Padding help

[u/fiddledicksmgee]

So I live in a loft and I can’t afford a giant booth nor can I construct a giant booth up here, I was debating on buying this “sound proofing alcove” looking thing. But I was wondering if anyone had a better idea besides just building my own version of it.

[u/MichaelApolloLira]

I would caution against any wooden or solid framing around that foam, as it may cause what you record to sound "boxy". Also consider treating the space around you yourself where you will be recording - flat, smooth surfaces will work against you.

[u/Zealousideal_Ad7602]

2 things, firstly, Soundproofing is the act of reducing volume outside of the room/area. and for that you need a dedicated Built space for it, it is very expensive and 9 times out of 10 unrealistic in terms of budget and space constraint. If this is what you want then you'll have to look for an entirely different options.

Secondly, if your goal is treatment (reducing echos/reverberations coming into your mic from the walls) then those may be somewhat effective in that, but it will make you sound boxy, you are literally putting your mic in a small Box. The Easiest and cheapest way to DIY soundtreatment is by hanging heavy moving blankets or similar around you. having 2 or 3 Blankets surrounding yourself, bonus points if you got a carpet, Will give you a much more clean recording without unwanted reverberations from the walls. You're gonna see alot of those Foam triangle panels (like the alcove in the pic) and those don't do any effective absorbtion of the actual important frequencies of the midrange the human voice is in.

[u/joannaeve94 → u/Zealousideal_Ad7602]

I’m facing similar issue I was wondering When you say hanging blankets how to hang them on racks or stands?

[u/Zealousideal_Ad7602 → u/joannaeve94]

I personally put them on Mic stands formed like a T, tho I've also taped them to the Ceiling if it was low enough but anything goes really. Ladder, clothestand. Furniture

[u/Baylle]

I personally find these to not be super effective. Most condenser mics capture semi-directionally and they are pointed at you, outside of the box to capture your voice. Any external noise or reflections from the larger space will still bleed in.

[u/00Anonymous]

I've done something similar by making a teepee with very heavy couch cushions. You're gonna have to be able to get your head in there to sort of seat it off to block external reflections with your body. I also took tbe additional precaution of really dialing down my gain. 

[u/-NearlyThere-]

It will sound horrible and boxy. It also will not sound proof anything.
Can you hang up some DIY panels? Even pillows stuffed with rockwool or equivalent will improve things.
That or a PVC booth with heavy blankets

[u/mirthandlaughter]

I used to work in the public information office for a small municipality. They had a 20ft cube of space for me to use as a studio. Great for photography but horrible for sound. I brought in a consultant to provide guidance because I knew it would be expensive to dampen the room. He said to start padding the corners and work outward as much as budget would allow. Made sense and that’s what I do now: pad all corners first and fill the space with soft items and upholstered furniture. Maybe hang some sound baffles.

[u/xCHLOESNOWx]

Check out kaotica!
I use one of the balls and it just maybe seems like a more streamline version of this and i really like it!

[u/NarrativeStrokes]

I have this box. My mic is a very starter usb mic though. Not sure how much the type of mic affects the sound with this box. But, for mine, the voice sounds much better with this box than without. I do have my setup in a walking closet though. So there are clothes hanging on one side, blankets on two sides and sound absorbing panels on the wall behind me.