt latch of your choice on the inside of the booth as well.
PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

xSpace wrote:How are you planing to seal those two doors? Gaskets, weather stripping...something right? All the effect gained from using two panes of laminate glass will be lost with leaking doors.

I would even go as far as to pull that doorknob off, bondo the hole completely and install a pull handle on the inside of the iso booth door with a bolt latch of your choice on the inside of the booth as well.
Thanks for hte advic eon the knob.

How would you seal it ...
xSpace
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Post by xSpace »

Rod suggests a gasket here:
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewt ... +door+seal

This is a more descriptive and in depth link although a different install:
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewt ... +door+seal
PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

Very informative ... thanks! :)
rod gervais
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Post by rod gervais »

I would loose the original door altogether and begin with a new solid core door.

There isn't a whole lot you can do to that door that is going to make it a whole lot quieter.

Sincerely,

Rod
Ignore the man behind the curtain........
Lou
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Post by Lou »

Dude - Cool thread so far, and it may just be me bud, but your pics aren't loading! :shock: :shock:

Loved the one of you on the kit in that space!

Merry Christmas to you and yours bro'

Regards,

Lou. 8)
BradJacob
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Post by BradJacob »

Is your back right up against the door? :shock:
____________________________________

- Brad

www.theSecretSystemBand.com

"...over the years, 'the-blues' has raised many children..."
PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

BradJacob wrote:Is your back right up against the door? :shock:
No. If you look here, you can see he is about a foot from the door and maybe 8" to 10" from the front wall:

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And that's my son :)
PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

OK ... I'm working on the sound deadening in the walls and trying to prepare for a ventilation plan before I close the walls up.

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Well, I closed this one up after putting insulation in the three gaps you see to the right of this wall.

On the front wall, before I closed this in,

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I was thinking I might try something like this:
(I've photoshopped the four additional studs into the photo.)

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Granted, my sound-proofing is going to be poor anyway, but do you think using this 12"x25" space as a muffler space for the ventilated air would be an even bigger mistake?

If I shouldn't do this, how would you circulate air into this space and not leave a great big sound leak as well?

Thanks!
PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

Just for me not to lose track of this thread:

How I built my vocal booth (step-by-step w/pics)
http://johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... ght=#51627
PlatinumProd
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Post by PlatinumProd »

Thanks for all the suggestions I get from you guys ... for your patience in answering so many questions.

I made the in-wall baffle today.

Here is the rear of my inlet vent (into the people space). I sealed it with non-curing sealant and foam to cushion it from vibration:

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Here it is inserted into the plywood:

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Same shot, but this is how the feather-light louvers (sp) open when air blows.
It doesn't seem to clack or make any other noise when I turned on and off air thru it:



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Vent in wall, sealed on backside as well:

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"Innards" of the baffle/slat arrangement:

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Screwed inside the wall and sealed:

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Zoom-in of same:

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My little foam diffusers. I want the air to hit smooth (to avoid slowing it down too much), deflect and turn, foam diffuser ... repeat ... all the way to the vent. Hopefully, this maze will also dampen outside sound to some degree. I don't no how else to have an open space (for ventilation) to the world, and keep some of what I gained by having an enclosed space.

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Zoom-in of the same:

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Now I'm ready to finish putting insulation in the last of the wall and close it up. I hope to make some progress on it tomorrow. :)
xSpace
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Post by xSpace »

Platinum,

This design is going to lower the ability of your wall to isolate sound. Not having insulation as the rest of the wall makes this a weak link area.

If I had to do it, it would be a separate plenum box installed outside of my containment area rather then built into my isolation wall.

Just a thought,
CidyZoo
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Post by CidyZoo »

I'm no expert, but it seems to me...hmmmm

Maybe if you really beef up the outside of that wall section (just over where your cavity is) with a couple extra layers of drywall.

Kind of overlap the outside wall and seal it really well. Add as much mass as you can to the exterior face. It won't cost you any interior room and since it seems like it's up off the floor, so you shouldn't loose any exterior floor space either.

It 'aught ta work if you ask me!

I know I'm repeating myself, but I'd cover the insulation on at least one of the interior walls with fabric and put extra layers of drywall on the outside of the same wall. Gives extra mass to at least one "leaf" and gets you a nice bass trap on at least one wall without loosing any space inside to wall mounted traps or foam. It won't be your weakest link for sound isolation since it wouldn't be any less transparent (sound-wise) than your door, the window or the plenum is.

I really wonder if the slanted roof section might be a good candidate for that treatment. You'd have to add layers to the undersideof your roof maybe, but it would stop the wierd reflection you're liable to get off that wall since it will be so close to you.

Like I said, I'm no expert though. Just trying to help!

~ Bill
Last edited by CidyZoo on Sun Dec 30, 2007 4:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bill Toll ~ Cidy Zoo
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