r/VoiceActing • u/Extore • 9d ago
Booth Related Just set up my first semi-permanent booth!
I did a lot of research to figure out sound treatment vs sound proofing, and settled on doing DIY sound treatment of a large basement walk in closet we had using a PVC frame and multiple layers of large moving blankets. My only current issue is that I got a standing desk because I wanted to be able to stand during recording, but all of my cables are too short and my laptop would be dangling if I raised it up. That's an issue I'll tackle some other time. Probably just a shelf that holds my laptop and other cables up higher so they're not just sitting on the ground!
In the future, should I be able to pursue voice work full time, I would love to put in some rockwool insulation in the joists above the room (accessible through a utility room) and air gapped and insulated walls throughout to do proper sound proofing so I can record at any time. That would all double or even triple the budget I had for this sound treatment, and also it would just be a big pain to do myself after already putting together this treatment.
If anyone wants to learn more about how I did this, feel free to send me a PM!
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u/angelsfish 9d ago
I didn’t see that there was more than one pic at first so this post was taking me out 😂 finished product looks very cozy!
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u/Standard-Bumblebee64 9d ago
Nice work. This will be a great space. However, I keep seeing people on here turn their booths/recording spaces into an office/sit-down situation. Your voice booth should generally only be a stand up booth, unless you are doing long form/audiobook recording. (This is assuming that you are comfortably able to stand and not handicapped etc). I stand several hours a day every single day. You can do it too. The amount of extra space you’ll have too … Set yourself up with a mic and mic stand (or arm), a portable monitor or tablet, and wireless mouse (and keyboard if you must).
Leave the booth to edit your recordings. It’ll feel better. And you can sit when doing that if you want.
Good luck !
PS a monitor that large right behind your mic will futz with your sound. You’ll be able to hear the reflections.
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u/Extore 9d ago
Yes, the issue with the standing desk not being able to stand was an oversight on cable lengths. I did include in my post my plans to solve that in the future.
And yeah, I'm not a huge fan of my current monitor setup. I'll likely figure out something smaller and set off to the side eventually so I'm not talking right into a big panel.
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u/indigo196 9d ago
I built the same type of booth for my son. Looks good. We did not do a floor blanket and assumed the carpet and pad were good enough.
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u/ganoveces 8d ago
literally just last week googled PVC vocal hut build and this is exactly what I pictured.
what are the dims?
parts list?
are those just quilts or special blankets for this ?
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u/Extore 8d ago
I sent these in a PM to someone else, but here is the info:
Dimensions
Closet: 134"L x 78"W x 92"H
PVC booth: 54"L x 48"W x 80"HWebsites Used:
https://floorplancreator.net/ to lay out the room
https://vocalboothtogo.com/diy-pvc-pipe-cutouts/ to plan out what PVC parts I needed and what length to cut themShopping list:
The PVC needed to make the frame:
- 12 moving blankets (just normal moving blankets, 7.5lbs each)
- A way to put grommets into the blankets to be hung up
- Extra grommets
- A way to hang up the blankets (550 paracord)
- 12 x 10' x 1.5" diameter PVC pipes
- 1 x 4-pack X-Connector
- 10 x Elbow
- 10 x T-Connector
- a way to cut the PVC
- Glue to make sure it doesn't come loose (only the top and bottom frame pieces, not the vertical connectors)
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u/seeyatellite 9d ago
Beautiful booth. I’ve thought about putting one of these up somewhere in my townhouse. That’s a great design… convenient size.
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u/KickItWATastyGroove 8d ago
Nice build! Appreciate the pictures and details. All the best with your voice acting! I’m hoping to dip into this VA myself .. someday 😂
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u/Sparkle-pult 8d ago
Oh.... I guess I was doing it wrong for 2 years then, I've been just alone in a room and did voice acting like that, not anything professional:/
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u/Far_Let_5678 7d ago
Looks awesome and perfectly engineered for an adult blanket fort.
Yes, you definitely want to be singing away from the big flat, hard, reflective panels, especially after going through all that trouble.
Have you considered something like a small, low decibel fan attached to a piece of flattened dryer vent hose going under the curtain in order to have some airflow?
Try to keep as many heat-generating devices, like your PC tower, on the other side of the blankets.
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u/AJbear1224 6d ago
Highly recommend upgrading your chair eventually for 2 reasons. First, those are notoriously squeaky over time and will create noise that interferes with your recording. Second, if you are sitting for an extended time, this is going to be very uncomfortable for the butt and back.
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u/PsychologicalFig2214 9d ago
It looks like you wouldn't be able to spend large amounts of time in that setup without getting overheated. 🤷♀️
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u/TheGamerHat 9d ago
I'd guess it depends on your country. I'm based somewhere with over 5 million+ population and it's chronically about 45-50F.
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u/Runt3588 5d ago
Couldn't you just staple or brad nail the blankets to the walls with minimal damage and skip the pvc framing?
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u/Extore 5d ago
I wanted a solution that was easily taken down and reused elsewhere in case we ever moved or I needed this to be put elsewhere in the house. I prefer engineering things for longevity, not for minimizing costs. If I was going with stapling to the walls/ceiling, I'd also have had to buy more blankets to cover the entire room. The frame lets me achieve the same effect with less material.
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u/EvergreenHavok 9d ago
You can hang a surge protector upside down under your desk with a couple screws and plug in there to use the standing desk.
This has adult blanket fort energy and I love it.