My $40 DIY vocal booth

[PEImatrix]

Just thought I'd share what I've done for my vocal booth.

All the supplies can be bought a Home Depot.

All you will need is...
9-10 lengths of PVC pipe
8 PVC corners (as shown)
the cement used for joining PVC pipe

I glued a few of the corners (as shown) to make for a quick setup/breakdown (I can assemble the frame in 2 min), and to also add stability.
Cut the pipe with a chopsaw so the all the cuts are nice and square (careful not to cut yourself).

After asembling the frame you can cover the sides and top (if needed) with packing blankets or quilts. You may find that, depending on the room your are in and the mic you are using, you may not need to cover the thing entirely.











Could luck and happy tracking.

[ExtremeSound]

Not bad, what is it about 4x8?

[wheever]

Looks more like 2x4. I would get totally claustrophobic in there!

[PEImatrix]

You can make the booth whatever size you want.

I use an SM7 as my main vocal mic, so I don't need too much dampening. I typically drape quilts in front and behind me. I also cover half the top and half the side walls.

[RTR]

I did this a few years ago, I just put a moving blanket over it and use those big clips that look like huge cloths pins to hold it!!

[MrCrowbar]

Nice. I'd suggest a slightly different size so one side is not twice as long as the other (less bass build up) and maybe some mounting fixture for a microphone built-in, maybe coming down from the tubes on top. That's a damn fine booth for the money though. I'd be worried that the tubes would resonate at some frequency (as most plumbing tubes do), but filling it with sand is somewhat impractical. I like how this can be disassembled or folded quickly.

[Neenja]

Originally Posted by PEImatrix

You can make the booth whatever size you want.

I use an SM7 as my main vocal mic, so I don't need too much dampening. I typically drape quilts in front and behind me. I also cover half the top and half the side walls.

There really isn't much need for anything in front with an SM7 and simply putting your back to the wall with some acoustic treatment behind you should be more than enough. I have done tons of vocals in untreated areas with live monitors and an SM7 with little to no noticeable bleed.

[loh90]

Originally Posted by MrCrowbar

Nice. I'd suggest a slightly different size so one side is not twice as long as the other (less bass build up) and maybe some mounting fixture for a microphone built-in, maybe coming down from the tubes on top. That's a damn fine booth for the money though. I'd be worried that the tubes would resonate at some frequency (as most plumbing tubes do), but filling it with sand is somewhat impractical. I like how this can be disassembled or folded quickly.

This is a neat little design.

Bass frequencies will travel right through the packing blankets (or whatever you use to drape it). This design would effectively get rid of high/mid-hi frequency reflections which is most audible and problematic in vocals.

[Neenja]

Originally Posted by MrCrowbar

Nice. I'd suggest a slightly different size so one side is not twice as long as the other (less bass build up) and maybe some mounting fixture for a microphone built-in, maybe coming down from the tubes on top. That's a damn fine booth for the money though. I'd be worried that the tubes would resonate at some frequency (as most plumbing tubes do), but filling it with sand is somewhat impractical. I like how this can be disassembled or folded quickly.

standing waves with furniture pads?

[Gharper23]

I would feel too cramped inside that thing.. The worst is when I see someone with a vocal booth about that size with a bunch of that spikey foam all in the inside. Its like you are inside some sort of torture device.. I would never expect anyone to get in their zone in one of those. I personally just place someone out in the center of the room with some broadband traps behind them/or in front and the rest of the room is treated. It works very well. You did a good job building it although I probably would have made it 4x4 to give a little more room to move around.

[Johnkenn]

Great idea!!

[PEImatrix]

Originally Posted by Gharper23

I would feel too cramped inside that thing.. The worst is when I see someone with a vocal booth about that size with a bunch of that spikey foam all in the inside. Its like you are inside some sort of torture device.. I would never expect anyone to get in their zone in one of those. I personally just place someone out in the center of the room with some broadband traps behind them/or in front and the rest of the room is treated. It works very well. You did a good job building it although I probably would have made it 4x4 to give a little more room to move around.

It's the size I want it to be, and like I said, I don't cover the whole thing. It was originally bigger, but I cut it down to suit my wants. That's the thng though, to make it bigger, all I do is put in longer pipe, and it can be an 8x8.

It cost me $40, and I'm not saying t's the best thing out there. It's cheap, and I can set it up/ break it down in minutes, and move it to where ever I want. I just posted it just in case someone else was looking for a cheap solution.

BTW, I do have 6 4'x6' wedge foam panels in my room as seen in one of the pics.

[Decept]

Any pictures of the thing completed (i.e. foam, blankets, etc.)?

[PEImatrix]

Originally Posted by Decept

Any pictures of the thing completed (i.e. foam, blankets, etc.)?

Nope. Looks the same but covered.

[Decept]

What are the best blankets to use? Have any suggested brands/places to get them? Are they expensive?

[PEImatrix]

Originally Posted by Decept

What are the best blankets to use? Have any suggested brands/places to get them? Are they expensive?

I just use heavy quilts. Packing blankets (that moving companies use) work the best though.

[coldspring]

Thanks 4 the great post. Been working on this issue for the last couple of days. Very timely!! Great idea !!!

[Puffer Fish]

I like your inventive and presumably useful solution to isolate the vocalist. Great! Collapsable, adjustable in size--just a great idea.

M low-dollar solution was to take those rubber covered hooks you can screw into wooden surfaces, put them into a low ceiling and take strips of carpet and hang them from the hooks to the carpet-covered floor.

I do not need it much anymore since I have a treated room for tracking these days. I do still bust it out to eliminate the live sound of the room though and for, yes... vocal tracking.