Hi
I need a bit of experience from you guys:
I have a 30sqm liveroom and a 2sqm vocalbooth. As I can open some windows in the liveroom to get some fresh air if needed, but I can only open the doors to the vocalbooth to get fresh air in.

Do you think this is enough or should I build a connection between the two rooms to get some air in?
And if so, should build in a ventilator? (seems like a noisy part that I'd love rather not to have)

Hope you understand my problem

Opening doors and windows will allow air to circulate but does not often make air circulate. It will also cancel out any sound isolation your room has.

I chose to invest in a ventilator and an AC and despite being an expensive decision I have, in the 4 years I have had them, not regretted a penny (or cent) of the cost as they work so well and so quietly all the hours I need to work.

It is a bit of a big step and only you can decide whether you think it will be worth it.

I've spent what amounts to years in isolation booths, working on voice over jobs. And air is always welcomed. But I've found many booths don't have any ventilation, which was a choice the studio made to keep it as quiet as possible. In those booths I just open the door when I need a blast of air.
Larger tracking rooms always have air, but the installation of the ventilation system is well thought out and well insulated to keep the noise down.
For a small booth, you could easily take a 4" or 5" duct feed from an existing room duct vent and use insulated duct material to keep the noise to a minimum. It doesn't have to be complicated...just a path for air. It's also good to have a small vent for the air to escape.

No doubt that I would want the ventilation.

However, it is very easy to inject noise into your environment. Fan blades and motors are obvious - most are entirely inappropriate.. In addition, airflow through the system can run you into problems.

So before you start throwing money at the problem, I would suggest talking it through with an engineer or talented HAVC designer.

ASHRAE was a useful organization for this level of problem [centrifugal fans, ducts, registers, etc.] when I was working in aerodynamics [on more complex axial flow fan blade design and wind-tunnels] many years ago. Your local library may have some of their documentation.

There may be someone here in the acoustics section who is a member? But if not, try running down one of the candidates above.


Best wishes,

Ray H.

Thanks very much for your input.
I'm thinking of just building a channel connecting the liveroom and the booth. Without a ventilator in it. Do you think this will work?
As meantioned, I won't to avoid losing the isolation but sure: the singer needs to breath

Best answer so far

I have also built an isolation booth in the past (granted mine was large enough to put a drumset in) and that's what we always did.

you will need to do something for sure.

singers need to be comfortable. hard to be comfortable in a 2 MTR box with no air.

you can duct air in with a 150mm duct and a small forced air fan. to reduce the fan/air noise you might have to make up some Baffling.

you actually can speed control down the fan using electronics, or get a 3 speed fan and put it on low.

the heat transfer fans used to pump air around houses can be an option for you.

dont use a 100mm fan/duct as thats too small. 150 is better and 200mm is best.

Hope that helps. Buddha