This applies to building a rectangular recording booth from the ground up. You will need to have basic knowledge of carpentry including framing and drywalling in order to build the booth. If you don’t have the tools or know-how to do it yourself, hire a contractor to build the booth for you. Make sure the room you select has a solid floor as well. For instance, a ground floor or a basement is a good choice. A room on an upper floor is not ideal as these floors are not as stable, which can be bad for recording if the floor vibrates or makes creaking noises.
If building the booth around an existing light fixture isn’t an option, you can run some LED lighting strips around the ceiling and floor of the booth for light.
You can draw a rough sketch of the room and write down the measurements and stud positions if it’s easier for you to visualize the booth that way.
A good standard size for a rectangular recording booth is 4 ft (1. 2 m) by 6 ft (1. 8 m). However, adjust the size based on the space you have available and the positions of the studs in your walls. Think about the kind of recording you want to do when planning the size of the booth as well. For example, a 4 ft (1. 2 m) by 6 ft (1. 8 m) booth is best suited to solo vocalists or acoustic artists, or maybe 2-person bands. If you want to be able to record a larger band, you might want to think about converting an entire room into a recording studio rather than building a booth.
A door with a glass window at the top or even a door that is mostly glass is a good option for a recording booth so you can allow some light into the booth and have visibility between the booth and the surrounding room.
For example, if your recording booth is going to be 4 ft (1. 2 m) by 6 ft (1. 8 m), build 1 wall that is 4 ft (1. 2 m) long and 1 that is 6 ft (1. 8 m) long. You can either cut the lumber to size yourself or have it cut for you at a home improvement center or lumber yard.
For example, if the door is a standard 80 in (200 cm) by 36 in (91 cm) size, make the rough opening 82 in (210 cm) by 38 in (97 cm). Note that this step must be done simultaneously with building the wall frames.
Have someone help you hold the walls up and steady while you drive the screws into place. If the floor of the room is a standard wooden floor, use wood screws to secure the frame to the floor. If you are building your booth somewhere like a garage or basement with a cement floor, use masonry screws.
Make sure to check local electrical regulations before you install the electrical boxes. If you aren’t sure, consult a licensed electrician. Unless you have experience with electrical work, it’s best to get an electrician to do the actual wiring for you. You can go ahead and install the electrical boxes on the frame if you want, but have a licensed electrician finish the wiring work.
Fiberglass insulation comes in rolls that are 16 in (41 cm) wide, the standard width between wall studs, so it will fit perfectly between the studs and stay in place. You can buy special soundproofing insulation instead of standard fiberglass insulation if your budget allows for it. However, fiberglass insulation tends to work just as well and is much more affordable.
You can hire a drywall contractor to complete this part of the job for you if you don’t want to deal with all the cutting, hanging, and mudding yourself.
You might want to match the exterior wall paint to the color of the walls you built the booth in so it looks more like part of the room. However, you could paint it a different color if you want it to stand out as an accent.
If it is too difficult for you to hang the door properly yourself, hire a carpenter to do it for you.
The door stops will ensure the door closes properly as well as help you soundproof the booth.
This will help soundproof the booth by ensuring a tight seal when the door is closed.
If your door has any glass in it, don’t cover up the glass with acoustic foam. The foam tiles will help keep sound inside the recording booth to create good acoustics. This, along with the insulation inside the walls and the weather stripping around the door, means that your booth should now be pretty soundproof and ready to record!
