Let's talk foam and fabric

[Manning]

Don't blame me, this thread was Rick's idea.

For those who don't know... I'm building a free-standing, outdoor 2.4 by 1.8 m iso booth for my home. It will only record vocals and acoustic guitars, but it has to block the daily army of psychopathic cockatoos and lorikeets that live around my house.

Phase 1 is build a big cube with 20cm thick walls. It has NO window (too hard and no need in my case).

Phase 2 will be to try and make that cube sound tolerable, and that's the purpose of this thread.

Internal wall/floor/ceiling area is 16m2, or 12m2 excluding the floor. I'd budgeted $1200 for acoustic treatment, but it has been asserted that I will need to spend more.

So please share your wisdom!

[Drumstruck]

Wisdom is a bit short supply here...... but I do have screeching cockies and thumping possums too......

I saw a good vid a while back about a guy building a studio using haybales for the walls - perhaps a cheaper option you could consider? Makes the walls thick, but a small truckload of hay is not too expensive......

[Manning]

Hay was considered, but I just don't have the space - the booth size is being dictated by the available slab. (I don't own the property so I can't go pouring a new slab, and there is no available level ground anyway.)

[rick]

well .. ok lets back up bit manning
so you make a soundproof air tight room with gyprock interior ?
you manage to get the cockatoos sound out of it with some knowledge you have learnt from your last build and online
you magically solve the worlds studio door problems for 10 cents because your a legend

so now you have a small airtight room that sounds horrible and i presume your going to want to do vocals in there

so lets keep that in mind shall we ...?

ok room that size by my non scientific calculation has about 30 mins air supply in it before you wife falls over blue ...
depending on how big she is you might get a 45 min session going

ok while you are thinking about that .. and i am sure you have thought about that

a room that size is goingto be out in the weather full time right ..?

well what ever you put in there on the walls fabric wise is going to bake all day long in summer so you want to make sure your not using some cheap fabric or foam that gasses as it gets hot and turns your wife blue the first time she goes in there for that session on a whim

I reckon you have had too much free information in the last two days on the forum ..and gotten me in too much trouble doing it

you solve the oxygen and temperture control problem in your outside loo of a booth simply elegantly cheaply
and yes your allowed to phone a friend for answers

and then i am going to tell you the best and safest fabrics and foam to put on the walls and you are going to freak out at the price .. then somebody is going to suggest hessian and tontine as a viable cheaper subsitute and we are all good to go ..

so how are you going to keep that room airtight and not turn your wife blue as she sings ?

[Manning]

Genius - from henceforth my booth shall be known as the "outdoor dunny".

Yes, I do have plans for ventilation.

I bought these plans from an American company (http://www.dawbox.com). I haven't looked at the design plans too closely other than to factor in the appropriate holes for my main cube. I then have to build a plenum thingy and get some silent fans. (But as I said, I haven't looked into it too closely.)

As far as heat - there will be no direct sunlight ever fortunately. I'm also putting cladding on the dunny for general protection.

[rick]

ok
well if you reckon its never ever going to get over 50 degrees inside your dunny if it is locked up and you forgot to turn that guitar amp off for two weeks , your options are wide open , follow senads line and dont build a cube , get some tontine or a poly glass type insulation figure out a way to wrap it , wrap it in a wool based cloth from macquarie textiles ( $$$) or something you mum found you at spotlight and you are all good
there is this great thing greg hook recommended on a thread 6 moths ago from tonitine its a pre fabric wrapped board thing its great .. i used it its cool for flutter and ping stuff but its going to run you all of your budget times two

but hell my suggestion is ventilation.. make the walls a bit cooky with plastic pallets as diffusers pack them a bit with foam so they are also absorbers and a trip to spotlight or even a canvas digital print with isolation behind it of your favourite cockatoo or motor bike from officeworks print shop and you are ready to go

i knew you thought of ventilation in your air tight room
we all do ...sure we all do

[Hud]

I wouldn't have thought a canvas print would breathe enough? Though I've never tested any...
Have you done any unscientific testing re the canvas Rick?

This could solve many disputes at my house

[rick]

yes i have works fine , looks cool with the right print too , just make sure it sits off the wall a bit so there is at least a couple of cms for the sound to sneak around the back

better explaination is its the sound coming off the gyprock you are messing with not the sound bouncing of the print
so long as there is a gap between the wall and the print ( you dont need much .. but more is better = lower freq absorbtion
and the insulation must exposed on the back .. away you go
i did that at kings cross for many years .. worked a treat

i suppose if your print was really shiney or something you could have very slight issues but compared to the look of the print .. its all good

point of all these posts on these threads is acoustics is not magic nor calculated rocket science unless you make it that way
dont worry be happy

[The Tasmanian]

Why no windows?
Windows are SO easy compared with building doors.
Unless your into dungeons...or you were a POW in your last life...
If your going to be in a tiny box you may as well at least get a tiny glimpse of daylight for performance and vibe's sake.
I reckon you will regret not having a window....

[Manning]

Nah - I live in the most beautiful spot, lots of bush and amazing views.

However where the booth is going a window could only see the side of the house, the car or the shed. Plus there is no way of ever having a direct view with the control room. So, no window.

[The Tasmanian]

Skylight?

[Kurt]

You could just open the door(s) between takes...