Working from home has some challenges, especially if others are around. Whether you’re doing paperwork, practicing a musical instrument, working through video chats and meetings, cutting soundtracks or videos, or just plain need a break from the noise of others, we’re here to help. You can blow the budget on a manufactured or professionally constructed sound room, or save a bundle on a do-it-yourself soundproof vocal booth.
You don’t have to be a skilled tradesperson for most do-it-yourself projects! All you need is some confidence, a bit of imagination, a few basic tools, the necessary plans, and the materials. To help you out, we’ve gathered 27 soundproofing projects, separated them into permanent and portable categories, and provided descriptions and links so you can more easily pick and choose. We also discuss what a building plan for a permanent soundproof booth should include.
Contents (Jump to Topic)
Why Do You Need A Vocal Booth?
If you’re wondering what a vocal booth is, it’s a room or space that dampens, diffuses, and absorbs outside and background noise. It improves the quality of sound recording for listening enjoyment by reducing reverberation and other unwanted sounds. Lessening or removing outside and background noises makes vocals clearer and drier for recording and listening purposes. It’s usually a small room within a larger workspace or studio.
Vocal booths can be small one-person spaces or larger multi-person ones, it depends on what you require and your budget. You can also use similar strategies to improve sound quality in an existing room. There are many reasons you may want or need a vocal booth. Recording voice or vocals for music may jump to mind first but that’s only one way people use them.
A sound booth or room can be used as a communication room for work or school, or for practicing vocals or music. The decreased noise and distractions improve listening for learning and make verbal communication clearer for video participation in meetings, class discussions, and even family and friend chats. For those recording videos, pod-casts, school lessons, audiobooks, or thousands of other purposes, a vocal booth can be very helpful.
Vocal Booth Designs
A vocal booth is a designated room or space that surrounds and encloses the occupant or occupants. It reduces noise movement and reverberation into and within the space for clearer vocal and audio presentation and reception. A booth can be designed as a permanent room within a room, or as a portable enclosure that can be collapsed or dismantled to move or remove as needed.
Permanent
A permanent vocal booth is constructed into an existing space using materials that dampen, absorb, and block noise transmission. They require knowledge of acoustical design and soundproofing materials to be effective. There are often separate layers to control sound movement so microphones don’t pick up unwanted vibration and soundwaves. Permanent acoustically treated sound rooms are more expensive to build but are well worth it if the budget permits.
Portable
Portable means it can be erected where and when needed, and dismantle and stored when not. They are comparatively inexpensive but often not as effective as a well-constructed permanent booth. Having said that, portable sound isolation structures are an excellent alternative to their permanent counterpart, and often easily made by DIYers. Whether made of portable acoustic panels, egg-carton foam housing for a mic, or other materials, they can be moved to capture sound from different directions.
How to Build Soundproof Recording Booth From Scratch
When listening to a song or presentation, the vocals are the most important part. Music and other noises shouldn’t overwhelm the singer or speaker’s voice. So, keeping the voice front and center makes for better recording and thus listening. Whether you’re an amateur or professional vocalist, blog or social media presenter, audio-video clip uploader, or just prefer quality audio, a DIY sound booth may be the ticket.
Building a soundproof recording booth is much like building a room within a room. However, it should be noted that the booth isn’t really soundproof. The concept is to break the soundwave transmission link between the outside and the inside, also known as decoupling, and to control reverberation and bounce generated within the booth. A small space makes for less reverb but can produce hollow audio, not a dry, crisp, ready for radio sound. If you’re considering building a permanent booth, here are some suggestions:
Step 1. Location
Choose a location where there is little traffic or noise. The best location is a corner where two concrete walls meet, such as a basement. It should be away from the furnace, plumbing pipes, HVAC ducts, and the laundry too. Most sound booths are small, varying from 12sqft (3’x4’) to 24sqft (4’x6’); large enough for one or two people and some musical instruments if required.
Step 2. Design
To minimize sound transfer, you’ll want to decouple the sound booth from the rest of the room. That means walls, ceiling, and floor, hence, a room within a room. Traditional building practices don’t decouple walls, so consider building separated walls. Metal transfers less noise than wood and is lighter, so metal studs are a good choice.
Stone wool acoustic insulation in wall cavities adds mass and absorbs sound waves, as does a layer of mass-loaded vinyl (MLV). Doubling the drywall thickness and using acoustic adhesive to secure the second layer will help further decouple the walls too. Seal and insulate outlet and receptacle openings so air, and thus sound, can’t leak in.
To separate the floor, use rubber-backed floating floor tiles or neoprene matting, they’re easier and less expensive than building a separate floor. Use the inner portion of the double wall to carry the ceiling and further isolate the booth from outside noise, also double the gypsum layer on the ceiling.
Step 3. Other Considerations
The small space can warm up quickly, so use LED lighting, it produces good light but less heat. To dissipate heat and improve ventilation, an intake vent should be built in down low and the outlet up high. Off-set the intake and outlet as they go through the double wall using flexible insulated duct tubing. Using a 3-speed fan to push air in will also help force it out, keep the heat down, and improve the oxygen supply.
The door should be solid and swing-out, not into the booth. It’s much easier to get in and out if the door swing doesn’t take up half the floor space. If windows are needed to view the musicians or producer, orient them so that’s where they look. Another design consideration is electrical; plan out the location of receptacles and audio hook-ups before building. An off-set path for wires and feeds helps reduce noise transfer through the double walls too.
Step 4. Wall Treatment
The decoupled booth controls noise coming into the booth but not so much the noise produced inside. If the sound seems boxy, use a sound meter to check frequency ranges. Consider adding acoustic panels to the walls, corners, ceiling, and even the door. The panels absorb low mid-range frequencies and trap bass resonance to improve the sound. Once the booth is set up, you can produce radio quality vocals whenever you need them.
27 Creative DIY Soundproof Recording Studio Booth Projects
Whether building a permanent or portable soundproof booth, the design, location, materials, and purpose are unique to you, as is the budget. The outlay cost is often determined by expected or hoped-for return, which again, is often individual. If only required for a brief period of time, then a permanent booth may not be ideal.
You may want to start with a portable and work up to a built-in booth or consider adding acoustic panels and treatment to an existing room to improve its sound quality. To help you out, here are 27 projects or suggestions to improve sound control.
Permanent Vocal Booth
A permanent DIY soundproof booth will improve sound quality, and need not break the budget. Check out these design summaries and links.
1. How I Built Sound Booth
Stuck in an apartment? Here’s a permanent booth built using modular design construction which allows it to be dismantled and moved, or stored. Approximately 6’ wide, 8’ long, and 7’ tall, the walls, ceiling, and floor are framed using 2×3 lumber with fiberglass insulation filling the stud cores. The insulated floor framing is sandwiched between OSB.
The walls and ceiling have drywall on the outside and OSB on the inside, which is then covered with a layer of soundboard and drywall using glue to help decouple the layers. Foam acoustic panels cover the walls, door, and ceiling, and carpet on the floor help to further deaden noise. A sound test is also included plus a link to plans and documentation.
2. DIY Soundproof Booth
This clip shows the construction of a 7’ long, 4’ wide, and 7’ high booth built in an upper floor bedroom. The 2×4 floor frame rests on interlocking neoprene foam mats and is insulated with rock wool batts and covered with OSB. 1×4 pine is used to frame the walls and ceiling. 1/4” plywood covered with carpet faces the exterior of the wall and ceiling panels.
Wall and ceiling cores are filled with rock wool and covered with 1/4″ ply, which is then covered with acoustic foam. A matching hinged insulated panel with a built-in window forms the door and is also covered with sound-deadening foam. The floor is covered with carpet tiles for more sound treatment.
3. Vocal Sound Booth Whisper Room Build
This is the first part of a video series that includes building instructions and materials for a modular constructed 47”x47”x80” vocal booth, plus links to materials and equipment. The floor is constructed of 2×4 framing covered with MDF, and the walls and ceiling with 1×3 lumber sheathed with 1/4″ plywood.
Wall frames wrap 2” ridged pink foam sheeting which fills the frame – there are no studs, making for a very lightweight composite panel. All Styrofoam surfaces are coated with contact cement and then covered with 1/4″ plywood. Interior wall and ceiling surfaces are also covered with acoustic foam. Electrical and ventilation are also included in this design.
4. DIY Vocal Booth Sound Proofing
An inexpensive 4’x4’x7’ tall vocal booth build. Walls are made with a single thickness of 3/4” MDF fastened at the corners and to a piece used for the ceiling, all resting on the carpeted floor of a bedroom. The walls and ceiling were lined with rock wool insulation which was then covered with acoustic foam.
One wall was hinged so it fully opened. Electrical for mic, equipment, and lighting came under the door. Ventilation was identified as an issue, but not addressed. The video demonstrated how well the booth blocked exterior noise and controlled reverb and echo inside.
5. How to Build a “Sound Proof” Home Vocal Recording Booth
A freestanding 8×8 vocal booth with a 2×4 framed floor clad in particleboard. The walls are 2×4 framework sheathed inside and out with drywall, with the voids filled with rock wool. The walls and door were then lined with acoustic foam, as was the existing ceiling of the room the booth is in.
Lighting was provided by LED strip lighting powered by the extension cord, which also powered all other electronics. The wall mass controls sound in and the foam absorbs or controls reverb and echo inside. Although easy to follow, there was no plan provided nor a demonstration of the booth’s sound control.
6. Building a Vocal Booth (Part 1: Construction, Acoustic Treatment)
A three-part series explaining the construction of a 63” by 71” by 7’ high sound isolation booth. The floor has OSB on the upper face and a thin layer of plywood on the underside. A layer of MLV separates the floor and frame, and rock wool fills the voids.
Walls, ceiling, and door are constructed using 2×4 framing filled with rock wool, clad on both faces with OSB and all seams are caulked to prevent noise seepage. Electrical comes through the outer wall at one location and travels laterally inside the insulated wall before coming through the inner wall. Inside ceiling and wall corners are treated with bass trap foam, and the front wall surface is covered with acoustic foam.
The other walls are covered with a mixture of white styrofoam (covered with reflective white canvas), acoustic foam, and wood pickets to diffuse and absorb noise. The ceiling is covered with canvas finished styrofoam. Ventilation isn’t addressed.
7. How to build a vocal recording booth EASY
A short video detailing the construction of a 4’x3’x7’ tall vocal recording booth, including a simple plan. The floor is 2×4 framing covered with OSB, and the walls, door, and ceiling are each a single sheet of 3/4″ OSB.
The door is hinged and all walls and ceiling fastened at the corners and reinforced with 1×6 boards at the outside corners. Patterned acoustic foam covers the ceiling and walls. Electrical and ventilation aren’t addressed, nor is there a demonstration of sound improvement or quality.
8. DIY Voice-Over Booth
The construction of a 4’x6’ whisper room on an existing carpeted floor. Walls and ceiling are framed with 2×4 and covered outside with ridged pink insulation, glued to the framing, and then covered with drywall. Interior cores are stuffed with rock wool, and then clad with ¾” MDF for added mass.
Interior walls and ceiling were then covered with acoustic foam carpet and moving blankets. Foam baffles were placed in the corners, and acoustic foam attached to all walls and the ceiling. Electrical is via a power bar through the wall, but ventilation isn’t covered, nor is a plan presented.
9. DIY Vocal Booth
A 4x6x7’ high sound booth made in a modular format with 2×4 framing. Wall and ceiling exteriors are clad with 5/8” drywall before being placed and fastened. The inside face of the drywall and door were covered with acoustic foam panels, as was the ceiling. Carpeting was also glued to the exterior of the walls.
Two baffled fan boxes provide air circulation into the booth, and a window provides visible communication with those outside. There is no plan provided, but construction was straightforward. The booth may not be soundproof, but the interior acoustics dampen and control reverb to improve sound quality.
10. Hardcore Studio DIY: A Recording Room From Scratch
Turning a concrete block room into an acoustically treated sound booth using 9-1/2” MDF slats attached to the bricks with angle brackets. The 9-1/2” deep cavities were filled with rock wool and covered with plastic. The ceiling and walls were then covered with a layer of heavy fabric.
An MDF box around an existing receptacle provides power to the room, and ventilation is piped in above the door. The existing tile floor is left exposed, and no plan or material list is provided.
11. DIY Home Recording Booth Step by Step
This video documents the steps to building a 4’x6’ sound booth. The floor is 2×4 framing with rubber foam on the bottom and OSB on the top. The walls and ceiling are drywall on the outside with rock wool between the framework.
Rigid insulation covers the inside frames and insulation, which is then covered with OSB. The OSB walls and door were then covered with acoustic foam panels. An LED light illuminates the interior, but no explanation of electrical connection is provided, nor is a plan. However, a materials list is included.
12. How To Build DIY Vocal Booth
This clip documents an inexpensive two wall, 7’ tall DIY vocal booth. It includes a material and tool list, and an explanation of the build. Walls are built as acoustic panels with 1×4 framing and filled with paper-backed fiberglass. The bottom 30” of the walls is left open as the vocal treatment doesn’t need to occur below the knees – also great for ventilation!
The panels are covered with fabric and hinged together for flexibility. A triangular-shaped ceiling built like the walls and covered with acoustic fabric is placed on the walls. The walls and ceiling condition and control bounce and reverb, and improve vocal clarity.
13. Vocal Booth Built in Apartment
Building a modular 3’x4’ soundproof recording booth using 2x4s and rock wool insulation. The booth is built as two 2’x3’ separate halves and joined to make one 3’x4’ room. The floor is insulated and covered with OSB, and the walls are drywalled after insulating.
The ceiling is gypsum on the underside and 1/4” plywood on the outside. Ventilation is visually depicted, as is the door construction. The exterior is wrapped in acoustic carpet as are the interior wall surfaces. No plan or material list is provided.
14. Building Recording Booth for Vocal Isolation and Acoustic Guitar
Plans, material list, and explanation for building 4’x6’x8’ high rectangular booth are provided, as are plans for pentagonal and triangular-shaped vocal booths of varying dimensions. The booth is built in a corner of a larger room and uses the floor and existing walls for two of its own.
A 32”x80” standard interior grade solid core door with a clear glass panel was used. The site further includes suggestions for installation and treatment of electrical and audio outlets, as well as lighting. Ventilation isn’t covered though. Acoustic wall treatment and panels are discussed, along with other suggestions.
15. Building the Soundproof Booth
Build a pentagonal-shaped vocal booth using 2×4 lumber for walls and ceiling. The corner of an existing room was used, and the existing floor left exposed. The ceiling and one exterior wall of the booth were covered with gypsum sheeting, and the other wall covered with acoustic foam.
Interior wall and ceil cavities were filled with rock wool, drywalled, and then covered with acoustic foam. A second video provides plans, materials, and costs.
16. Turn A Closet into A Vocal Recording Booth
A compilation showing how to turn a closet into a vocal booth. Once cleaned out, wall, floor, door, and ceiling treatment options are explained to deaden the echo and reverb and improve vocals. Spray adhesive was used to secure acoustic foam to the walls and door.
The foam profile patterns were staggered to improve sound control. The light in the closet provides illumination, but ventilation and electrical aren’t discussed. There is also a demonstration of the sound improvement of the finished booth. The video includes some material, information, and equipment sourcing too.
Portable Vocal Booth
Modulating the sound being picked up by the mic is one way to improve recording quality and remove background noise and reverb. A DIY portable vocal booth offers a solution to the sound problem. In this section, we’ll take a look at different solutions that are portable and inexpensive.
17. I Created a DIY Vocal Sound Booth Worth USD 12
Controlling background noise using a voice box is explained and demonstrated in this clip. The purpose of the box is to block sound from all sources except your voice. For less than $20 in materials and a pair of scissors or a knife, create a portable mic sound isolation box.
Using a cardboard box that’s large enough for your head, adhesive spray, and sound isolation foam, the isolation box becomes a reality. The presentation includes the construction, recommendations, and demonstrates the difference in sound quality with and without the voice box.
18. Easy Portable Sound Proof Vocal Booth
A video explaining how to make a 4’x4’ lightweight portable sound booth using PVC tubing, Velcro, 16-gauge wire, rock wool insulation, and corrugated plastic sign board. Construction and material choices are explained throughout the build, which is straightforward, even without a plan.
Carpet is added to the floor, LED lighting to the ceiling, and cotton sheet fabric covers the insulation and finishes the booth. The booth blocks or absorbs outside noise and also controls reverb and echo within to improve recording quality. The quality of the sound is demonstrated through dialogue within and outside the booth.
19. DIY – Build Your Vocal Isolation Booth Cheap
Using a pop-up 5’x5’ sun canopy frame, four 11-pound acoustic blankets, thread, and some sew-on velcro to create a portable sound booth are explained and documented in this clip. The booth can be set up as a permanent solution, easily collapse and moved to another location, or be stored.
The blankets are cut and sewn to fit the frame, and velcro added to join the blankets on the frame corners. Two blankets overlap to form the door and help deaden noise intrusion. Rechargeable book lights are used to provide lighting as and where needed. The build is well documented and includes measurements.
20. Do-It-Yourself Vocal Booth
Building a portable 39”x39”x78” high voice isolation booth is documented in this video. Main construction used 1/2” melamine-covered particle board panels for the walls and ceiling. One wall was hinged for a door, and carpet placed for the floor.
The interior walls and ceiling are covered with 1-5/8” (4cm) thick recycled sponge acoustic foam. LED lighting and audio connections come through 1/4″ holes drilled in the wallboard. The booth blocks outside noise and conditions the sound inside so it isn’t hollow, and also controls reverb. A materials list is provided, as is a link to a soundproof test video.
21. DIY Vocal Booth
This link documents a semi-portable DIY vocal booth for a mic that improves vocal quality. The booth isolates the mic from vibration and noise, and blocks or absorbs sound reflection for a cleaner recording. The booth is a 23” tall half-cylinder shape with a radius of 10”.
It’s constructed of 1/2″ plywood, so some shop tools and skills are necessary for this build. Acoustic foam was glued inside to line the 1/2-cylinder, and the mic and stand rest inside on the foam to block and absorb vibration transfer. A voice comparison is included with the mic inside and outside the booth.
22. Sound Booth on a Budget
A 39”x39”x78” tall portable booth made of overflow pipe connected with T-joints and elbows, and shower curtain hooks to hold 11-pound producer quality acoustic blankets. The voice isolation booth isolates the voice and blocks or absorbs outside noise and controls reverb and echo pick-up at the mic to make your voice pop and sound professional.
This clip includes a sound comparison inside and outside of the booth, a cost breakdown, and suggestions for reducing the overall costs. The build is simple, so no plan was presented, and it’s easily erected or collapsed.
23. Recording Vocal Booth Tutorial for Under $100
A simple and easy build of a 4’x4’x84” portable vocal booth for about $100 US. PVC pipe was used to make the frame, five moving blankets form the walls and ceiling of the booth. A sleeve was sewn into each side blanket to hang them on the PVC, and lifting one blanket edge forms the door.
Acoustic foam glued on cardboard backing further controls reverb behind the mic location. A voice test is included from inside and outside the booth for comparison. A material list and sourcing links are provided too.
24. $50 Cheap Recording “Studio”
A portable vocal reflection booth for the mic is a smaller, more compact, and less expensive option than a portable booth. This video presents the material required plus equipment for the booth.
It walks you through the construction of the $50US booth using a plastic tub and acoustic foam that mounts over and encloses the mic on five sides. There is no plan or demonstration of effectiveness, but it shows some of the build problems and solutions.
25. Do Portable Isolation Booths Work?
This video explains how a vocal microphone booth works and whether it is worth having. It discusses reflection filters, both DIY and manufactured, and how successful they are at blocking reverb. A good explanation of where filtering, blocking, and absorption are needed to optimize reverb and echo control when using a mic. The clip doesn’t identify a product or design that works, just what needs to be done to improve the sound.
26. DIY Portable Sound Booth – Test & Review
Room tone and presence are discussed in this clip and how they affect and distort the sound. It includes the materials and design for building a $20US portable mic vocal box, plus identifies sources for everything used. Acoustic foam adds absorption within a vinyl box large enough to hold the mic. There are several voice comparisons that demonstrate how the box cleans up and tightens the vocal by reducing reverb and outside noise.
27. Building a DIY Sound Booth for my Home Studio!
A 4’x4’x6’ tall portable sound booth build is presented in this video. The framework is 1×2 strapping connected with elbow brackets. Multiple layers of thick fabric were stapled to the wall and ceiling frames, except at one wall corner where velcro was used to form a doorway.
A layer of quilted moving blankets was also stapled over the other layers. The floor was left open, and lighting was attached to the center ceiling cross brace. The clip includes a before and after comparison to demonstrate how the booth cleans up the sound.
Conclusion
Building a DIY soundproof recording studio is one solution to room reverb, tone, presence, and echo. It can help to improve recorded voice and sound by focussing sound reaching the mic, and controlling disruptive soundwaves from both outside and inside the booth.
Hopefully, there’s a solution within the 27 DIY projects presented for your noise problem, or you found some ideas to blend and create your own vocal booth.