A homemade recording booth is a great way to record vocals or acoustic instruments.If you want to build a recording booth yourself, you will need some basic knowledge of carpentry and home improvement projects.If you have the right tools and know-how, you can complete this project in a week or two.Building a recording booth is similar to adding a small room to your home, with a lot of the same steps.You can contract out any parts of the project that you don't want to do yourself.
Step 1: Pick a corner of the room to build your booth.
You only have to build 2 walls if you choose a corner of the room where you want your booth to be.If possible, choose a corner with an exterior-facing wall.This applies to the construction of a recording booth.Basic knowledge of carpentry is needed in order to build the booth.You can hire a contractor to build a booth for you if you don't know how to do it yourself.Make sure the room you choose has a solid floor as well.A basement is a good choice for a ground floor.If the floor vibrates or makes creaking noises, it's a bad idea to record it in a room on an upper floor.
Step 2: If possible, choose a corner with an existing light fixture or outlet.
If you can provide light inside the booth without installing a new fixture in the ceiling, build it around an existing light fixture.Plug a lamp or audio equipment into the booth if you put it in a corner with an existing wall outlet.If you don't want to build a booth around an existing light fixture, you can run some lighting strips around the ceiling and floor of the booth.
Step 3: Find the studs in the corner walls when you measure the room.
To measure the length, width, and height of a room, use a tape measure.You can use a stud finder to locate the studs in the 2 walls of the corner that you plan to build the booth in.If it is easier for you to visualize the booth that way, you can draw a rough sketch of the room and write down the measurements and stud positions.
Step 4: The booth should fit in the room and line up with the wall stud locations.
To make a rectangular booth, plan for 1 short wall and 1 longer wall, of about 1.5 times the length, to be used.Make the walls long enough that the studs will fit in the existing walls.The standard size for a recording booth is 4 ft by 6 ft.The size should be adjusted based on the available space and the positions of the studs in the walls.When planning the size of the booth, think about the kind of recording you want to do.A 4 ft by 6 ft booth is best suited to solo vocalists or acoustic artists.If you want to be able to record a larger band, you should consider converting a room into a recording studio instead of building a booth.
Step 5: You should buy a door for your booth.
Pick out a door and build it.You will use the measurements to build a rough opening for the door.A door with a glass window at the top or a door that is mostly glass is a good option for a recording booth so you can allow some light into the booth and see the surrounding room.
Step 6: Put the frames together.
The shorter wall and the longer wall can be built out of 2 in pieces of lumber and 4 in wood screws and a power drill.The ceiling height in the room is usually about 8–9 ft.If your recording booth is going to be 4 ft by 6 ft, you should build a wall that is 4 feet long and 1 foot wide.If you want the lumber cut for you, you can either go to a home improvement center or a lumber yard.
Step 7: Make a rough opening for the door.
The door frame should be larger than the door's width and taller than its height.Make it out of 2 in by 4 in lumber as with the rest of the wall frames.If the door is a standard 80 in (200 cm) by 36 in (91) cm size, the rough opening needs to be made up by 38 in.The wall frames must be built simultaneously with this step.
Step 8: The frames should be put into the studs in the corner walls.
Attach the wall to the stud using 4 in (10 cm) wood screws and a power drill by standing up the longer wall in place.Attach the 2 wall frames together where they meet the shorter wall.The frames should be screwed into the floor as well.Someone will help you hold the walls up while you drive the screws.Use wood screws to secure the frame to the floor if it is a standard wooden floor.If you are building a booth in a garage or basement, use masonry screws.
Step 9: Attach the boxes to the frame.
The beam of the frame is about 12 in (30 cm) from the floor.Attach another electrical box to the audio cable outlet.Before you install the electrical boxes, make sure to check the local regulations.You should consult a licensed electrician if you don't know.If you don't have experience with electrical work, you should get an electrician to do it for you.If you want to install the electrical boxes on the frame, you have to have a licensed electrician finish the wiring work.
Step 10: Stuff the insulation between the walls of the booth.
Use a utility knife to cut pieces to fit between the R-19 fiberglass insulation.The spaces between the studs should be filled with insulation.The rolls of fiberglass insulation are large enough to fit between the wall studs and stay in place.If your budget allows, you can buy special soundproofing insulation.fiberglass insulation is much more affordable and works just as well.
Step 11: Hang the wallboard.
Attach the electrical boxes to the frames with screws and an electric drill after cutting pieces of drywall to fit the walls.Before applying the next coat, cover the drywall with 3 thin layers of drywall mud and let each layer dry for 24 hours.If you don't want to deal with all the cutting, hanging, and mudding yourself, you can hire a contractor to finish this part of the job.
Step 12: You can choose a color for the walls.
To apply primer to both the interior and exterior walls, use a paint roller.Wait until the primer dries, then paint over it with 1-2 coats of wall paint.You might want to match the exterior wall paint to the color of the walls you built the booth in to make it look more like a room.If you want it to stand out, you could paint it a different color.
Step 13: Put the door down.
The frame you built for the door should be in one of the walls.Attach the door to the frame with hinges, hardware, and screws.Hire a carpenter to hang the door for you if you can't do it yourself.
Step 14: There are wood strips on the inside of the door frame.
If you want to mark the inside edge of the door, you need to close it so it is flush with the wall.Cut pieces of 1 in by 2 in lumber to fit around the sides of the frame, then nail them in place with the edges lined up.You can soundproof the booth with the help of the door stops.
Step 15: The door stops have weather stripping around them.
The length of each strip of door stop can be cut with strips of foam tape.Press against the edges of the door stops.A tight seal when the door is closed will help soundproof the booth.
Step 16: The inside of the booth should be covered with acoustic foam tiles.
If you want to put acoustic foam tiles on the inside of the booth and the door, you can use an adhesive spray.To cut the foam tiles, use a utility knife.Don't cover your door with acoustic foam if it has glass in it.Good acoustics can be created with the help of the foam tiles.With the insulation inside the walls and the weather stripping around the door, your booth should be soundproof and ready to record!