2. Gather Your Materials:

Now on to step two. Since you have your space mapped out, it’s time to get materials that will help you make a vocal booth!

Here are the materials you’ll need:

• 4 Moving Blankets
• Hooks
• A microphone stand
• Clamps

When writing this and making my own vocal booth, my total came out to: $88.93! But prices change so be sure to check them out!

Moving Blankets

Moving blankets are going to be used in this build to dampen the sound and the audio reflections inside of the vocal booth! The thicker the blankets used the more isolated the sound will be!

Since we’re shooting for more of a budget build, our blankets won’t come with pre-cut holes! That means we’ll have to make our own holes ourselves with some scissors or even better a grommet maker! e’re going to slap on 4 moving blankets on the sides of our vocal booth.

Here’s a pack I recommend picking up from Amazon (keep in mind it’s a 4-pack!):

If you’re not looking to make you’re own holes in the moving blankets and you’re willing to spend a few more clams, then you can get pre-grommeted blankets designed specifically for sound. These blankets are thicker which will give you a better sound AND they’ll be easier to set up!

Here’s a pack I recommend for that:

Command stip hooks

Next up on the list: command strip hooks. Get yourself a couple packets of these babies, because they are gonna be holding your hold ship a float. Later in the build we’ll be putting them on a wall so that we can hang up our moving blankets. Keep in mind command strips are great, but they’re much better on the wall than on the ceiling.

Here’s what I recommend for that:

Alternatively, if you’re feeling extra brawny and you have access to a drill you can use some screw in hooks like these! I also recommend using screws if you’re hanging from the ceiling. They’ll last longer, and they’ll actually hold your blankets up! If you’re renting your space though, this may be a bit overkill for this build, and might give a bit of a headache to clean up when you move out:

Grab yourself some of these bad boys:

Microphone Stand

Last on the list of materials is a microphone stand! We’ll be using this microphone stand to prop up our vocal booth moving blankets! This will shut us in and shut out the rest of the cruel world as we sing our lovely melodies inside our vocal booth. If you have an extra one lying around your studio already, then awesome!

If you don’t, then here’s one I recommend that’ll get the job done:

You can also grab one from a local used music store! I know the one in my area has some amazing deals on them sometimes, I got my last microphone stand for $10! Go check them out!

Clamps

Clamps are a big part of the budget aspect of this build! They will help you attach your blankets to the mic stand and keep it there! Not to mention that they are great to have around in general, especially if you’re doing anything creative!

Here are the one’s I recommend for this build!

3. Cut the Blankets

You’ve got your materials, you’ve got your space, and by golly you’ve got your determination to finish. Now that we’ve got all the materials, it’s time to put everything together! Start the timer because as advertised in this video, it’s going to take you less than 27 minutes!

Before hanging up the blankets we are going to cut them so we can put them on the hooks! If you decided to buy the blanket that already have grommets, then skip this step! Start on the very side of the blanket and give yourself at least 2 inches of clearance from the top of the blanket and the sides of the blanket!Giving some space between our holes and the sides of the blanket will help it last longer!

Now make a cut that is perpendicular to side of the blanket or parallel to the ground. The cut should be fairly small around a 1/2 inch or less! We’re just trying to make enough room for the hook to pop on through!

Next, measure every 12 inches and create similar holes like before until the whole blanket is covered! Even though we’re only shooting for 4 feet, the putting extra holes in the blankets will help us fold and double over an extra blanket we have for some extra sound proofing! Wow! Talk about planning!

Optional Step: Reinforce the holes in the blankets with duct tape or with grommets to make them last longer!

If you want to add more space to the vocal booth add some more holes!

4. Put up the Hooks

Now let’s put up the hooks! Start by measuring the length between the holes in your moving blankets. Or if you followed step 3 your holes will be 12″ apart! This will be how far apart you want to space your hooks! Start in the corner about 1 inch from the wall and put up your first hook.

This hook will hold the blankets on both sides and support the corner!

Now, work your way out until you’ve gone about 4 feet! (Or more if you want to make the booth roomier!) Then do the same on the other corner wall!

Now you should have 2 of your walls ready to go nice! If you’re following my budget guide than you’ll have 7 hooks up in total!

5. Set Up the Microphone Stand

We’re almost there folks! The clock is ticking! Now set up your microphone stand so that it lines up with the outside edge of the hooks that you’ve put in on both sides! Prop that baby up and match the height of the top of the microphone stand to the hooks! If it doesn’t go high enough, don’t worry about it, the booth will still achieve the desired affect!

6. Hang the Blankets

Okay great now we’re going to hang up our blankets that we cut holes into! Hang the first blanket onto the hook on on side. Take the excess part of the blanket and fold it back over the hooks! I prefer to have my excess in the corner! Next do the same thing with blanket #2!

Now you should have a corner completely engulfed in moving blankets.

Next, take blanket number #3 and hang it up on the same hooks as blanket #1, but this time drape it over the microphone stand. Attach the blanket to the stand with some clips! You can also clip the edge of the blanket to the top near blanket #2 next to the very last hook to make it stay on that side!

Now you’re going to do the opposite with blanket #4!

Don’t worry if the blankets don’t fully cover the ground. The main frequencies we’re worried about here are waist high and above! Having that covered will get you 80% of the results right away!

And bang your booth is done!

7. Set up a microphone and record

Now it’s time to set up a microphone on the inside and start recording! For the best isolation make sure all of the space is covered in blankets! This might make the booth a bit dark, but it will be worth it for audio quality you’ll get!

I recommend putting a light in the room so you can see! It can be as simple as phone flashlight. Or even a tablet works really well! Showing the lyrics to the singer and lighting up the space at the same time!

When you’re done recording, you can choose to leave up the vocal booth set-up or you can choose to just take down the mic! When you only take down the mic stand you’ll save yourself a lot of time trying to set up the whole thing again and you’ll all of the space that you had before!

Tips for recording vocals

Now that you’ve got your vocal booth set-up here are some quick tips for recording vocals that will give you way better end results!

1. Make sure the mic is set up at the correct distance from your mouth – usually 4-10 inches away

2. Use a pop filter to reduce plosives and sibilance

3. Experiment with different microphone types and find out which one suits you best

4. Wear headphones instead of speakers when recording vocals, so you can hear yourself clearly without any bleed into the mic

5. Monitor levels as you go; avoid clipping by keeping an eye on meters throughout recording sessions

6. Check vocal takes immediately after they’re recorded – this helps catch any mistakes before it’s too late!

7.Take regular breaks when singing for long periods of time

Conclusion

Way to go you did it! You’ve built a DIY vocal booth for less than $100 in less than 30 minutes. Nice going! You’re well on your way to recording amazing vocals! Also keep in mind that this is a modular system! You can add in more blankets to dampen the sound more or put in multiple microphone stands for even more support! The options are up to you! If you’re interested in a more professional and permanent vocal booth build check out this article here:

Happy recording!