h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have a project, for the video editing suite that i work for, that involves setting up a voice-over booth in a room that's 4mX12m, with a 3mX1m add-on which looks something like this:
__________________________________
| |
| x |
|___ |
| / |
|/ |
|____________________________|

Tha booth'll probably go in2 the space i marked with an x, but that's as far as i'v planned.

the walls are pretty flimsy, cos even tho it's the furthest room from the main-road, I can still hear the traffic.

Any help would be appreciated

er...how big is the budget?

for example : will you be using acoustically dampening foam to cut noise or old mattresses piled against the wall ?

how long is this to stand for ? Permanent, semi-permanent or just for next week ?

Is the booth on the Ground or 1st floor or above ?...you may need to insulate the floor, as well as the ceiling. Is your office located under a flight path or by a railway line ?
Is there a window on that outside wall?
What about lighting and cooling/heating for the booth.

Will the sound engineer need visual contact with the voice ?
Will the voice need visual contact with the sound engineer ?

Will the voice need to have a video monitor in there for cues ?

Also, depending on the permanence of the project, will there ever be a situation where you would need more than one voice in there, or a man with a saxophone perhaps. Anyway, don't forget to leave ample room inside for perhaps a small table/lectern, a chair/stool and remember that a microphone on a stand takes up as much space as a person.

I'm afraid your drawing didn't make much sense to me, as any spaces you put in were edited out. Try using a dot instead of a space.

Good luck...sounds like an interesting project.

alec.

The budget can be negotiated, due to the need to make the studio look proffessional. We do some of the video editing for SABC tv(South Africa Broadcasting Channels). Therefore, we'll need the acoustic foam rather than the mattresses.

Semi permanent, as we are renting these premises, but the fixtures can be permanent, as the next 'tenants' may want a built-in studio.

The booth is on the ground floor, but we do have a floor above us.
No airports or traintracks that I know of nearby, so that's not a problem. Just the traffic on the main road (about 200meters away, at the most)

The rest I cannot answer just yet, as we still have to decide on those aspects.

Let's try the drawing again then, this time WITH dots.
....________________________
....|................................|
....|.X..............................|
....|___............................|\...the window's on
.........|../........................|<---this wall.
.........|./.........................|....(opening both ways)
.........|/___________________|/

Traveller in Time using negative sound to ignore cats crying
"This drawing starts to make sense. Though I would use an entry.

About making a silent cabin inside a room. I assume the floor is solid concrete. Make a 'box' of plywood, and cover this inside and out with 'acoustic foam'. Three walls and the ceiling can be plain, one facing the operator can have a double glazed window, cable ducts and a door. Make the walls rest on the bare concrete floor and finish the floor on the inside with carpet.

Depends on what material the 'fixed' walls are made of, but I think it will be wise to make the box free standing, not touching the walls or ceiling or the studio. "

Thanx 4 ur help. i hav tried to find an entry that'll help, but i searched in vain. what keywords do u suggest? maybe i need to extend my search to the entire internet?

Traveller in Time on a text only browser
" An entry for 'drawing' the room and what is planned where.

I have no idea about searching the WEB about 'designing a recording studio' but I guess there will be loads of information. Local on the BBC as well as somewhere else on the WEB. "

the problem is that bbc isn't local to me, as I live in South Africa.

Traveller in Time not brittish too
"Local with respect to where we are writing this.
< <./>/cult/hitchhikers/</.> > 'local' "

Aah. I C.

If you've got the cash, floating room.... Best way of insulating a recording studio.