Make a home vocal booth or pay for studio time ?

O

OliverPractice

Guest
As rapper / singer what's an better solution.

I got the idea today to buy a nice mic and isolate a room with the aucustic foam properly (like 1/3 of a room or construct a box ect).

Now I need your guys expertise and knowledge.

For how much money can I make a vocal booth and what do I need for it ?

The advantage would be that I'm at the comfort of my home and can record whenever and as much as I like too.

Can I record at home then send my vocal track to online producers and they do the engineer work and make it fit to the beat ?

Or if I buy a beat online and record to it can the producers just trough me sending them the recording edit my voice and do all that's necessary ?

Basicaly I'm thinking of just recording, a vocal booth, no pult monitor or synth piano (yep I'm a producing noob).

Is it equaly as effective ?



Then in terms of price. Basicaly I want good audio quality. To do 2 mixtapes and maybe a few freeverses / remixes.

What audio quality can I expect for what price ? Give me some examples.

If I spend 2000 $ will it be good audio quality ? Comparable to what, at what level.


Give me some tips, so that I get the idea, like I'd rather spend another extra 1000 $ if it's gonna make it sound duble as good and clean.


Can I just record at home and let the producers online do the work or do I need to know how to handle programs and editing too ? Like is there any need for on place producers or can it be done sending files online

And don't forget to give me some examples in terms of $, for the mic, acustic foam and interface (does this make a difference in soudn quality ?).


I don't know how much I wanna spend. I wanna see if it's smarter to get a home vocal booth or go to a studio that's good.

If I buy time at a studio I pay for the engineer too ? Basicaly alot of the equipment there is not needed if they don't produce the beat so I just wanna pay for the vocal recording.


Educate me.


Big thanks.
 
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I currently have a $100 condenser microphone (Sterling SP50) running into a Line6 ToneportUx2 then a usb to my Laptop. The quality is Pretty well. Honestly if you can find someone that knows how to make you sound clean on software, your hardware doesn't need to be professional. I've made a couple songs on my mic and they sound, different, but i have no clue how to compress and mix and what not. But, if you wanna save some money I know the MXL 990 is a good choice from what i've heard, then buy a quality preamp and BOOM! A nice enclosed space would help, theyve got these little half domes that go around the mic that will give it more of a direct sound and dampen left overs you dont want, throw on a pop filter too, those are cheap. Any questions just PM me
 
Your answer didn't really help. I said I didn't want to improvise for 200 $ but make a nice vocal booth in which I can record and have real good sound.

Anybody can answer my questions ? What a dead f*cking forum I'm of to make an account at gearslutz.com .
 
Ok, so in response to your last statement, this forum is not here forcing people to respond to your posts... but I want to help so I'll give your opinion.


There are many videos on youtube on how to go about sound proofing your room in order to get good quality in your recording.

Building a home Vocal Booth
In all honesty, it depends on you. You can go ahead and make your own room or studio soundproof which will give you the positive reward
of working at home and still getting that great quality studio sound. This choice will cost some money, and will provide for some knowledge on the science
of soundproofing. Anyone can add some sound proof foam in a room, but does that mean that that room will provide studio quality? No. you must KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING.

Pay for Studio Time
This option will save you time and you will get the quality recording that you are seeking. This is obviously the easy way out since you will get a professional
sound engineer who will be working on making sure your recording is good and also that the studio that will be used will already be treated to provide for that
quality sound recording. I do not need to speak much on this option because it is clearly a route that will save you time, but will bite a hole in your wallet.

Hope I was able to answer your question. If you do have any more questions, feel free to message me or post on my wall.. I'll be more than happy to help you out.

LegendaryBeatz
Buy Beats Online | Buy Hip hop Beats | Buy Rap Beats | Instrumentals
 
As rapper / singer what's an better solution.

I got the idea today to buy a nice mic and isolate a room with the aucustic foam properly (like 1/3 of a room or construct a box ect).

Now I need your guys expertise and knowledge.

For how much money can I make a vocal booth and what do I need for it ?

You don't "need" a vocal booth.

A "vocal booth" is an "isolation booth" big enough for a person to record vocals but too small for a "band" or some larger instrumentation.

I have a "professional" recording studio and nearly 99% of the time record people sitting in the control room with me.

Use headphones and try to put your computer (because the fan makes noise) somewhere away from the mic... keep the room quiet... windows closed... air conditioner off... tell your mother to vacuum later... tell your sister to turn the TV down... etc, etc...

If your "control room" is treated well, it should be fine to record your vocals.

Just use normal convention for room treatment.






The advantage would be that I'm at the comfort of my home and can record whenever and as much as I like too.


that is a huge "plus"



Can I record at home then send my vocal track to online producers and they do the engineer work and make it fit to the beat ?

"online producers"? you mean some guy who says he'll make your recorded parts sound like a song? are you talking about someone different from a mixer?

either way, this will depend on the quality of the person you are hiring as well as the quality of vocal you record.

If your vocal performance does not fit the beat properly, there is not much anyone can do...

If your recording quality is not good, there is only so mych someone can do to make it sound "good".

Not all "producers" and "mixers" are created equal... and most are less equal than others.





buy a beat online and record to it can the producers just trough me sending them the recording edit my voice and do all that's necessary ?

They won't necessarily know what you want done with your voice.

What kind of "edits" are you talking about?

Are you talking about recording a bunch of takes and hoping this guy you hire will fish through them all and pick out the good ones and piece something together for you?

...and, no, that is not all that is necessary...

You need to create a good recording... good performance... consistent recording sound so different takes will blend properly... a producer/engineer who knows exactly what yuo want to end up with and who is capable of achieving this for you... etc, etc



Basicaly I'm thinking of just recording, a vocal booth, no pult monitor or synth piano (yep I'm a producing noob).

Is it equaly as effective ?


is what equally as effective as what?




Then in terms of price. Basicaly I want good audio quality. To do 2 mixtapes and maybe a few freeverses / remixes.

What audio quality can I expect for what price ? Give me some examples.

If I spend 2000 $ will it be good audio quality ? Comparable to what, at what level.


This question is essentially impossible to answer.

You don't just build a "booth" and magically develop the ability to create high quality recordings.

Also, the mic is one of the least important parts of your recording chain and recording environment.

Aside from the room, you need good A/D converters, good mic pre, good mic technique, good gain staging, etc, etc...

YOU need to know what you are doing.

Stepping into a good studio does not magically equal a "good recording"...

...you need to know how to use the stuff.


The engineer who is recording the session will make or break your recording.

(same goes for the people who "mix", "produce", etc... just saying "i'm a producer" or "i'm a mixer" does not make you "good")



You need to worry more about the "professionals" working on the recording more than the equipment they are using.







Give me some tips, so that I get the idea, like I'd rather spend another extra 1000 $ if it's gonna make it sound duble as good and clean.


Can I just record at home and let the producers online do the work or do I need to know how to handle programs and editing too ? Like is there any need for on place producers or can it be done sending files online

And don't forget to give me some examples in terms of $, for the mic, acustic foam and interface (does this make a difference in soudn quality ?).


I can record on a mobile system in a hotel room and sound like a professional recording just like in my studio.

You need to understand how to record...

If you understand how room treatment and acoustics work, you will understand how to "guerrilla" treat your room and where to record in your room and where to place the mic, etc...

Producers come down to who it is... it is irrelevant "where" they are... if a shitty producer is in the room with you in the best studio in LA or NYC, your recording and song will still suck. If an amazing producer is working in his bedroom 2000 miles away from you, he will still be good (but your song will still suck, of course, if it is just a shitty song and you didn't record it well and if you performed poorly)





I don't know how much I wanna spend. I wanna see if it's smarter to get a home vocal booth or go to a studio that's good.



As I said, that all depends...

Plus, you need a good engineer at this "good studio" you go to... just because there is an engineer at the studio does not mean he will be "good"...

Most people suck.








If I buy time at a studio I pay for the engineer too ?


Yes, you pay for the engineer... but that may be included in the studio cost.





Basicaly alot of the equipment there is not needed if they don't produce the beat so I just wanna pay for the vocal recording.


...and a lot of the equipment they will have in a studio is not needed even if you are recording, producing and mixing a complete song...

You are not paying for every piece of equipment in the studio when you book studio time... you are paying for a well equipped studio that can meet your needs, whatever they may be.

If you are just recording vocals, you would book one of the small rooms in the studio.

You still need a lot more than you are aware of.
 
Thank you for taking the time and answering to many of my questions.

So what do I do in the end ? What's my best bet.

Research a good studio in my country and record songs there.

Or create a isolation booth and get engineers and producers online after reasearching who some decent ones are.

I honestly don't really know what an engineer even does.

Is there anybody known to be a good producers but not expensive ?

Where should I read up to understand all of this better.

Going to studios to record would suck cause it's not comfortable, being at home is much easier. And the cost might be higher this way. And it's limited time compared to having it at home and recording as much as you like for free.


So I guess I need to get the right equipment, make an isolation booth. And then find the right producers and engineers and mixers online ?

I def will research them I know anybody who does a bit producing or a lot of it but still sucks will ask to do jobs for money, nobody will say - hey I can't do it I suck, I'm not worth the money. That's why I'll try to find established lower price producers.

Can engineers work by me sending them the vocals, do they have to be with me in person ?

What do engineers do ?

I know what you mean bout the vocals and the beat having to fit, that is as clear as day to me. It'll be extra work to find the apropriate producer since all but 1 of my songs are writen without beat. But there are producers who can create a beat around an existing song. Most are not skilled enough to do it but some can. I guess they need to know music theory well enough to do it.


"good A/D converters, good mic pre, good mic technique, good gain staging" - what are some good resources to get an understanding of this, to educate myself ?
 
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I suggest that if you want a nice clean song to deal with an audio engineer in his studio. hey we love what we do talk to em they might give a good price. there got to be a lot of home studio around you you just got to meet people.
 
Thank you for taking the time and answering to many of my questions.

So what do I do in the end ? What's my best bet.

Research a good studio in my country and record songs there.

Or create a isolation booth and get engineers and producers online after reasearching who some decent ones are.

Do your research.

What is your best bet? That is hard to answer.

Having an "isolation booth" (by the waym if you read my last post, you'll see I told you it is completely unnecessary) or "good equipment" will not magically allow you to create a good sounding recording...

And good professional studio quality equipment is very expensive... and a completely stupid purchase to make if you don't know how to use it.

You need to research studios... but more importantly, research who will be the engineer RECORDING YOU at the session.



I honestly don't really know what an engineer even does.

do a google search for "what does a recording engineer do?"






Is there anybody known to be a good producers but not expensive ?

Sure there are. Just fish through the billion people posting on forums like this one who say they are producers... most people you find will suck, but hopefully you will be able to find someone good if you listen to enough people.

The real working professional guys don't usually go on forums an online saying "check out my sig" or "check my soundclick page" or "i make beats, hit me up"... but if you look enough, you may find that undiscovered diamond.



Where should I read up to understand all of this better.

google...


Going to studios to record would suck cause it's not comfortable, being at home is much easier. And the cost might be higher this way. And it's limited time compared to having it at home and recording as much as you like for free.


So I guess I need to get the right equipment, make an isolation booth. And then find the right producers and engineers and mixers online ?

and you think just buying some equipment will magically give you the knowledge of how to use it?

It is like saying you are going to the supermarket to buy some meat, vegetables and spices because you want to be a chef... you need to know what to do with your ingredients.





I def will research them I know anybody who does a bit producing or a lot of it but still sucks will ask to do jobs for money, nobody will say - hey I can't do it I suck, I'm not worth the money. That's why I'll try to find established lower price producers.

You don't ask the guy "hello, do you suck or are you awesome?"...

You listen to the stuff this person has done in the past (and hopefully he is showing you stuff that he actually did and that isn't stolen or plagairized)... and if you think it sounds great, you can try to work with him.




Can engineers work by me sending them the vocals, do they have to be with me in person ?


you can send stuff... but are you sure your stuff is good?

And are you capable of "producing" yourself? (look up what a "producer" is... i mean for REAL... not what kids online do who are calling themselves "producers"... i mean what it is in the real world.)

Can you determine of your vocal is good or not? if it sounds consistent from line to line? from take to take? Are you capturing the right emotion? so you sound good on the mic? etc, etc...

Are you sure?


and "engineers" can't necessarily help you with that... they are not necessarily "producers"...they don't necessarily have "good" opinions... and not all "producers" have "good" opinions, either-- that is why you need a "good" one who is talented and is on the same page as you artistically.



What do engineers do ?

Aside from drive trains?

Google.






I know what you mean bout the vocals and the beat having to fit, that is as clear as day to me. It'll be extra work to find the apropriate producer since all but 1 of my songs are writen without beat. But there are producers who can create a beat around an existing song. Most are not skilled enough to do it but some can. I guess they need to know music theory well enough to do it.

You don't need a "producer"...

You need a "writer"...

You need a "collaborator"...


What do you expect to tell the guy when you want your track? Are you just going to say "Hey, I need some music"? Are you just going to let him randomly come up with something and hope for the best? Are you going to pay him if you don't like what he gives you? are you going to expect him to keep writing new stuff for you until he randomly comes up with something you like? How do you expect to do this?







"good A/D converters, good mic pre, good mic technique, good gain staging" - what are some good resources to get an understanding of this, to educate myself ?

read.

years of practive.

work with talented professionals you can learn from.
 
Do your research.

What is your best bet? That is hard to answer.

Having an "isolation booth" (by the waym if you read my last post, you'll see I told you it is completely unnecessary) or "good equipment" will not magically allow you to create a good sounding recording...

And good professional studio quality equipment is very expensive... and a completely stupid purchase to make if you don't know how to use it.

You need to research studios... but more importantly, research who will be the engineer RECORDING YOU at the session.





do a google search for "what does a recording engineer do?"








Sure there are. Just fish through the billion people posting on forums like this one who say they are producers... most people you find will suck, but hopefully you will be able to find someone good if you listen to enough people.

The real working professional guys don't usually go on forums an online saying "check out my sig" or "check my soundclick page" or "i make beats, hit me up"... but if you look enough, you may find that undiscovered diamond.





google...




and you think just buying some equipment will magically give you the knowledge of how to use it?

It is like saying you are going to the supermarket to buy some meat, vegetables and spices because you want to be a chef... you need to know what to do with your ingredients.







You don't ask the guy "hello, do you suck or are you awesome?"...

You listen to the stuff this person has done in the past (and hopefully he is showing you stuff that he actually did and that isn't stolen or plagairized)... and if you think it sounds great, you can try to work with him.







you can send stuff... but are you sure your stuff is good?

And are you capable of "producing" yourself? (look up what a "producer" is... i mean for REAL... not what kids online do who are calling themselves "producers"... i mean what it is in the real world.)

Can you determine of your vocal is good or not? if it sounds consistent from line to line? from take to take? Are you capturing the right emotion? so you sound good on the mic? etc, etc...

Are you sure?


and "engineers" can't necessarily help you with that... they are not necessarily "producers"...they don't necessarily have "good" opinions... and not all "producers" have "good" opinions, either-- that is why you need a "good" one who is talented and is on the same page as you artistically.





Aside from drive trains?

Google.








You don't need a "producer"...

You need a "writer"...

You need a "collaborator"...


What do you expect to tell the guy when you want your track? Are you just going to say "Hey, I need some music"? Are you just going to let him randomly come up with something and hope for the best? Are you going to pay him if you don't like what he gives you? are you going to expect him to keep writing new stuff for you until he randomly comes up with something you like? How do you expect to do this?









read.

years of practive.

work with talented professionals you can learn from.

why writer ? Why not have the producer create the reamining beat from my voice recorded to a drumline for bar and speed measurment.

That's the problem with me not knowing what skills I need to have to properly record, I never been to a studio in my life. I don't know if I can "learn" those skills, if it's realistic, complicated or simple.

I guess the itnerface has a bunch of functions that make my voice sound different. So If I recorded at home I'd have to know how to exactly set the interface ?

What would I need to know to do from home before I have the vocals and can send them.

In any case finding a good online producer is probably difficult, for a price that is not high. And in real life it's easier cause you cna check who they studio worked with ect.


I didn't think of checking out 1000 producers online and hoping somebody will be good but finding somebody who is KNOWN to be good nad not very expensive online, let's say somebody who worked for good indie artists ect or simply just has credibility that is confirmed by anybody you ask online.
 
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why writer ? Why not have the producer create the reamining beat from my voice recorded to a drumline for bar and speed measurment.

Why a "writer"? Because somebody has to "write" the music you are expecting to have placed under your vocals.

Where do you think the music comes from? Somebody has to write it. It doesn't write itself.



That's the problem with me not knowing what skills I need to have to properly record, I never been to a studio in my life. I don't know if I can "learn" those skills, if it's realistic, complicated or simple.

It is like any other craft. you have to understand how it works... you have to have some talent for it... you have to practice a lot.



I guess the itnerface has a bunch of functions that make my voice sound different. So If I recorded at home I'd have to know how to exactly set the interface ?

Yes. you have to know how to use your equipment. and you need equipment that sounds good. and you need to know how to sing/rap into the mic... and you need a good quiet room to record in... etc.



What would I need to know to do from home before I have the vocals and can send them.

You would need the ability to record a vocal that sounds good with no noise in the background... recorded at the proper level... capturing an excellent performance by you doing your vocals... etc



In any case finding a good online producer is probably difficult, for a price that is not high. And in real life it's easier cause you cna check who they studio worked with ect.

The studio they work at does not mean shit.

Listen to what they have done. Does it sound good? Do you like the music? Would you like your music to sound like that? Do those songs sound like the songs you hear from your favorite artists?

The only thing "difficult" about it is actually finding someone who is good because most people are talentless hacks.

You will be looking for a needle in a haystack.

Do your research.





I didn't think of checking out 1000 producers online and hoping somebody will be good but finding somebody who is KNOWN to be good nad not very expensive online, let's say somebody who worked for good indie artists ect or simply just has credibility that is confirmed by anybody you ask online.

You can go about it any way you like.

but unless you sound like a young eminem or a young jay-z or a young kanye and write lyrics as good as those... then your chances will be slim to none of getting a "known" person to write you a track for cheap. If you are so awesome that people will be fighting over themselves for a chance to work with you, then that may be a possibility for you.

You are basically looking for someone to supply some "hit" music to you and have them lay your vocals over the track... that is a tall order.
 
Before you spend one penny you need to learn as much as possible and have a clear understanding of what it is you want to do.

You need to hit google and you need to read.
 
If you wanna record instantly with a good sound, go to a professional studio or even to someone with a homestudio and talent. It seems to me if you have as good as no idea of the topic, and you'll need years of practice to get good results.
 
I was thinking.... take note if you thinking about making a booth that mean you got your mic and your setup..... why spending all that money on setup to go spend more money on a studio renting???? then you have wasted your money on a setup you wont use??????? I would tell you to make the booth, and if you rich got money and don't give a **** send 50k to me on pay pal lmfaooo.
 
Before you spend one penny you need to learn as much as possible and have a clear understanding of what it is you want to do.

You need to hit google and you need to read.

I agree. What resources would you recomend me ? In terms of sites and reads

If you wanna record instantly with a good sound, go to a professional studio or even to someone with a homestudio and talent. It seems to me if you have as good as no idea of the topic, and you'll need years of practice to get good results.


So in short would I need years ofpractice to be able to handle home recording equipment well to send the vocals out to producers to do "the rest" ?

I was thinking.... take note if you thinking about making a booth that mean you got your mic and your setup..... why spending all that money on setup to go spend more money on a studio renting???? then you have wasted your money on a setup you wont use??????? I would tell you to make the booth, and if you rich got money and don't give a **** send 50k to me on pay pal lmfaooo.

I'm not
 
If you wanna record instantly with a good sound, go to a professional studio

if you don't have a good engineer at the "professional studio", your recording will still sound like crap... and if your mic technique is crap, your recording will sound like crap.

---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:17 PM ----------

So in short would I need years ofpractice to be able to handle home recording equipment well to send the vocals out to producers to do "the rest" ?

Not necessarily years...

But it is not like you just buy a mic and a computer and can suddenly record well.


The fact is, if you are not used to singing in a studio into a mic... you will not have good mic technique and breath control... THAT what will take you years to really get down. This is a skill that takes time to get right... and that is assuming you have the innate ability to EVER get it right.

I am not telling you not to go to a studio and I am not telling you not to record at home. What I AM telling you is that you should not expect it to sound great either way. You will get some recording experience and if it happens to sound good you should consider that a bonus.
 
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I agree. What resources would you recomend me ? In terms of sites and reads

This site has enough info on it. I'd start with the stickies in the top forums. Gearslutz is a good website and so is homerecording.com. For acoustics, studio building/design, mic booths, etc you should hit johnlsayers. pensadosplace is a goldmine as well. In terms of reads I'd go with mix and electronic musician. Then I'd pick up the art of mixing, and some of the titles found in the links contained in this link:

Audio Engineering Book - Gearslutz.com
 
So here is what I did. I have a one room home studio about 12 x 10 feet. It also has a double door closet. I tore out the shelves in the closet, installed sound panels which I built msyelf - one angled on the ceiling, one in each back corner of the closet, on on the back wall, and one on the inside of each door of the closet.

I have a MXL Genesis mounted on an SM Pro Mic Thing. My DAW is super quite, about 8 feet away from the closet. I back myself into the closet, place the mic stand between the doors and partially close the doors. I have enough room to move around, its not stuffy, its not "boxy" and I can control the isolation by opening and closing the closet doors. I also installed a light on the inside wall of the closet over the doors to add a little ambiance. It all works like a charm. FYI, the closet is about 3 feet deep by 6 feet wide.


I built the sound panels myself using 48 x 24 inch perforated board, the kind you see in work shops to hang tools on. I mounted 2 48 x 24 inch insulated ceiling tiles on each board, the kind you see in the ceiling of an office building. I then wrapped each one with some attractive fabric and stapled the fabric on the back. To mount, I installed hanging wire on the back of each panel and properly mounted hooks in the walls of the closet. To mount the panels on the inside of each door, I used those hooks that go over the top a door to hang towels on.

So, I have an attractive vocal booth that I can also use to store equipment and supplies. I have three multi-teered storage units with drawers on wheels that I simply wheel into the hallway when I need the booth.
 
Just do it yourself... You dont need a voice over booth, just buy one of those aurlex things that goes around the mic. Buy an interface, buy a mic and get a DAW... A few cables later and some cheap monitors you are good to go. Your room doesnt have to be great to get a good sound. You are also trying to do mixtapes... usually arent the greatest of quality. Research mixing and you can create a solid sound for very cheap. Research, research, research!!! There is so much info out there in videos than any of us can give here.
 
as far as set-up i think the Rode K2 with Art Pro channel 2 is a good combination. (Look up 'Braz - Bazooka' it's a dutch song but that's the quality you could get with that Microphone and PreAmp. They used it.) And im not sure about a Vocal Booth. too small or too many isolation makes it too 'dead' i got the SE Electronics Reflection Filter (the big one with metal) and that does the job quite well, except for noise offcourse.
 
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