# Wanna Build a Vocal Booth Cheap!? here's "how to" make a portable desktop vox booth!!



## Slampop (Aug 21, 2009)

Well dudes, i figured that so many of us record in our tiny rooms at our desktops that this might just be the most reasonable and $CHEAPEST$ alternative to paying a crap load of "$$$$$money" on studio foam, wood, rockwool and carpeting to build a proper vocal booth in our closets...it amazes me how much studio foam is alone!!!  

Anyway, i read on how to do this online, and some sites (e.g. Harlan Hogan "creator") sell these pre-made for like $129...but i made mine for about $60!!! and have enough to make another one! i just gotta order another 12" X 12" sheet of studio foam (super cheap)! i had posted this idea in my EP thread, and our own HANIAK had requested i post this in hope for a* STICKY!!!*

Well, Here is the *"HOW TO MAKE A DESKTOP VOCAL BOOTH!!!"* with personal step-by-step instructions from your's truly!!! hahaha!

*step 1)* 
get all your supplies together, you will need: 1 Whitmor collapsible box, 1 12" X 12" sheet of studio foam (i'm using Pyramid's acoustic foam), and 1 mini mic stand!





you can order all of it at once here:
Amazon.com: Cascade Pyramid Design Panel 2" Brown: Electronics
look for "frequently bought together"!

*step 2)*
take the foam and cut it into 4 6" x 6" pieces
i used a knife (to get a straight cut) and a cutting board!





cut the first one in half...




take those halves...




cut those halves in halves...




now you have 4 6" x 6" halves

*step 3)* 
Insert the foam in the box





take the box...




open it hahaha!...




start sticking the foam in there...no tape necessary, it just sits in there. place it in the back, top and sides!!!...like so!




easy enough right!?

*step 4)* 
place the mini mic stand in there with the mic of choice!





i chose my MXL 440 condenser mic, it's the only condenser mic i got, i got two of them free when i bought a 5-piece "Audix" drum mic set from an Audix dealer...don't judge me!!! hahaha





next, i just found a nice place on my desktop and attached a pop-filter off of my desk...that's just what i did!!! do whatever works for you!

the idea is to not have to build a soundproof room for the singer...instead, a soundproof room for just the mic itself. this way you can get a clean/dry vocal track that you can completely manipulate post recording!!!

anyway, hope this comes in handy dudes and dudettes!!! it literally took me 20 minutes or less to cut the foam and assemble this, and that included the time it took me to take, and have the pics taken, during the process. good luck guys!


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## -K4G- (Aug 21, 2009)

That is cool. Usually i've seen guys do vocals in wardrobes or ''tents'' using blankets. But this looks more professional. Might try this when the need arises.


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## MacTown09 (Aug 21, 2009)

awesome! definitely gonna be building one of these once i get to college. A very cool idea that looks very professional.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Aug 21, 2009)

Very cool, and ingenious idea.


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## HANIAK (Aug 21, 2009)

Great tutorial! A cheap way to record decent vocals.
This thread's know how is worth twice the money it saves you. STICKY!!!


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## FourFour (Aug 21, 2009)

You're such a cheap bastard, man. Great idea! hahaha...

Does this mean that we can expect some vocals on your songs in the near future?


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## Slampop (Aug 21, 2009)

HANIAK said:


> STICKY!!!


 Hahaha!!!



FourFour said:


> You're such a cheap bastard, man. Great idea! hahaha...
> 
> Does this mean that we can expect some vocals on your songs in the near future?


oh...dude....of course!!! these songs need vocals, and i am getting my "screaming voice" (a.k.a. "throat") prepped for some MAJOR BR00TAL F'N VOX BRO!!!


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## Mattayus (Aug 21, 2009)

Nicely fucking done dude!! Kudos to you, a thousand-fold!! I tracked a dude the other day, and had to use my airing cupboard as a vocal booth because it was the only place in the house with enough dampening  Worked a treat, came out really dry and crisp, but I wish I would have discovered this sooner as it would have saved me having to drag all my gear downstairs.


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## Slampop (Aug 21, 2009)

Mattayus said:


> Nicely fucking done dude!! Kudos to you, a thousand-fold!! I tracked a dude the other day, and had to use my airing cupboard as a vocal booth because it was the only place in the house with enough dampening  Worked a treat, came out really dry and crisp, but I wish I would have discovered this sooner as it would have saved me having to drag all my gear downstairs.



Hahaha! we do what we have to do right Mattayus!?  what works "works" you know!? i'm sure whatever you did came out as liquid gold!!! 

anywho, i have a vocalist comin through tomorrow to do some heavy ass death vocals for my boy's and my "deathcore" project! and this is the only thing i could think of!! haha!


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 21, 2009)

that´s really nice! if you have a blanket hanging over you and the "booth", like on old-ass cameras, you´ll eliminate the reverberation from the room behind you too. though that´s not a whole lot, considering how much you´ve eliminated with the booth itself


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## Slampop (Aug 21, 2009)

hahaha, yea dude, i'm thinking the pop filter should take care of that...though, i could always build a bass trap on the wall if i wanna get crazy!!!


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## mattofvengeance (Aug 21, 2009)

Thanks a lot bro! Gonna do this in the fall when I start recording vocals!


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## Triple7 (Aug 21, 2009)

Thanks for posting this bro, definitely gonna give this a shot. STICKY THIS!!!


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## friendforafoe (Aug 21, 2009)

This is beyond awesome ... Does the vocal booth come with come with the ability to sing and/or scream? Been looking for that in stores and I can't seem to find that anywhere unfortunately


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## sevenstringj (Aug 22, 2009)

STICKY!!!!!!!


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## Slampop (Aug 24, 2009)

thanks dudes!!!



friendforafoe said:


> This is beyond awesome ... Does the vocal booth come with come with the ability to sing and/or scream? Been looking for that in stores and I can't seem to find that anywhere unfortunately



yea...but it's only in stock during "black friday"...K-Mart...isle 13!!! hahaha!




Alright guys! thought i should put my money where my mouth is and share my first attempt at using the booth with you!!! i recorded some vocals for my new "deathy" side project called *"Eat Dead People"*...yum! and here are some pics on how i set up the vocal booth, and some other cool ideas and concepts i used with it!

so i recorded at my future band members house (Mike a.k.a my "best friend") in his makeshift band room he built! and i ended up using his ampeg 8x10 cab to set up the booth. i used the handle of the cab for the pop filter!!! i set the cab up about three to four feet from the wall that had some carpet hanging down to use it as a bass trap (obviously not a good bass trap! but it helped with the sound dampening at least!) inside the booth i placed my Shure SM-58 (capless/grill-less) and adjusted the pop filter over it!!!





SM-58 in the booth on the cab!





...now with the pop filter in place





Jake in place to lay down the tracks (notice the crappy carpeting behind him!)









"Jake" layin down some nasty vocals!!!





...and finally, yours truly...doin the real work! Hahaha!

anyway, if you guys would like to hear a sample of how it all came out! go here:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/re...ed-w-vocals-death-in-a-river.html#post1632937


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## Mattayus (Aug 24, 2009)

Me and my gf are moving house in 4 weeks. I dismantled my wardrobe yesterday because I won't be needing it in the new digs, and as I was taking it to be dumped, I had a brainwave. I've kept 5 panels of it, and I've been drilling and sawing all evening. You've guessed it - VOCAL BOOTH!  Will take pics later. But Josh I just want you to know, it's all your fault.


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## Slampop (Aug 24, 2009)

Mattayus said:


> But Josh I just want you to know, it's all your fault.



 MWAHahaha!!! 




...seriously though, can't wait to see and hear the results!


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Aug 25, 2009)

Sounds excellent, dude. Props.


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## Slampop (Aug 25, 2009)

hey thanks dude!  that means a lot seeing as how i barely did much to the vocals post pro...they're not even "D-essed" yet!!! i only did a slight eq, comp, and verb to make them sit in the mix for now, so i take that as a huge compliment!


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Aug 25, 2009)

Well, I'm no audiophile, but it sounds no different than recordings I've heard that probably use a full-on soundbooth. The mix is nicely balanced, too. Thanks for the post.


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## phantom911 (Feb 21, 2010)

hey, do you think this box would work, its about the same dimensions as the Whitmor. The only thing is that it's made of hard plastic


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## haffner1 (Mar 13, 2010)

-Bump
I posted this a while back. 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/110634-nmd-new-mic-day-mxl-condenser.html

I got my cube, but my mic is so big that it barely fits in there. I haven't got the foam yet but I might wait until I find something a little taller, or just use a cardboard box or something. The mic stand legs are a little wobbly with the MXL on there, so if you have a large or heavy condenser mic with a shockmount like mine, you might want to get a roundbase mount. I think I will just secure the stand down with some duct tape a call it good though  I found this site for foam- might be a better deal, but I haven't calculated shipping yet.

The Foam Factory, Acoustic Foam, Sound proofing Foam, Pyramid Foam


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## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 2, 2012)

BUMP! I'm building one soon


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## inthelittleband (Jul 6, 2013)

I'm building this but I'm completely new to music and I have no idea how to use the I have a laptop already but if you could make a video or another thread it would help a lot


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