Members incurab1e Posted February 21, 2010 Members Share Posted February 21, 2010 I was looking a purchasing a vocal shield similar to this design - CLICK HERE - to help with vocal recordings at home. It doesn't strike me as an overly difficult thing to engineer and so was wondering about the possibility of making one. I have some design ideas but i'm wondering if anyone can tell me a: if they're worth bothering with, and b: what are the ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES in terms of how its built and materials used. I've seen them in metal, mesh, wood and with lots of different foam designs. Is there a foam spec i need to attain? A certain thickness maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BushmasterM4 Posted February 21, 2010 Members Share Posted February 21, 2010 Ive been wanting to make on too. I guess as far as foam goes, just try different types and see which yields the best results. Try the cheap est first and if it doesnt work well then buy some actual name brand acoustic foam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members incurab1e Posted February 21, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2010 i thought about that but it seems like an expensive way of doing things! I'm hoping someone here has experience in acoustic treatment so they can point me in the right direction to purchase only once! i'll update this thread though and let you know how I get on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TimOBrien Posted February 21, 2010 Members Share Posted February 21, 2010 How does $40 sound? http://www.palmcitystudios.com/timobrien/music/soundbooth/simplesoundbooth.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members offramp Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 Now that I belong to a public workshop, I've been sketching out all the projects I've had in my head for a long time. This is one of them. At a local steelyard, I can get leftover/scrap thin perforated steel mesh for about $1/sq ft. Bending it into a curve isn't terribly difficult, but if you can find a machine shop that'll let you run it through a roller once or twice for a few bucks, that'd be better.For the insulation, I'd use a piece of Owens-Corning 703 or similar. Wrap it in some felt from a Michael's craft store or local fabric store (likely cheaper than Michael's).Two pieces of mesh, with the fibreglass and felt pad in between, bolted together at the four corners and the top/bottom middle, should give you a solid assembly. Get a piece of flat aluminum bar from Home Depot for a few bucks, bend it into a dual L shape, drill holes to mount onto the assembly, clamp to mic stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members offramp Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 'Foam spec' is probably not going to be very useful, here. Bear in mind that, along with controlling the sound around the mic, you're also wanting to reflect or absorb the sound from the other side of the mic (and surrounding area), to keep it from entering. Density is your friend, here, and sticking a couple of pieces of foam up around a microphone isn't going to be the kind of friend you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Majoria Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 Here's what I built, photo was taken before I wrapped it in burlap. Works great and I can remove the pins and have 3 separate panels. It's just OC 703 panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndThinkOfTexas Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 Here's what I built, photo was taken before I wrapped it in burlap. Works great and I can remove the pins and have 3 separate panels. It's just OC 703 panels. I really like the build. I bet it looks awesome covered in burlap. Here's what I went with: I built the frame out of PVC pipe (painted black). Once built, I found a full sized comforter to use as an outer layer of absorption, while utilizing Auralex treatment-foam on the inside. Total cost, including Auralex ($30), was near $80. Granted, I'm no acoustic genius, but I feel like this helped a lot. I've found that my vocal takes are far more "natural" and "honest." Before the build, the sound seemed distant, roomy and inaccurate. I'm not sure it would make a further difference, but I've considered getting a vocal filter to add to the setup. This one doesn't seem too expensive (compared to SE's version). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dthraco Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 Woah, that rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndThinkOfTexas Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 Thanks a lot. Like I said-- it's made a huge difference to me and my ear. I like the results a lot... and it was an affordable project to keep me occupied on a bored Sunday afternoon. I'll admit that there are probably a dozen or so ways that I could have improved it (better materials, better design, etc.), but for what it is... I'm completely pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gregovertone Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 i dig this design....http://www.harlanhogan.com/portaboothArticle.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndThinkOfTexas Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 i dig this design....http://www.harlanhogan.com/portaboothArticle.shtmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV5Rl-IK-eo&feature=player_embedded# I see these links all the time and, to me, they're interesting. I wish someone on HC would make one already-- I'm eager to hear results, ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members incurab1e Posted February 23, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 i dig this design....http://www.harlanhogan.com/portaboothArticle.shtmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV5Rl-IK-eo&feature=player_embedded# My girlfriend has a lightbox for photography that look identical to that, minus the foam. That's a fine idea, i will attempt it i think! Just got to suss out the practicalities of using it with a singer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yontsey Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 Whenever I get my house finished up and some extra cash, I want to build something like this and an isolation box for recording guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CN Fletcher Posted February 25, 2010 Members Share Posted February 25, 2010 I was looking a purchasing a vocal shield similar to this design - CLICK HERE - to help with vocal recordings at home. Ya know there are a lot of other ways to achieve comb filtering than one of those... though that may be one of the fastest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paganskins Posted February 25, 2010 Members Share Posted February 25, 2010 If you're in the EU thomann have these and these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members incurab1e Posted February 26, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 26, 2010 Ya know there are a lot of other ways to achieve comb filtering than one of those... though that may be one of the fastest. Care to share? Coudl anyone tell me the things which are KEY in a shield design. Shape?? Curve?? Foam density/proximity to mic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members speierg Posted February 26, 2010 Members Share Posted February 26, 2010 Care to share?Coudl anyone tell me the things which are KEY in a shield design. Shape?? Curve?? Foam density/proximity to mic? Methinks you failed to detect his sarcasm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 26, 2010 Members Share Posted February 26, 2010 I'll 99% of the time get Fletcher's humor, but I'd love to hear more on this as well. I realize that explaining humor is not the greatest thing to do, but I'd love to understand more as well if there's more to it. Obviously, he's saying that the thing creates comb filtering quite well, but I'd love to know more. "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." - E. B. White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted February 26, 2010 Moderators Share Posted February 26, 2010 In the first link to that "vocal shield", the backing is a solid piece. To top it off, it's concave. Any sound reflected back will be focused even more so than a flat surface... ...directly back into the mic. That foam is only going to absorb so much, which means then, that you are reflecting some serious trash back at you. No solid backing! You could always use a solid parabolic shape to further enhance the comb filtering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members offramp Posted February 26, 2010 Members Share Posted February 26, 2010 oooh, yeah! Start with an old Dish Network dish--I'm sure you could find one anywhere--and go from there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members incurab1e Posted February 27, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 27, 2010 oooh, yeah! Start with an old Dish Network dish--I'm sure you could find one anywhere--and go from there! That is a fine idea!!! Payday is upon us so the construction shall begin Cheerz guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 27, 2010 Members Share Posted February 27, 2010 In the first link to that "vocal shield", the backing is a solid piece. To top it off, it's concave. Any sound reflected back will be focused even more so than a flat surface... ...directly back into the mic. That foam is only going to absorb so much, which means then, that you are reflecting some serious trash back at you. No solid backing! You could always use a solid parabolic shape to further enhance the comb filtering! Got it. Didn't realize it had a solid backing piece, so that was the "mystery" for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted February 28, 2010 Moderators Share Posted February 28, 2010 That is a fine idea!!! Payday is upon us so the construction shall beginCheerz guys! This was sarcasm if you didn't realize. Don't do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 28, 2010 Members Share Posted February 28, 2010 Maybe he's making a parabolic mic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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