How To Build a DIY Vocal Booth For Under $200! | Build A Portable Recording Booth

We finally came through with the DIY vocal booth build you were looking for! This episode of Sound 101 sees Andrew and Deity Steve put together a DIY recording booth option that's under $200! This build uses PVC pipes and moving blankets to create a space for you to record vocals, narration, voice over, audio books and anything else you can think of!

Vocal booths are used to create sound isolation and sound absorption. It is VERY hard for a DIY option to create both, but this build offers some great tips for sound absorption so you can get great vocals at home, on a budget. Sound isolation at home requires a lot more planning, effort, and materials.

Because this build is assembled from PVC pipes, it is also portable and gives you an easy storage option. You can break it down and build it up again as you please. Recording vocals at home doesn't have to be hard! Let us know in the comments below how you would improve this build!

PVC Pipe Lengths & pipe fittings you need: 🛒
12x - 1.5ft pipes
8x - 2ft pipes
4x 2.5ft pipes
10x - 3ft pipes
1x - 4way cross PVC pipe fitting
4x - 4way corner elbow PVC pipe fitting
8x - 3way corner elbow PVC pipe fitting
8x - equal tee PVC pipe fitting

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:22 Purpose of a vocal booth
1:22 Materials needed to build a DIY vocal booth
3:45 Building a DIY vocal booth with PVC Pipes
5:53 Adding a light!
6:42 Recap/testing the furniture pads

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Summary:
Deity Microphones produces weekly digital web content to help filmmakers and sound mixers grow in their education. Deity Microphones shares this free web series in hopes that the next generation of filmmakers grows in their video production quality and changes the world.

Deity Microphones produces free educational web content to help filmmakers, vloggers, sound mixers and sound designers grow as creatives and take their production quality (be it independent, TV, or studio) to the next level. Deity Microphones believes that budget should never be a constraint to creativity. sound absorption.

[danielhorne]

I finally built mine. Sharing my homework in case anyone runs into the same issues I did.

The 1.5' lengths (which I read as 1'6") should be 1'5". If you cut the 12 sections to 1.5' (1'6") they won't fit, but you only need to cut one inch off of each of the 12 sections to make it work.

I think they intended the 2.5ft (2'6") sections to be 2'5" also. They'll still fit together, but at 2'6" your blankets will hang a couple of inches off the floor. As before, if you've cut them to 2.5ft (2'6") you only need to cut an additional inch off of each section.

The blankets have loops, not just grommets, and they'll fit the 1 1/2" diameter PVC pipe like sliding curtains onto a rod. When possible, remove the section of pipe and slide it through the loops, rather than sliding the loops onto the pipe (as they did in the video). I ordered a fourth one so that they'll overlap more and have more of a ruffle; they're a bit taut with just three.

I used eight 10ft lengths of 1 1/2" diameter PVC pipe, and I listed my cuts below. I didn't have a whole lot of waste, but I'm sure there's a better combination. I don't remember what other lengths they come in, but with something like five 10ft lengths and four 6ft lengths, you'd have nothing leftover.

1st: Two 3ft sections, two 2ft sections
2nd: Two 3ft sections, two 2ft sections
3rd: Two 3ft sections, two 2ft sections
4th: Two 3ft sections, two 2ft sections
5th: Four 2ft 5in sections
6th: One 3ft section, four 1ft 5in sections
7th: One 3ft section, four 1ft 5in sections
8th: Four 1ft 5in sections.

If you're a little confused by the differing names of all of the fittings like I was, don't worry about that. Just go by visual appearance and purpose. Make sure you get 1 1/2" diameter. Some of them look tapered, but that's just to prevent snagging; your 1 1/2" pipes will still fit into them. I couldn't find them all locally and the ones I did find were more expensive anyway, so I ordered them all:

You need *four* 4-way tee fittings (the link is for a Pack of 4):
These go vertically on the rear side.

You need *eight* 3-way corner elbows (the link is for a Pack of 4):
These are the corners, top and bottom.

You need *eight* side tee (the link is for a Pack of 4):
Four of these go vertically on the front side; the other four go between the corners at the very top, connected to the cross.

You need *one* 4-way cross pipe fitting (the link is for a single unit):
This goes in the very center of the top.

You may go over budget on this project, especially with 2022 prices (and if you get a fourth blanket). I ended up close to $300 but it's still very cost-effective.

[LadyKitty]

A tip for tablet users: You can buy a tablet holder that with adjustable clamp to attach a tablet to the pipes. Gives you light and you can read the text from it easily, or control the DAW from vocal booth with suitable app.

[realshinydragonite]

Finally built one of these for my own!

However, i did a few minor tweeks to really give it that more "professional" touch and look.

First off, i put some cardboard walls on the inside and lined every wall with acoustic foam squares, and also added a wall mounted fan in one of the corners. For inside lighting i ran an led strip around the top, and cut the surrounding foam to fit.

The result is a MASSIVE noise reduction from inside to out, and inside, virtually dead. The sound of a dead clap is quite interesting.

All of this and still saved over $200 building it!

(I also extended out the side walls to make it a 4'x3' space for more room)

[BasicFilmmaker]

That's AWESOME! At NAB 2019 I checked into 4 x 4 vocal booths and WOW! Cha-ching! This is especially cool for VO, narration, audiobooks, etc. No one cares what it looks like. GREAT video! 👍

[jasper_north]

Check this out: I also bought myself a $100 Gazebo / Pergola (200cm x 200cm) and placed it in my basement on a noise absorbing rug. I left the outside "walls" off and placed moving blankets on all five sides. Got myself a 10M led strip for the inside and some bass traps in the corners and foam on the inside off the blankets. Super easy set-up for recording with my D18 and singing at the same time straight into my iPhone using the Roland Go Pro mix. Call me cheap but I just love my little "tent" inside my basement. Nice and cozy. Love your channel man!!

[Qualizar]

I think this idea is great. I have a pretty isolated room already, but need slightly better absorption for some of my recordings. I think this is a great solution. And for those YouTubers out there that want it to be a little more aesthetically, pleasing, you could always double down on the blankets, and have a second set on the INSIDE of the pipes too, so you don't have to see them. 💪

[Deconbrio]

This turned out really well! The only thing I would probably do differently is thread the moving blankets on the INSIDE of the booth, thus removing any possibility of the PVC pipes affecting the sound.

[HolyNurseSamaria]

First, I would like to shout a HUGE thank you for sharing this brilliant idea that I needed to see a lifetime ago really God knows exactly what I need and when. This is just what I need. I've gotten my blankets and saw, but that PVC is now 2-3X the price listed in this video!!! I have searched all over online, locally and second-hand, and the prices are all pretty much the same!!!! This is definitely less expensive than the Vocal booth to Go, but is no longer very budget-friendly. I'm ecstatic about building my booth because I have songs that need to be recorded like yesterday so I have no choice but to invest the necessary funds to complete the build, but I thought it would be a kind gesture to update everyone's expectations on what they should be prepared to spend on this alternative DIY booth. I will be sharing my experience when I begin building my also. Wishing everyone all the best.

[mabock]

Thank god I found this. Cheap and easy set up. Thank you.

[andresreyes]

Thanks for the tutorial! I went ahead and made this too. I'm currently waiting on the blankets to arrive. I will note, that if anyone else is planing to make their own vocal booth, don't forget to take the thickness of the PVC fittings into account. If you follow the measurements in the video, you will end up with something that is taller than 6.5 ft.

[MarlonKingShow]

This is like an adult version of building a house/tent indoors, something kids love doing.
Real nice idea and not much more than these pre built isolation booths which are a lit smaller and probably less effective.

[Lunchbox]

Just finished this design. Had to special order some pieces from Home Depot (the 4-out joints), but this was easy to do. I used 1" pipe to save some money and it's still plenty sturdy.

[NotSoWickedElphaba]

We made a very similar portable booth 6 years ago for when we go out for school activities only we used aluminum square tubes and glued acoustic foam to the blanquets. Still works like a charm.

[rogier]

"If I were to clap, *clap clearly reveals the roomsound* it's completely dead to the world." Haha you should've done that with a mic in the booth, now it barely made any difference for the reverb

[rob-lilyhernandez]

Thank you so much for sharing this. You're helping the VO community so much. You guys are amazing.

[danfreeman]

Designed and built one of these, trying two types of moving blankets. I didn't notice a huge difference in recording with or without it. Been using a master closet, filled with clothes instead... Just like engineers did in the past.... Closets, bathrooms, kitchens :) Works really well, but it means moving equipment to the closet but, found a moveable rack cabinet, which a laptop can sit on. Planning to modify & build it. Will probably sell the vox booth.

If u build one, make sure you don't make it 8 ft tall if u have an 8 ft ceiling. Have enough room for a person, wearing headphones (adding height) and a mic stand and possibly a stand for lyrics on paper, a phone or tablet.

If u don't have a ton of room, think outside the box (pun intended), like making it triangular so it's placed in a corner.

[eggyboi]

I’m fortunate that I have a closet in my room that I just hang up blankets in.

[emceeunderdogrising]

I made one of these a few years back. I made the mistake of making it too small. Big enough for one person and mic. It's nickname is the casket. As bad as that sounds it ended up creating a really nice isolated sound. Paired with a SM7B it was very much worth the effort.

[maor]

this is actually pretty cool. This, as a core idea, is great for future developing a DIY foldable vocal booth. I can see myself using this idea with like tent-bone structure (sticks that unpack to a structure) and make it rather portable.

Good job, as always guys!

[myredsweetheart]

Nice idea, for anyone wanting to put one of these together I’d suggest putting the blankets inside of the tubes 🍻