Pre-Fab Vocal Booths...

[The Weed]

I have already built a DIY vocal booth, which has served the purpose for several years. However, it's not in the least portable and taking it apart, which I'm going to have to do for renovations sake, is not only a pain, but also may mean it doesn't go back together as well as it did originally.

I have some money saved that I'm thinking of putting towards either a WhisperRoom SNV or a Gretch-Ken Standard 4' x 4' vocal booth. If I were to buy, I'm looking more at the GK as it has more features for less money than the WhisperRoom, but better product/superior performance means more to me than saving a few dollars. I'm hoping to hear from others who have experiences with either or both or who know someone who does who would like to share their pros and cons.

I did search but there is very, very little information about either available on the DUC.

Thanks,

[flommer]

I'd be curious to hear what others have to say about the ASC tube traps quick soundfield in this application.. I realize that it doesn't have isolation.

I've been eyeing those for a long time

PS to OP there is a pretty active forum section at Gearslutz about acoustics etc.. You could probably get much info from searching over there

[The Weed]

Been there too, there was very little in the way of reviews on the actual booths. A couple of people had hands on, but most of the opinions were stay away, from, what I could gather, was not necessarily an ownership perspective. I was hoping a few here might be actual owners and could offer their experiences.

Cheers,

[JesseF]

I have a WhisperRoom. I love it. I have no experience with the GK. I live in an apartment in Queens, NY and have not had one complaint about noise. I record vocals and acoustic guitars in there primarily. With that being said, the sound quality is also really good. I get really clean and quiet recordings. They ship it with a bunch of acoustic foam to velcro to the inside as desired. The placement of that foam makes a huge difference, as I discovered years later.

I also have the optional ventilation system which I don't use all that often because it does add a bit of noise, but it's nothing that a little filtering doesn't get rid of.

[The Weed]

Thanks for the post, much appreciated.

Cheers,

[toneski]

Hi JesseF, you mentioned that the placement of the foam makes a lot of difference in your WhisperRoom. I have a 6ft by 4ft WhisperRoom. I would be really grateful if you would let me know what works best for you in foam placement. Many thanks,

[The Weed]

You're probably going to need more treatment than the couple of 2 x 4 sheets that came with your Whisper Room. Corner bass traps and some sound absorbtion material come to mind, like Owens Corning 703 or 705 or acoustic foam tiles. Several of the websites that sell ready made panels also have information on acoustic treatment, placement and materials. Try Real Traps and Ready Traps for starters. I'm NOT advocating you buy their products, just that you visit the sites for ideas and information.

My audio supplier suggested buying peg board and glueing acoustic foam tiles to that, then mounting the panels to walls using screws and thick rubber washers. This gives an air gap behind the panel, holes for the sound to get into the back of the foam, and a foam front to scatter and absorb the sound, while at the same time making the panels portable/moveable and easily replaceable. You could make corner traps the same way.

BTW, how is your Whisper Room working for your needs?

Cheers,

[toneski]

Hi Bruce,

The WhisperRoom is very effective at keeping unwanted noise from being recorded, (I live near an airport so aircraft noise can be an issue), and from keeping noise from spilling out to the neighbours. I purchased a lot of 2 x 4 sheets on top of the 2 supplied with the WhisperRoom so approximately 3/4 of the surface area within the booth is covered. The sound is more or less dead but I have found it a bit boomy, bass heavy, hence I have recently purchased some foam bass traps to try out and I may take some of the 2 x 4 sheets off just to see how that sounds. Have you purchased a WhisperRoom now Bruce?

[The Weed]

No, still doing research on Whisper Room versus GK Acoustics. I have to re-do my room, but do have time to make up my mind. Thanks for your thoughts, much appreciated.

Cheers,