My friend is Sound Engineer , when i let him see what you did he was shocked and said "He made one of the most wonderful sound booths in the world and did a great job" so continue Eric we all love you! :) ❤️
I think the serpentine insulated ducting was a good idea, but you started with small fans, which is a problem. The smaller the fan, the faster it has to spin to produce a given flow rate. The baffling is an acoustic attenuator, but it can only do so much, so it is essential that the fan itself be as quiet as possible to start with. When I do this (I'm doing a bit larger booth because it is for video recording rather than just sound), I will start with a low-noise fan made for use as a quiet bathroom ventilator, then apply the baffling to that. Also, for quietest operation, the duct should be as large as practical, since the larger the duct, the slower the air has to move through it, and there is also noise produced by turbulence in the moving air, which increases with airspeed. So, larger area fans, larger duct cross-sectional area - these areas should be roughly equal for minimum turbulence. I know you have space constraints, but here we're talking about space outside the booth, not inside. I'm happy to hear that the styrofoam/plywood sandwich was sufficient for your application - I've been worried about noise from a nearby busy street as well as airline traffic overhead, but I may start with something that simple, and add another layer of sound absorption only if necessary.
Not sure what happened to my original message, but I suggested using a larger diameter fan. This will give the same volume as the smaller fan but at a slower speed. I also recommend using a toroidal propeller design for even quieter and better performance.
I noticed on some of the commercial booths the exhaust is at the bottom. So it’s harder for the mics to pick up sound at a higher elevation. I still love the content and your booth. What most people don’t understand most of even the commercial booths out there are not fully sound proof. Sound proofing is a whole different game. These booths are designed to stop outside sound like a furnace or outside noises like planes and cars from coming in and these will always do the trick because you have your house walls and your booth that acts like a room inside a room.
Excellent video series! For those of you that are looking for additional sound proofing - MDF is going to have a higher STC than plywood. Rockwool will also work better than rigid insulation. Those products will add a lot more weight (something to consider if you are not placing this booth on concrete. Again - great job!
For whatever it is worth, I think there is another approach to this that maybe simpler and less expensive, in theory. So many of these circulation kits, pc fans etc. are all based with small, or even tiny fans. Small fans have to spin faster in order to drive more air. Instead, I think the approach I would use would be to take two large box fans running slowly and build the cabinet using those. I know it would take a serious amount of re-engineering, but think the largest source of the problem is in the fans themselves. The other little trick I would offer is to line the inside of the tubes where possible with a felt-like paper. I am amazed at how much noise that cuts down. I also theorize that varying the size of the conduit will help, thought I have not had a chance to test this. In my mind the goal is to get rid of anything that can cause harmonics, and something that is a consistent size is going to allow of them to develop, much like a Bose wave guide works. By changing it up, the waves are broken up, and if you approach it from a large to small to large diameter conduit, I think the negative pressure on the outflow side would actually work to deaden any remaining sound. Again, this is all just theoretical, but based upon experiences doing each separately. If you do decide to try any of this, I would be very interested in finding out the outcome.
I could hear the fans the whole time. Still a great build. If you want to remove the low hum use an Equalizer and cut the bottom frequencies up to 100hz.
Perhaps use acoustic ducting and locate the fan further away somewhere on the outside of the unit. Also, if anyone wants to soundproof, consider mass loaded vinyl. Use closed cell expanding foam underneath. It should be fastened at the frame studs only, just before the interior wall. Use it on the flooring as well with 2 layers. Also, I would suggest using 1/2 to 3/4 MDF for walls, and 2x4’s for the frame, if soundproofing.
I did not hear any fan noise at all and the sound quality of your videos is excellent. This was a very interesting build. It looks good too! Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you, very kind words. I appreciate your comment and support feel free to share with the world on social media, that helps me in the channel tremendously.
My only thought, would have been to mount the fanson the inlets, instead of the outlets, to muffle the sound of them running. I ever get to the point of making my own. I'll give that a shot. I'll do a simple mock up first, to see how it effects the air flow and sound.
Perhaps decoupling the boxes from the booth would help reduce some of the noise. Probably the easiest thing you can try If you've got the boxes hanging off the side of the booth is to use flexible rubber mounts instead of screws to hang the boxes. The best thing to do, although I realize this is probably a lot more work and not in line with your original design, would be to set the boxes on the floor and run tubing to the booth. Either way that's a great ventilation system and I hope you reap the benefits! Stay cool!
I would think that the vent box directly mounted to the booth would directly transfer any vibration or noise from the fans into your booth. Just my .02 cents: it might help it cushion the contact between the vent box and the booth, maybe a layer of rubber or dense foam??? OR: probably too late now, but instead of the insulated duct, maybe foam lined baffles inside the vent box (like a rat maze). My thought would be that as long as it is air tight, the air will flow through, but the foam and baffles would interfere with the sound waves???
@@EricStrebelI will thanks. I don't have your level of skill but, I'm gonna give it a shot. I'm a voice actor and professional younger Santa. Going digital for next season I think. Feel free to check me out some time. facebook.com/real.white.beard
Excellent job, man! I bought the plans to build a Dawbox, and I'm on the cusp of going to buy the materials. But I wanted to take another look at how other people DIY'd their booths, and I'm glad I came across yours! You've given me some great ideas! Thank you for posting your project!
Great build for a DIY project... the fan is definitely loud as it can be heard faintly in your recording... however something is better than nothing... but the quality of your voice in the space is solid... great project
My CPU fans came with the little soft dong mounting system too. so freaking weird but i guess this is the future. out of the 16 mounting points that used them I only broke one of the little rubber dinguses off.
What is that tune that’s playing in the background? The melody is from an old techno song and I’ve been going crazy going though all my old playlists trying to figure out what it is!! 😩 this video series is awesome though! Thanks for sharing!
I would add more insulation to the top of the box. I believe most the noice is coming from the lighting because no insulation is up where the fans are. You may want to put the fan on the back or side of the booth.
Foam has a better noise rejection then rock wool insulation. Rock wool insulation is used for a diffuser. Rock wool has microscopic fibers that are so small they can splice DNA in the lungs making it cancerous. Cork works really good. 750 dollars for half inch to cover that room. You can use drinking straws as a diffuser but the width and length plus thickness plays a role in what frequency’s you want to cancel. The sound waves travel the tube bouncing then it hits a dead end and has to travel back the tube against oncoming new waves.
I used the Inno Silencer for the PVC pipes for my soundbooth ventilation. and it dampens a lot. in the Netherlands these cost 6 euros each and I needed 15 pieces. these inno silencers are available in various sizes, they are 5 cm thick. you will need about two to four pieces for your sound booth
I bought a custom made sound proof cabin for WFH, but the airflow is really bad, right after closing the door I start feeling how my breathing gets harder. I think the de ventilation system they designed for this cabin is really poor and not well thought, it only have an air intake fan on the top and another insulated hole on the top to... maybe act as an exhaust just by the pressure added for only having air intake? I was initially thinking of adding an exhaust on the bottom thinking carbon dioxide is heavier and will tend to move to the bottom, but not sure if that's a good configuration since also hot air moves to the top. With your setup of intake on the bottom and exhaust on the top, how it feels? can you breathe normally? how long it takes until it becomes uncomfortable to be in there? Nice video!
Suggestions? Sure. Get the fan/box off the booth wall. Move it as far away as is reasonable. Ditch the mini-fan and use a larger fan moving at slow speed. And when all else fails, Waves Clarity VX plug in will remove all the fan noise without degrading the vocal track. One pass, post-processing…gone.
I was thinking of designing one ventilation using flexible plastic pipe and foam pipes as outer layer for the plastic pipe. For fans, I was thinking multiple 80mm cpu fans, attached to the pipes and kept at a distance from the booth. Any suggestions? Thank you.
I saw a video where someone used passive air vents when they soundproofed their garage. It had a Trainline running from the back of it. It's quite an old vlog I'll see if can find the link.
There is no way to do without an ac or a ventilation inside the booth? I wanna build a booth, but ventilation is going to cost for sure. I thought I'd just open the door every 30 mins or so to let some air into the booth. Or maybe use a regular fan in there between sessions when I'm not recording?
Nice video, super informative. Been playing around with squirrel cage fans but can't offer any advice, since all were fails in the decibel department. : ) Mahalo for sharing!
I’ve heard one way to do it is to purchase a portable a/c unit, place it 20 feet away and then pipe in from that into the booth so the fans are separated from the mics.
That's a really good question of course and I'm not an audio engineer so I can't really answer that question however I think Rockwooll would be good and some mass loaded vinyl and possibly thicker wood
The fan noise is not coming from the holes. It is coming from the lighting on top where the fan is. You did an excellent job with muffling with the duct work bending it. That should be enough. I again, the fan on top of the booth is bringing in the noice through the light gap that has no insulation. Move it to the back of the booth or one of the sides.
Even i can't help u , let me tell you thanks man , 4 your generosity ! But im sure its possible, with less egoism between us .. So .. DIY .. it means .. tomorrow will be better .. Don't stop showing how !! It's like a flame burning between my plexus and my mind .. Go on !
There are many brands of computer fans that are sold under the fact that they are remarkably quiet some of them surprisingly so if it weren't too difficult and you feel it's worth it maybe you could replace the fans at some point
nice build! I see 2 leads for improvement: A) I would use a centrifugal "squirrel cage" fan blower you find in kitchen hoods like these ones images.app.goo.gl/x87pCi9xAdoAoBoK8. to draw out the air. On low speed they are very quiet and still draw A LOT of air! I use one in my workshop running 24/7. B) as Anton Konrad said, the inner lining has to be at least perforated, or removed (that's what I would do) ! because the flat pvc inner surface is just bouncing soundwaves through the whole duct, thus you dont take much benefit of the glass whool around. As an example I build such a perforated drain pvc pipe surrounded by mattress foam and air-sealed with garbage bag, it cut out 15-17dB out of my dust collection system (which is A LOT of a 60cm tube!) good luck
Though I'm not sure what you can do about it, but TURBULENCE is one of the major factor creating Noise. Fan Blade designs that create greater turbulence have higher noise, and most whisper fans, have a blade design that reduces noise. One of the reasons I thought that venting the cabinets, drawing air out, might work better than blowing air into the cabinet where you are essentially blowing fan noise into the cabinet. Just a few thoughts. Let us know what you come up with.
@@EricStrebel - - OK wasn't sure about that aspect. That seems like a lot of sound when drawing air out. Do you have some future plans to address that noise or can you simply live with it? I suspect turbulence is a factor. Generally the more turbulent the air is, the more noise it makes.
@@EricStrebel - - It is an interesting and important aspect of a Sound Booth - _Quiet Ventilation._ If you get some time to work on this, and find some solutions, we, the viewers, would certainly be eager for an updated video. There are Hundreds of videos on building the booth, but very few that effectively address the Ventilation aspect. Did you understand the point I was making about the C or U-Channel duct? That's hard to explain without decent graphics to illustrate. Basically a 3-sided box with open ends in the cross-sectional shape of a "C" or a "U". Line that with something to soften the internal acoustics of the duct, and use it to cover the two Openings. That way, the air is vented to the sides instead of right in front of the monitor. Just a thought. While you see a lot of people put the soft double layer insulated Duct in their air vents, I, personally, feel there has to be something in the duct to absorb sound. So, like I said, rather than use the Foil Ducts, I would build a labyrinth of wood inside of the Fan boxes, and line that labyrinth with something like Felt. I know you can get very thick felt because I've seen people use it in Speaker Designs to line the inside of the speaker cabinet. I suspect a somewhat dense Polyfill sheets would work too. Also, repeating myself, I would move the Fan controller into the Sound Booth. You can slow the speed when you are actively recording, but speed in up during the in between times. Just a thought. Eager to find out how this aspect turns out.
You can get Thick Heavy FELT in 1/4" and 1/2" thicknesses, a bit expensive but they are 9x12 and 8x10 sheet, so pretty big- www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-10-Prevents-Slipping-Finishes/dp/B07HB7QZ1F/ www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-RPC12F-912-Available-Thicknesses-Protection/dp/B005Q83R7Y/ I suspect some cheap carpet like Speaker Cabinet Carpet might work too. Or any general relatively thick but generally cheap carpet. would work to line the airflow ducts. There are a variety of source of felt and felt-like products - www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-RPC12F-912-Available-Thicknesses-Protection/dp/B005Q83R7Y/ www.amazon.com/F15-FELT-LONG-THICK-WIDE/dp/B004E5GWFE/ www.amazon.com/NEOPRENE-PADDED-ADHESIVE-FELT-ABSORBING/dp/B007NZBQUS/ www.amazon.com/BXI-Thickened-Sound-Absorbing-Panels/dp/B083QXMQ71/ Here is Speaker Cabinet Carpet - www.amazon.com/s?k=speaker+cabinet+carpet&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 www.amazon.com/Absolute-C20GR-20-Feet-4-Feet-Speaker/dp/B0058P70PU/ Here is a flat foam sound absorbing material and other Misc - www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Backed-Dampening-Acoustic-Silent/dp/B007P3ONSA/ www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-RPC12F-912-Available-Thicknesses-Protection/dp/B005Q83R7Y/ www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Backed-Dampening-Acoustic-Silent/dp/B007P3ONSA/ Just trying to help, though I admit this is a difficult problem, which is why I'm eager to hear your final solution.
Very helpful, I do enjoy watching these, very creative, useful and good information. I do have a small question though, in previous videos you’ve made this booth easy to take apart piece by piece, how does this ventilation system affect that?
it does not effect it at all, the vent boxes just hang on the outside of the booth and are easily removable since they are just hung on 4 screws with the keyholes. Thanks for your question and support, much appreciated. feel free to share with the world on social media.
I’m actually going to try to build this with my dad, hopefully we can make due without all the cool and helpful tools and gadgets you have (obviously we can get some but like the 3D printer would be out of the question) imma go take a look at some other videos to see what kinda cool things your up to.
Consider something of a Dead-Man's Switch. When you are ready to talk push the button or flip the switch to stop or speed reduce the fans, then when you are done with that short segment, Switch again to turn the fans on or to a higher speed again. Also make your own internal duct work. Build a Plywood C-Channel over the incoming vents. Put Acoustic foam inside the C-Channel and screw this over the Fan Openings. That way, some of the fan noise is absorbed by the internal acoustic foam, and the fan air is diverted to the side. This is going to be difficult using text graphics - | | ------------------- .
Also, rather than the double layer Silver Duct work inside the fan boxes, I would build a labyrinth using wood and line these new wood ducts with smooth acoustic foam. Pyramid or Egg Carton foam will like create more turbulence, and that will make the air flow noisier, but smooth foam will minimize turbulence, and keep air flowing better. |------------------------------------------------------| >Air In.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .| |----------------------------------------------- . . . | | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .| |. . . .-----------------------------------------------| | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Air Out> |-----------------------------------------------------| Does that diagram make sense? Remember the new duct work is lined with some type of Acoustic Damping material - smooth foam or whatever - Felt, Poly Batting, other. Put flat acoustic foam inside the wood labyrinth to dampen fan noise. Again, just a thought.
Here is a video that vaguely explains what I am getting at. Though in this video, he lines the Air Ducts with FIBERGLASS. I would not do that because you will get glass particulate matter in the air, and by extension into your lung. I would be inclined to use Felt, Poly Batting, or smooth acoustic foam. - - - th-cam.com/video/vcn_a_dM0SU/w-d-xo.html
Eric, I have watched all 4 videos on this build, it's a great great design for portability which I've been searching for sometime now. I have a question about decibel readings inside the booth compared to outside. Have you ever had the opportunity to check this out? If so what were your readings? I know it will probably differ from one location to another. Thanks for any info on this.
Unfortunately, I have never tested this as I do not have a decibel meeter. I would be curious about this myself. It's not sound proof just nice and quiet.
There is a solution to get rid of the sound of fans, you make a hole directly above your head and a special box for it to drain the hot air, and a hole at the bottom to draw cold air with another box, this is pure physics, you do not need to use the fan and if you use it it will be for a short time
I'm no way an expert at this... though am learning due to "health attacks" more than I ever thought I'd learn regarding amateur radio, electronics and RF engineering. Well... seems like a Faraday cage anechoic chamber setup come to mind overboard where the honeycomb filters are used for the RF for ducts... though I've wondered about just using copper scouring pad as filters. Now in regard to the sound level... there are dense materials that I guess are PVC with density increasing mineral additive(s) based like the acoustiblok that might be able to be rolled up to make tubes that inside the tubes the lining of your room material or maybe just foam bedding can be used. So I wonder if using a dense sound absorbing material like in a honeycomb pattern or maybe like some sort of rubberband mesh has an effect? I'm sure there is some sort of metamaterial 3D printed or not design too whether the best or not... will be better for filtering and lining. Seems what would be awesome would and cost effective can be coating the foam with like an even denser material like sound deadening paint or somehow spraying that silicone foam noted in the hackaday article recently or maybe some other dense material. I don't know exactly... though seems like rather than a pipe baffling made of thinner plastic... a denser material would be better like floor mats or something more absorbing for the giving surface area design or increasing the surface area potential designs. The intake idea from the room I'm thinking is like you're noting though lining both sides with your wall material or something better. Might need to consider that change in air flow due to the increase in surface area... though wondering with equivalent air flows what can be done to lower the pressure waves. If heat exchange is what you're wanting to do... maybe consider two radiators from the salvage yard with one inside and one on the outside maybe? Guessing they'll translate sound... though might transfer the heat too. Probably better to line the box like the radiant flooring methods all around guessing. OK... wow... TMI! Thanks for sharing!
Just was wondering how much something like this cost to make? How much would you charge to make to specs and where do you live so I can figure out shipping or driving to pick it up. Lol
Turning out not to be an issue at the moment, I still plan to mad some sort of a baffle over the opening, just have not gotten to it yet. But I will at some point. To busy at the moment with design work.
This vocal booth is really nice.. But it was pointless since you added a fan that ur mic will pick up when recording.. The vocal booth is so you don't pickup sounds from untreated rooms, computers, fans etc. So all that work to just add a fan was defiantly a bad choice. U should def take the fan down or only run it while ur not recording
When you are doing voice over speaking you do what I call “hum talking”, but when you are speaking to the camera you don’t do that. All talking is technically hum talking, but what I mean is that your voice is transmitting beyond the boundaries of the words or syllables that you’re speaking. Some people do this naturally in their normal speaking, but a lot of radio vocalist (DJ, news anchor, …) also do it just when they are doing their professional talking. I think that they do this because either they are afraid of radio silence, they are thinking about things other than what they are talking about while talking and that interferes with their speaking, or that they lose (or are afraid of losing) their professional voice if their voice switches off, similar to a singer without perfect pitch when they start singing but able to maintain their pitch once they start. Anyway, I like your voice more in what I think is your natural speaking style. Since you had dont both styles (probably unintentionally) in this video from within our booth, it was a little more obvious, your voice isn’t bad with the hum talk style, it just doesn’t sound like it’s the same guy who’s on camera doing the work.
My friend is Sound Engineer , when i let him see what you did he was shocked and said "He made one of the most wonderful sound booths in the world and did a great job" so continue Eric we all love you! :) ❤️
You did a great job. No fan sound. Voice is clean and clear. Great build.
I think the serpentine insulated ducting was a good idea, but you started with small fans, which is a problem. The smaller the fan, the faster it has to spin to produce a given flow rate. The baffling is an acoustic attenuator, but it can only do so much, so it is essential that the fan itself be as quiet as possible to start with. When I do this (I'm doing a bit larger booth because it is for video recording rather than just sound), I will start with a low-noise fan made for use as a quiet bathroom ventilator, then apply the baffling to that. Also, for quietest operation, the duct should be as large as practical, since the larger the duct, the slower the air has to move through it, and there is also noise produced by turbulence in the moving air, which increases with airspeed. So, larger area fans, larger duct cross-sectional area - these areas should be roughly equal for minimum turbulence. I know you have space constraints, but here we're talking about space outside the booth, not inside.
I'm happy to hear that the styrofoam/plywood sandwich was sufficient for your application - I've been worried about noise from a nearby busy street as well as airline traffic overhead, but I may start with something that simple, and add another layer of sound absorption only if necessary.
Not sure what happened to my original message, but I suggested using a larger diameter fan. This will give the same volume as the smaller fan but at a slower speed. I also recommend using a toroidal propeller design for even quieter and better performance.
Also good ideas
What a journey throughout the 4 parts, awesome job mate
I start my build next weekend. This will complete the booth. Ive watched your previous videos more than 20 times. Ill let you know how it goes.
Fantastic, post on social media and mention me in your posts so I can follow along, good luck!
@@EricStrebel well do.
Thank you, your appreciated. Be safe and protect your family.
@@whylie2029 how'd it turn out?
I noticed on some of the commercial booths the exhaust is at the bottom. So it’s harder for the mics to pick up sound at a higher elevation. I still love the content and your booth. What most people don’t understand most of even the commercial booths out there are not fully sound proof. Sound proofing is a whole different game. These booths are designed to stop outside sound like a furnace or outside noises like planes and cars from coming in and these will always do the trick because you have your house walls and your booth that acts like a room inside a room.
Excellent video series! For those of you that are looking for additional sound proofing - MDF is going to have a higher STC than plywood. Rockwool will also work better than rigid insulation. Those products will add a lot more weight (something to consider if you are not placing this booth on concrete. Again - great job!
Thanks, those are good pieces of advice and nice alternatives for adding more soundproofing
What is STC?
For whatever it is worth, I think there is another approach to this that maybe simpler and less expensive, in theory.
So many of these circulation kits, pc fans etc. are all based with small, or even tiny fans. Small fans have to spin faster in order to drive more air. Instead, I think the approach I would use would be to take two large box fans running slowly and build the cabinet using those. I know it would take a serious amount of re-engineering, but think the largest source of the problem is in the fans themselves.
The other little trick I would offer is to line the inside of the tubes where possible with a felt-like paper. I am amazed at how much noise that cuts down.
I also theorize that varying the size of the conduit will help, thought I have not had a chance to test this. In my mind the goal is to get rid of anything that can cause harmonics, and something that is a consistent size is going to allow of them to develop, much like a Bose wave guide works. By changing it up, the waves are broken up, and if you approach it from a large to small to large diameter conduit, I think the negative pressure on the outflow side would actually work to deaden any remaining sound.
Again, this is all just theoretical, but based upon experiences doing each separately. If you do decide to try any of this, I would be very interested in finding out the outcome.
Good points
I could hear the fans the whole time. Still a great build. If you want to remove the low hum use an Equalizer and cut the bottom frequencies up to 100hz.
Perhaps use acoustic ducting and locate the fan further away somewhere on the outside of the unit.
Also, if anyone wants to soundproof, consider mass loaded vinyl. Use closed cell expanding foam underneath. It should be fastened at the frame studs only, just before the interior wall.
Use it on the flooring as well with 2 layers. Also, I would suggest using 1/2 to 3/4 MDF for walls, and 2x4’s for the frame, if soundproofing.
I did not hear any fan noise at all and the sound quality of your videos is excellent. This was a very interesting build. It looks good too! Thanks for sharing this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Four awesome videos! Way the hell above my pay grade! Well done!
Thank you, very kind words. I appreciate your comment and support feel free to share with the world on social media, that helps me in the channel tremendously.
wonderful this is what I'm looking for ... I just notice the wobble on your table saw blade ... keep safe Eric!
Great video. Thanks. Can the ventilation intake box be smaller?...like half of what you have it?.
My only thought, would have been to mount the fanson the inlets, instead of the outlets, to muffle the sound of them running. I ever get to the point of making my own. I'll give that a shot. I'll do a simple mock up first, to see how it effects the air flow and sound.
Wow! Great build! You are very talented. Congratulations!
Perhaps decoupling the boxes from the booth would help reduce some of the noise. Probably the easiest thing you can try If you've got the boxes hanging off the side of the booth is to use flexible rubber mounts instead of screws to hang the boxes. The best thing to do, although I realize this is probably a lot more work and not in line with your original design, would be to set the boxes on the floor and run tubing to the booth. Either way that's a great ventilation system and I hope you reap the benefits! Stay cool!
Oh, good idea!
I saw a brand of fans called “Be Quiet”. Maybe they’ll help.
Maybe
I would think that the vent box directly mounted to the booth would directly transfer any vibration or noise from the fans into your booth.
Just my .02 cents: it might help it cushion the contact between the vent box and the booth, maybe a layer of rubber or dense foam???
OR:
probably too late now, but instead of the insulated duct, maybe foam lined baffles inside the vent box (like a rat maze). My thought would be that as long as it is air tight, the air will flow through, but the foam and baffles would interfere with the sound waves???
Excellent ! I am loss of words to express my feelings. Thanks
Thanks Eric.
You do great work.
Looking forward to starting this little number myself.
Good luck! Keep me posted 😄👍
@@EricStrebelI will thanks. I don't have your level of skill but, I'm gonna give it a shot. I'm a voice actor and professional younger Santa.
Going digital for next season I think.
Feel free to check me out some time.
facebook.com/real.white.beard
No worries do the best you can, make mistakes, That's how you get better
Excellent job, man! I bought the plans to build a Dawbox, and I'm on the cusp of going to buy the materials. But I wanted to take another look at how other people DIY'd their booths, and I'm glad I came across yours! You've given me some great ideas! Thank you for posting your project!
Voiceover sounds great!
Great build for a DIY project... the fan is definitely loud as it can be heard faintly in your recording... however something is better than nothing... but the quality of your voice in the space is solid... great project
My CPU fans came with the little soft dong mounting system too. so freaking weird but i guess this is the future. out of the 16 mounting points that used them I only broke one of the little rubber dinguses off.
What is that tune that’s playing in the background? The melody is from an old techno song and I’ve been going crazy going though all my old playlists trying to figure out what it is!! 😩 this video series is awesome though! Thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed your video , and how you tackled the challenges as you went along this helps others thinking of doing a similar build
Great job. That's cool.
I would add more insulation to the top of the box. I believe most the noice is coming from the lighting because no insulation is up where the fans are. You may want to put the fan on the back or side of the booth.
Foam has a better noise rejection then rock wool insulation. Rock wool insulation is used for a diffuser. Rock wool has microscopic fibers that are so small they can splice DNA in the lungs making it cancerous. Cork works really good. 750 dollars for half inch to cover that room. You can use drinking straws as a diffuser but the width and length plus thickness plays a role in what frequency’s you want to cancel. The sound waves travel the tube bouncing then it hits a dead end and has to travel back the tube against oncoming new waves.
Really happy to see Part 4, Great build Eric!
I used the Inno Silencer for the PVC pipes for my soundbooth ventilation.
and it dampens a lot.
in the Netherlands these cost 6 euros each and I needed 15 pieces.
these inno silencers are available in various sizes, they are 5 cm thick. you will need about two to four pieces for your sound booth
Interesting product, thanks for the tip
I bought a custom made sound proof cabin for WFH, but the airflow is really bad, right after closing the door I start feeling how my breathing gets harder. I think the de ventilation system they designed for this cabin is really poor and not well thought, it only have an air intake fan on the top and another insulated hole on the top to... maybe act as an exhaust just by the pressure added for only having air intake?
I was initially thinking of adding an exhaust on the bottom thinking carbon dioxide is heavier and will tend to move to the bottom, but not sure if that's a good configuration since also hot air moves to the top.
With your setup of intake on the bottom and exhaust on the top, how it feels? can you breathe normally? how long it takes until it becomes uncomfortable to be in there?
Nice video!
Thanks, good luck with your booth. I appreciate your comment s
Suggestions? Sure. Get the fan/box off the booth wall. Move it as far away as is reasonable. Ditch the mini-fan and use a larger fan moving at slow speed. And when all else fails, Waves Clarity VX plug in will remove all the fan noise without degrading the vocal track. One pass, post-processing…gone.
Cool
I was thinking of designing one ventilation using flexible plastic pipe and foam pipes as outer layer for the plastic pipe. For fans, I was thinking multiple 80mm cpu fans, attached to the pipes and kept at a distance from the booth. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Sounds good, try it out see how it works. Let me know
Heck of a build man.
I'd install an inline switch for the cooling system if it's DC powered?
Good idea, I've thought about doing that several times but right now I just plug and unplug it when I use it.
I saw a video where someone used passive air vents when they soundproofed their garage. It had a Trainline running from the back of it.
It's quite an old vlog I'll see if can find the link.
**It's by a guy called Max Troy
that insulated tube isn't doing anything to dampen the sound og the fans... Best make a maze and add rockwool or whatever
There is no way to do without an ac or a ventilation inside the booth? I wanna build a booth, but ventilation is going to cost for sure. I thought I'd just open the door every 30 mins or so to let some air into the booth. Or maybe use a regular fan in there between sessions when I'm not recording?
Nice video, super informative. Been playing around with squirrel cage fans but can't offer any advice, since all were fails in the decibel department. : ) Mahalo for sharing!
No worries, thanks for your continued support, much appreciated, stay safe
I’ve heard one way to do it is to purchase a portable a/c unit, place it 20 feet away and then pipe in from that into the booth so the fans are separated from the mics.
Amazing playlist!! Thank you!
Glad you liked it, feel free to share on social media and let the world know how much you like it.
Does it take in enough cool air ?
You said that you didnt need it to be soundproof. What would you have done differently for the booth to make it soundproof?
That's a really good question of course and I'm not an audio engineer so I can't really answer that question however I think Rockwooll would be good and some mass loaded vinyl and possibly thicker wood
@@EricStrebel can we use bonded foam for soundproofing ??
Don't know
The fan noise is not coming from the holes. It is coming from the lighting on top where the fan is. You did an excellent job with muffling with the duct work bending it. That should be enough. I again, the fan on top of the booth is bringing in the noice through the light gap that has no insulation. Move it to the back of the booth or one of the sides.
What about the exhaust system in the car that reduces the sound, perhaps the way it works will be better
Even i can't help u , let me tell you thanks man , 4 your generosity !
But im sure its possible, with less egoism between us ..
So .. DIY .. it means .. tomorrow will be better ..
Don't stop showing how !!
It's like a flame burning between my plexus and my mind ..
Go on !
There are many brands of computer fans that are sold under the fact that they are remarkably quiet some of them surprisingly so if it weren't too difficult and you feel it's worth it maybe you could replace the fans at some point
yes, it would be possible with some difficulty, but anything is possible if you have the will. Suggestions?
nice build!
I see 2 leads for improvement:
A) I would use a centrifugal "squirrel cage" fan blower you find in kitchen hoods like these ones images.app.goo.gl/x87pCi9xAdoAoBoK8. to draw out the air. On low speed they are very quiet and still draw A LOT of air! I use one in my workshop running 24/7.
B) as Anton Konrad said, the inner lining has to be at least perforated, or removed (that's what I would do) ! because the flat pvc inner surface is just bouncing soundwaves through the whole duct, thus you dont take much benefit of the glass whool around. As an example I build such a perforated drain pvc pipe surrounded by mattress foam and air-sealed with garbage bag, it cut out 15-17dB out of my dust collection system (which is A LOT of a 60cm tube!)
good luck
Sound dampening tape is a recent invention
Though I'm not sure what you can do about it, but TURBULENCE is one of the major factor creating Noise. Fan Blade designs that create greater turbulence have higher noise, and most whisper fans, have a blade design that reduces noise. One of the reasons I thought that venting the cabinets, drawing air out, might work better than blowing air into the cabinet where you are essentially blowing fan noise into the cabinet. Just a few thoughts. Let us know what you come up with.
I am drawing the air out
@@EricStrebel - - OK wasn't sure about that aspect. That seems like a lot of sound when drawing air out. Do you have some future plans to address that noise or can you simply live with it? I suspect turbulence is a factor. Generally the more turbulent the air is, the more noise it makes.
Dunno yet, maybe some sort of an inner lining or sleeve, or different fans
@@EricStrebel - - It is an interesting and important aspect of a Sound Booth - _Quiet Ventilation._ If you get some time to work on this, and find some solutions, we, the viewers, would certainly be eager for an updated video. There are Hundreds of videos on building the booth, but very few that effectively address the Ventilation aspect.
Did you understand the point I was making about the C or U-Channel duct? That's hard to explain without decent graphics to illustrate. Basically a 3-sided box with open ends in the cross-sectional shape of a "C" or a "U". Line that with something to soften the internal acoustics of the duct, and use it to cover the two Openings. That way, the air is vented to the sides instead of right in front of the monitor. Just a thought.
While you see a lot of people put the soft double layer insulated Duct in their air vents, I, personally, feel there has to be something in the duct to absorb sound. So, like I said, rather than use the Foil Ducts, I would build a labyrinth of wood inside of the Fan boxes, and line that labyrinth with something like Felt. I know you can get very thick felt because I've seen people use it in Speaker Designs to line the inside of the speaker cabinet. I suspect a somewhat dense Polyfill sheets would work too.
Also, repeating myself, I would move the Fan controller into the Sound Booth. You can slow the speed when you are actively recording, but speed in up during the in between times. Just a thought.
Eager to find out how this aspect turns out.
You can get Thick Heavy FELT in 1/4" and 1/2" thicknesses, a bit expensive but they are 9x12 and 8x10 sheet, so pretty big-
www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-10-Prevents-Slipping-Finishes/dp/B07HB7QZ1F/
www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-RPC12F-912-Available-Thicknesses-Protection/dp/B005Q83R7Y/
I suspect some cheap carpet like Speaker Cabinet Carpet might work too. Or any general relatively thick but generally cheap carpet. would work to line the airflow ducts.
There are a variety of source of felt and felt-like products -
www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-RPC12F-912-Available-Thicknesses-Protection/dp/B005Q83R7Y/
www.amazon.com/F15-FELT-LONG-THICK-WIDE/dp/B004E5GWFE/
www.amazon.com/NEOPRENE-PADDED-ADHESIVE-FELT-ABSORBING/dp/B007NZBQUS/
www.amazon.com/BXI-Thickened-Sound-Absorbing-Panels/dp/B083QXMQ71/
Here is Speaker Cabinet Carpet -
www.amazon.com/s?k=speaker+cabinet+carpet&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
www.amazon.com/Absolute-C20GR-20-Feet-4-Feet-Speaker/dp/B0058P70PU/
Here is a flat foam sound absorbing material and other Misc -
www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Backed-Dampening-Acoustic-Silent/dp/B007P3ONSA/
www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-RPC12F-912-Available-Thicknesses-Protection/dp/B005Q83R7Y/
www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Backed-Dampening-Acoustic-Silent/dp/B007P3ONSA/
Just trying to help, though I admit this is a difficult problem, which is why I'm eager to hear your final solution.
Very helpful, I do enjoy watching these, very creative, useful and good information. I do have a small question though, in previous videos you’ve made this booth easy to take apart piece by piece, how does this ventilation system affect that?
it does not effect it at all, the vent boxes just hang on the outside of the booth and are easily removable since they are just hung on 4 screws with the keyholes. Thanks for your question and support, much appreciated. feel free to share with the world on social media.
I’m actually going to try to build this with my dad, hopefully we can make due without all the cool and helpful tools and gadgets you have (obviously we can get some but like the 3D printer would be out of the question) imma go take a look at some other videos to see what kinda cool things your up to.
Consider something of a Dead-Man's Switch. When you are ready to talk push the button or flip the switch to stop or speed reduce the fans, then when you are done with that short segment, Switch again to turn the fans on or to a higher speed again.
Also make your own internal duct work. Build a Plywood C-Channel over the incoming vents. Put Acoustic foam inside the C-Channel and screw this over the Fan Openings. That way, some of the fan noise is absorbed by the internal acoustic foam, and the fan air is diverted to the side.
This is going to be difficult using text graphics -
|
| -------------------
.
Also, rather than the double layer Silver Duct work inside the fan boxes, I would build a labyrinth using wood and line these new wood ducts with smooth acoustic foam. Pyramid or Egg Carton foam will like create more turbulence, and that will make the air flow noisier, but smooth foam will minimize turbulence, and keep air flowing better.
|------------------------------------------------------|
>Air In.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
|----------------------------------------------- . . . |
| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
|. . . .-----------------------------------------------|
| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Air Out>
|-----------------------------------------------------|
Does that diagram make sense? Remember the new duct work is lined with some type of Acoustic Damping material - smooth foam or whatever - Felt, Poly Batting, other.
Put flat acoustic foam inside the wood labyrinth to dampen fan noise. Again, just a thought.
Here is a video that vaguely explains what I am getting at. Though in this video, he lines the Air Ducts with FIBERGLASS. I would not do that because you will get glass particulate matter in the air, and by extension into your lung. I would be inclined to use Felt, Poly Batting, or smooth acoustic foam. - - - th-cam.com/video/vcn_a_dM0SU/w-d-xo.html
Also, though I'm not really sure how you did it, but you could use the fans to draw air out instead of blow air in, that might soften the noise.
Honestly, $10k is a friggin’ steal for this kind of work
Eric, I have watched all 4 videos on this build, it's a great great design for portability which I've been searching for sometime now. I have a question about decibel readings inside the booth compared to outside. Have you ever had the opportunity to check this out? If so what were your readings? I know it will probably differ from one location to another. Thanks for any info on this.
Unfortunately, I have never tested this as I do not have a decibel meeter. I would be curious about this myself. It's not sound proof just nice and quiet.
@@EricStrebel Cool thank you for the info. Once I get mine built I'll see what readings I can get out of it with a phone app. Thanks
This is great work !!!! how does it coast? and How can I get one ?? Are you selling it?
Just wondering if you ever updated your ventilation as well as a sound test. Also what is the thickness on your foam
Booth today is the same as in the videos, Not sure about the foam thickness dimensions, I built the walls to the thickness of the foam
There is a solution to get rid of the sound of fans, you make a hole directly above your head and a special box for it to drain the hot air, and a hole at the bottom to draw cold air with another box, this is pure physics, you do not need to use the fan and if you use it it will be for a short time
I'm no way an expert at this... though am learning due to "health attacks" more than I ever thought I'd learn regarding amateur radio, electronics and RF engineering. Well... seems like a Faraday cage anechoic chamber setup come to mind overboard where the honeycomb filters are used for the RF for ducts... though I've wondered about just using copper scouring pad as filters. Now in regard to the sound level... there are dense materials that I guess are PVC with density increasing mineral additive(s) based like the acoustiblok that might be able to be rolled up to make tubes that inside the tubes the lining of your room material or maybe just foam bedding can be used. So I wonder if using a dense sound absorbing material like in a honeycomb pattern or maybe like some sort of rubberband mesh has an effect? I'm sure there is some sort of metamaterial 3D printed or not design too whether the best or not... will be better for filtering and lining.
Seems what would be awesome would and cost effective can be coating the foam with like an even denser material like sound deadening paint or somehow spraying that silicone foam noted in the hackaday article recently or maybe some other dense material. I don't know exactly... though seems like rather than a pipe baffling made of thinner plastic... a denser material would be better like floor mats or something more absorbing for the giving surface area design or increasing the surface area potential designs.
The intake idea from the room I'm thinking is like you're noting though lining both sides with your wall material or something better. Might need to consider that change in air flow due to the increase in surface area... though wondering with equivalent air flows what can be done to lower the pressure waves.
If heat exchange is what you're wanting to do... maybe consider two radiators from the salvage yard with one inside and one on the outside maybe? Guessing they'll translate sound... though might transfer the heat too. Probably better to line the box like the radiant flooring methods all around guessing. OK... wow... TMI! Thanks for sharing!
Ok, good food for thought, thanks for sharing your ideas, much appreciated!
Just was wondering how much something like this cost to make? How much would you charge to make to specs and where do you live so I can figure out shipping or driving to pick it up. Lol
Either the duct hose are to wide or the fans are too loud.
you're amazing
is the duct your using built like a muffler (the inner walls being perforated)
no not perforated in the tube, but snaking the tube in the box is trying to accomplish this muffling effect on the fans
Put pop filters over the holes.
Ok, good idea
WHat mic did you use for the voiceovers in this video ?
It's my standard MXL 990 that's been modified, I made a video about it
Hi mate love the build want to know if you sorted the fan sound and how you did that?
Turning out not to be an issue at the moment, I still plan to mad some sort of a baffle over the opening, just have not gotten to it yet. But I will at some point. To busy at the moment with design work.
Thanks for your quick reply.
1 thing are both fans in the top box only or is there 1 in the bottom box?
Both in the top
@@EricStrebel legend..
So to be clear you used 1 fan to pull out in top box and one to push in in bottom box?
@@arthurloueizi1074 no, both fans are in the top box
Hope I’m able to buy one of these from you 🙏🏽
Have you watched episode 4 yet?
i would of mounted a bathroom fan up top upside down in its own box, wired to an outlet and a speed controller to adjust the sound
www.amazon.com/Wall-round-transition-included-versatility/dp/B001E6FOAU for the holes
I would have put the air inlet at the bottom, near the floor...as far away from the mic as possible.
Use pc case fan
You wana build me one??
I’ll pay for it and shipping.
Contact me though the www.botzen.com to work out the details.
This vocal booth is really nice.. But it was pointless since you added a fan that ur mic will pick up when recording.. The vocal booth is so you don't pickup sounds from untreated rooms, computers, fans etc. So all that work to just add a fan was defiantly a bad choice. U should def take the fan down or only run it while ur not recording
When you are doing voice over speaking you do what I call “hum talking”, but when you are speaking to the camera you don’t do that. All talking is technically hum talking, but what I mean is that your voice is transmitting beyond the boundaries of the words or syllables that you’re speaking. Some people do this naturally in their normal speaking, but a lot of radio vocalist (DJ, news anchor, …) also do it just when they are doing their professional talking. I think that they do this because either they are afraid of radio silence, they are thinking about things other than what they are talking about while talking and that interferes with their speaking, or that they lose (or are afraid of losing) their professional voice if their voice switches off, similar to a singer without perfect pitch when they start singing but able to maintain their pitch once they start.
Anyway, I like your voice more in what I think is your natural speaking style. Since you had dont both styles (probably unintentionally) in this video from within our booth, it was a little more obvious, your voice isn’t bad with the hum talk style, it just doesn’t sound like it’s the same guy who’s on camera doing the work.
"I HAVE SPOKEN!" ;-)
LOL, in the background! on the sticky note :-) Thanks for the comment and support!
@@EricStrebel I could not resist to comment it ;-)
"vocal booth" ... okay, Buffalo Bill.
Are you for hire?
Yes, contact me through the link in the description below www.botzen.com
👍
Air flow sound filter: www.vocalbooth.com/hepa-filtration-kit
Oh....ok, I will investigate, thanks for the tip!
10K!? 😂
$10k lol
Don’t take a shot every time he says flange 🤢🤮😵💫🤣😂🤣