How to Set Up a Home Vocal Space on a Budget

Most of the home vocals that come across my desk have the same problem, and it isn't the mic or the singer. It's the room. A good performance in a bare, echoey bedroom arrives with the room baked in, and once it's on the recording I can't fully take it back out. The good news is that a usable vocal space doesn't take a construction project or a big budget. It takes a smart choice of room, some soft stuff in the right places, and a little patience.

In How to Record Better Vocals at Home I covered the session side: noise, mic distance, gain and headphones. This post is about the space itself, and how to build a DIY home vocal booth out of what you have or can borrow.

Treatment vs soundproofing: know which problem you have

People mix these two up all the time.

• Acoustic treatment controls what happens inside the room: the echo, ring and flutter that bounce back into the mic. Soft, thick, absorbent materials handle this.

• Soundproofing keeps outside noise out (and your noise in). That takes mass, airtight seals and real construction. Foam on the walls won't stop traffic, a neighbor's TV or a barking dog.

On a budget, you can do a lot about treatment and very little about soundproofing. So handle outside noise with timing and room choice, and spend your effort on taming reflections.

Pick the right room first

Before you hang a single blanket, walk around your place and listen. Clap once in each room and pay attention to what comes back. A sharp, zingy ring means lots of hard, parallel surfaces. A quick, dull clap with almost no tail is what you're after.

Things that usually help:

• Carpet, rugs, a bed, curtains and upholstered furniture. A furnished bedroom often beats an empty spare room.

• Distance from noise. Pick the room farthest from the street, the laundry, the kitchen and shared walls.

Things that usually hurt:

• Bathrooms, kitchens and tiled hallways. Great for singing in the shower, rough on a recording.

• Small, empty rooms with bare walls. These tend to sound boxy and ring at certain notes.

• Rooms with loud appliances or vents you can't turn off while you record.

Where you stand matters more than you think

Once you've chosen the room, your position inside it makes a big difference.

Stay out of corners and don't stand right up against a wall. Low end builds up in corners, and reflections off a nearby hard wall arrive at the mic almost immediately. Give yourself a bit of breathing room from the walls, and try a few spots while recording a short test, listening back on headphones.

Most vocal mics people use at home are cardioid, which means they're most sensitive at the front and reject sound from the back. The front of the mic faces you, so it hears you and whatever is behind you. That's why the most important spot for absorption is behind the singer, not behind the mic. If you only have one thick blanket, hang it behind your head.

Build a budget vocal booth with what you have

You don't need panels to build a DIY home vocal booth. You need soft, thick mass around the mic, especially behind and beside you.

• The closet. A closet packed with hanging clothes is still one of the best cheap vocal spaces you can find. Face into the clothes with the mic between you and them, then hang a blanket behind you to cover the side the mic hears most.

• Blankets and duvets. Heavy moving blankets, comforters and quilts all work. Hang them on a clothes rack, a curtain rod, a door, or a couple of mic stands with a broom handle across the top.

• Make a three-sided nook. Put soft stuff behind you and on both sides. Even a rough U-shape of blankets cuts a lot of room sound.

• Cover the floor and the desk. A rug under you and a towel over a hard desk or table stops reflections bouncing up into the mic.

• Use the mattress trick carefully. A spare mattress stood on its side is serious absorption. Just make sure it's secure and can't tip over on anyone.

Thicker is better. Thin foam squares mostly soak up high frequencies and leave the low-mid boxiness behind, which can make a room sound dull and muddy at the same time. Heavy blankets, stuffed clothes and thick cushions do a more even job.

Small, cheap upgrades that are worth it

If you want to spend a little, put it where it counts:

• A pop filter and a sturdy mic stand that doesn't creep or droop mid-take.

• Closed-back headphones so the track doesn't leak into the mic.

• Heavy moving blankets and a few hooks or clamps to hang them. They're one of the most cost-effective treatment options there is.

• A reflection filter (the curved shield that clips behind the mic) can help, but it mainly treats the side the mic already rejects. It works best combined with something soft behind you.

Test it before the real session

Record a short test: speak a few lines, sing a loud phrase and a quiet phrase, then stop and leave a few seconds of silence. Listen on headphones.

• Do you hear a ring or "boxy" tone after the words stop? Add more soft stuff, especially behind you.

• Is there a hum, hiss or rumble in the silence? Find and kill the source, or record at a quieter time of day.

• Does it sound dull and dead? You may have overdone it with thin foam. Pull some off and lean on thicker material.

When the dry voice sounds close, clear and a little plain, you're in good shape. Plain is fine. Reverb and space are much easier to add in the mix than to remove.

Keep it consistent

Once you've found a setup that works, take a phone photo of it and mark your spot on the floor with tape. If you're recording a song over a few days, use the same room, the same mic position and the same blanket layout every time. Vocal takes that match in tone are far easier to comp and mix than takes that change from session to session.

The bottom line

A DIY home vocal booth is mostly about choosing the right room, standing in the right place and putting soft, thick material behind and around you. None of that takes a big budget. Get the space under control and every other part of the vocal chain works better.

When your vocals are tracked and ready, I can take it from there with online mixing. Send me the dry vocal and the rest of the track, and tell me the sound you're going for.

— Jim

If you'd like one-on-one help with your own mix, vocals or audiobook, you can book an online session with me.