optimal dimensions for a medium sized booth

[Kyle]

Hello all

I'm planning a move into a new house and I want to turn the basement into my new work space.

I'd like to go with a nice open room this time but also frame in a medium sized ISO booth for vox, VO, or gtr amps. I am thinking I will build a hard (floating) floor and soft ceiling. I will be using this both for VO work so I'm looking to keep it on the dead side but I'd like it to sound natural. The rest of the basement will house an open control room and be used for recording full bands.

I'll be starting with a relatively blank slate, what would be the best dimensions to build a medium sized booth with 7 foot ceilings. I know their are a lot of factors to consider but I'm looking for a good starting place.

Thanks

[Ethan Winer]

Kyle,

> what would be the best dimensions to build a medium sized booth with 7 foot ceilings. <

I have to tell you, unless you really need two rooms you'll do better without a booth. Small room ambience is always bad ambience. It's not really possible to have a small room sound good unless it's totally dead. I know this isn't what you asked for, but it's the best advice I can offer.

--Ethan

[Kyle]

Thanks Ethan

Dead it is! I need it for VO work.

So because it is going to be totally dead I guess that I can make it any size or shape that I want. This is good ecause I want to keep my work space as big as possible

[JWL]

in Rod Gervais' book, he recommends the following room ratios (p 29):

1: 1.14: 1.39
1: 1.28: 1.54
1: 1.60: 2.33
1: 1.40: 1.90
1: 1.30: 1.90
1: 1.50: 2.10

So do some number crunching, based on your 7' dimension, and see which size/shape works best for your space.

I also agree with Ethan to make the room dead if you build a vocal booth. I understand the need to isolate vocals if you will be tracking a full band, but he's right, it's very hard to get a small room to sound good.

[leftofthedial]

Not that it really matters, but one of the books I own talks about golden ratios bla bla bla.

Since your ceiling is 7.0, multiply that by 1.62 for the width = 11.34, then multiply that by the 1.62 for the length = 18.37

I would call that a medium sized room. However, that may be a huge room to you.

So alternatively, you could divide 7 by 1.62 = 4.32 and multiply 7 by 1.62 = 11.34

That assumes you want a rectangle room. All bets are off if you start angleing walls.

In any event, I suggest you get the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-A ... 0071360972

Which goes into detail on this and all other sorts of usefull stuff...

[Kyle]

Thanks for the tips!

What is considered a small room?

[Ethan Winer]

What is considered a small room?

Something the size of a typical bedroom.

[Immanuel]

(if we are talking a room with all corners being 90 degrees) You will spread room the most in a room with the dimension ration of
1:1.26:1.59
This is basic math. You are doing third octaves this way. You can double or divide any of the final numbers by 2, 4, 8, ... and still be doing quite fine.