Turning a 36" x 34" x 8' closet into a Voice Over Recording Booth. Yes or No?

[mindovermike]

First if all I'd like to take a moment and say Hello! I am a total NooB to the wonderful world of recording, more importantly the Science of Recording/Acoustics! I am a Voice Actor and I want to record from home.

I have enjoyed reading many of the threads and responses on this site, and have found a TON of useful information! But I have not been able to nail down something.

I have a small closet that measures 36" x 34" x 8' high. I live in a duplex, rented, that was built in the '40s in Long Beach CA. The walls are hard plaster and the floors are hardwood.

I've read that small rooms can be very challenging to record in due to the Boomy Bassy affect and difficult to treat because of the lack of space necessary for adequate treatment. But, when these rooms are treated, they can become "dead" and boxy sounding thus making them undesirable.

But I've also read that Whisper Rooms can achieve some of these same affects thus making them desirable.

Now, I do understand that there are many different scenarios and solutions, I guess my question to you all is this - Is it worth it for me to try and make this closet into a room for me to record in or should I look at getting something like Real Traps PVB?

The reason I wanted to have a booth is to isolate myself from the outside world and make some solid pro-sounding recordings. My original plan was to get some 703, make panels to cover the walls, ceiling and door. I was going to angle the side walls and the ceiling panels as well as the panel on the door to keep things nonparallel.

Am I walking down the right path here?

Thank you in advance! I did my level best to search this out before posting, but I couldn't quite find all of the variables I needed to satisfy my thirst.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by mindovermike

The reason I wanted to have a booth is to isolate myself from the outside world ...

This phrase is at odds with the rest of your post. To isolate yourself is a whole different thing to acoustic treatment. How much isolation (in terms of db) do you need to add to the room for external noises not to be a problem?

[SörenHjalmarsson]

Originally Posted by mindovermike

Thank you in advance! I did my level best to search this out before posting, but I couldn't quite find all of the variables I needed to satisfy my thirst.

That surprises me!! There are countless of threads on the subject of turning small closets into vocal booths, all of which received the same answer... NO! It's not a good idea!!

JHBrandt - Myth of the Booth
RealTraps - Vocal Booths


MVH
Sören

[mindovermike]

To Starlight:

You're right, sorry about that , I think what I am trying to do IS cut down on outside noise (Bird calls and Children playing at the school across the street, etc.) from coming into the room and being recorded. So I thought to myself, build a booth, but as I read more and more, where I place the mic seems to make all the difference in how things get recorded. As far as how much db I need to remove, I'm afraid I don't have the tools and know how to answer that question right now.

To Sören:

You too are correct, there are a ton of threads discussing the problematic characteristics of small rooms and reasons not to use them..... Thanks for the articles by the way, I had read Real Traps but not the other one. But then there are the discussions of whisper rooms and their usefulness in recording.

I did more reading last night though and I think honestly guys that I jumped the gun by asking the question to soon! I need to play around with mic placement and some other variables first. Then, when I have a better understanding of what's happening, I can come back and post if I can't find the answers I need.

I do appreciate you guys taking the time to answer though, it's what makes this place so awesome indeed!

[ritelec]

How about a small booth, placed over a persons head like a diving helmet?




YouTube - ‪How To Make a Steampunk Diving Helmet‬‏