Build a room or buy a booth?

[timwhanson]

I don't know what I'm doing so I'll just go ahead and ask for help rather than blowing what little money I have.

I'm located in San Francisco, own my own home and will be speaking in reference to my garage space which has concrete floors. The dimensions of space for the recording space I desire are about 6x6x8, a portion of the garage space not occupied by the wifes junk lol. Budget 5 to 6 thousand max.

My question:

I need a space that is as close to sound proof as possible. I'm not worried so much about quality of recording space, or sound getting in; I'm more worried about sound getting out. I have close by neighbors and I don't want anyone to hear me practicing. So here are my two options...

I have about 5 to 6 grand max to build or by a space. A 5x6 whisperroom costs about this much, but I am concerned that it will not be that quiet. I have stood inside a cheaper version of one and you could still hear clear as day what was going on inside the thing on the outside, this is unacceptable.

So does anyone know how effective a whisperroom is at killing the sound inside from getting out? Is it worth the money? I lean towards this because it is portable, and I don’t want to decrease the value of my home by building a monstrosity in the garage that I will have to tear down when I flip the house in 2 years.

So considering everything what should I do? I need the most sound proofing for my buck, but if I can build a room in my garage for like 3 grand I would not pay the 6 grand for the whisperroom. I mean in theory I could buy some gypsum panels for the walls, use green glue to smush a few together, build a frame and screw them to it, line it with mineral wool and then rinse and repeat making a double wall enclosure. I mean how much do you think a thing like that might cost? Any contractors out there build something like this before can give me an idea what I’m looking at? I mean 6x6x8 is not that big, just enough for a piano and a mic. I'll stop rambling now I just read I'm supposed to give you as much info as I can.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[Savant]

Generally, "portable" and "sound isolation" do not go together. I have heard of mixed results over the years re prefabricated sound booths. There are many variables that can render even the most well-designed portable booth ineffective. I would suggest you at least consider your alternatives for construction of a room-within-a-room. Links:

Audioholics Article
Acoustics101.com

IMO, folks who build their own and pay attention to the details tend to have much more success than those who buy prefabricated booths. And the extra money you might spend will pay for itself in less pain and suffering with your neighbors.

Also, there is another great forum that is geared towards building music spaces: Studiotips. Of course, the concepts involved when building for good sound isolation tend to be very similar whether it's a recording space or a home theater.