Before buying or making a DIY sound booth for professional audio product recording, you need to identify how loud and what frequency range the unwanted noises are. Knowing this will give you an accurate calculation of how much quantity of materials will be needed and the total average cost of this project.
Then you can compare if the price of making the booth yourself is worth the effort, in comparison with a manufactured booth of the same characteristics.
A DIY sound booth for light noise reduction can cost $970 and a manufactured one can go from $5,600 to $6,600. A DIY sound booth for heavy noise reduction can cost $2,100 on average and getting a manufactured one goes from $8,300 to $10,500.
High Noise Reduction Manufactured Booth
A high noise reduction booth can reach up to 60dB of sound insulation. What makes this type of sound booth more expensive than the standard one is a double layer of sound insulation materials. They include a ventilation system. The price range goes from $8,300 to $10,500
These are the most common materials used to make a high noise reduction booth:
- ⅝” Drywall board
- Sound absorbing fabric to cover the outer walls of the booth
- A layer of mineral wool at least 2” thick on all the inner walls
- A second ⅝” Drywall board
- A layer of fiberglass batts at least 2” thick
- Sound absorbing fabric to cover the inner walls of the booth
- Double glazed window at the door of the booth
- Silent ventilation system
- Metal joints
- Caster wheels
High Noise Reduction DIY
To make a DIY high noise reduction sound booth, you can use the same structure and materials used by the manufacturers. It will take the effort of two people to install it. If you’re patient and have the right tools, you can make your first sound booth in about 2 – 3 days.
These are the average prices (no tax, no shipping included) in 2021 to make a high noise reduction sound booth:
| Type of Material | Average Price | Total Price to Make a Sound Booth(4 walls, ceiling, floor) – For 160 ft2 |
| ⅝-in 4ftx8ft Fireguard Moisture Resistant Fire Resistant Drywall Panel | $13 | 1 layer: 5 boards $65 2 layers: 10 boards $130 Lowes.com |
| 54” x 36” Sound absorbing fabric | $27.50 | 24 units $660 Crosspoint ™Acousticalsolutions.com |
| Standard fabric | $12 | 12 units $144 |
| Mineral wool batts 2” thick 2” x 48” x 24” | $18.50 | $370 Grainger.com |
| Fiberglass batts 3.5” thick15” X 32’ roll | $20 | ⅓ roll Johns Manville $20 Lowes.com |
| Double glazing window10” x 20” and ⅛” thick glass1 ⅛ overall thickness | $74 | $74 fabglassandmirror.com |
| Silent ventilation system | $98 | $98 Vocalboothtogo.com |
| Stainless steel corner braces 38MM X 30MM X 30MM Heavy Duty Right Angle Bracket | $18.99 | 64 pieces pack $18.99 Amazon.com |
| PRO-838 HEAVY DUTY CLEAR ADHESIVE for heavy wall fabrics | $19.97 | 1 gallon $19.97 Walmart.com |
| Caster wheels heavy duty | $17.88 | Set of 4 wheels $17.88 Amazon.com |
| ZINEQI Acoustic foam panel pyramid shape (Recommended) | $37.99 12 pieces pack (12”x12” x2” | 14 packs $532 Amazon.com |
| Total average budget is $ 2,084.84 |
Light Noise Reduction Manufactured Sound Booth
The sound barrier and sound absorption materials you need in a light noise reduction sound booth are pretty much the same as in a high noise reduction model. The difference is that you will only need a single layer of sound insulation materials.
These are the most common materials used to make a light noise reduction booth:
- ⅝” Drywall board
- Sound absorbing fabric to cover the outer walls of the booth
- A layer of mineral wool at least 2” thick on all the inner walls or a layer of fiberglass batts at least 2” thick
- Sound absorbing fabric to cover the inner walls of the booth
- Double glazed window at the door of the booth
- Silent ventilation system
- Metal joints
- Caster wheels
Light Noise Reduction DIY
When the room where the sound booth will be set has an average of 35dB noise or lower, a single layer of sound insulation materials can do a good noise reduction.
These are the average prices (no tax, no shipping included) in 2021 to make a light noise reduction sound booth:
| Type of Material | Average Price | Total Price to Make a Sound Booth (4 walls, ceiling, floor) For 160 ft2 |
| ⅝-in 4ftx8ft Fireguard Moisture Resistant Fire Resistant Drywall Panel | $13 | 1 layer: 5 boards $65 Lowes.com |
| 54” x 36” Sound absorbing fabric | $27.50 | 12 units $330 Crosspoint ™Acousticalsolutions.com |
| Standard fabric | $12 | 12 units $144 |
| Fiberglass batts 3.5” thick15” X 32’ roll | $20 | ⅓ roll Johns Manville $20 Lowes.com |
| Double glazing window10” x 20” and ⅛” thick glass1 ⅛ overall thickness | $74 | $74 fabglassandmirror.com |
| Silent ventilation system | $98 | $98 Vocalboothtogo.com |
| Stainless steel corner braces 38MM X 30MM X 30MM Heavy Duty Right Angle Bracket | $18.99 | 64 pieces pack $18.99 Amazon.com |
| PRO-838 HEAVY DUTY CLEAR ADHESIVE for heavy wall fabrics | $19.97 | 1 gallon $19.97 Walmart.com |
| Caster wheels heavy duty | $17.88 | Set of 4 wheels $17.88 Amazon.com |
| ZINEQI Acoustic foam panels Wedge shape(Recommended) | $12.99 12 pieces pack (12”x12”x1”) | 14 packs $182 Amazon.com |
| Total average budget is $ 969,84 (with fiberglass) Total average budget is $1,319,84 (with mineral wool) |
In case you still get some noise, mainly low frequencies 150 Hz or below, consider applying mineral wool instead of fiberglass batts.
Portable Manufactured Sound Booths
The price range of a portable acoustic blanket carry-on booth can go from $160 to $400. They are meant to insulate the area from your waist up. The price range for a full-size acoustic blanket carry-on booth goes from $997 for a 6’x4’x4’ to $1,096 for a 6’x6’x3. Most of them include a hood or additional piece of blanket to cover your head and back.
If you want a quick and effective solution, just get online and look for options at Vocalboothtogo.com
Portable DIY Acoustic Blanket Sound Booth
A portable DIY acoustic blanket sound booth costs $200 on average. You can choose between making a triangular or square-shaped base. Use thick 2” thick PVC tubes to make them able to stand heavyweight.
A cheaper and more effective option is moving blankets. They also have a good absorption coefficient and the price is less than ⅓ of an acoustic blanket.
- Take the measurements of your desired portable booth
- Cut the PVC pipes and mark which ones will be the top and the bottom of the structure
- Assemble the PVC pipes and make sure the structure is stable
- Hang the acoustic blankets or curtains
- Make a ceiling using acoustic blankets or curtains to cover the structure on top
- Use velcro to avoid gaps in the acoustic blankets or curtains
- You may use some clamps to pick up a bit the lower part of the blankets/curtains to let some airflow inside
There are the average prices of the materials needed to make a portable DIY acoustic blanket sound booth:
| Materials | Price | Quantity |
| Moving blankets 80” x 72” or Sound blankets 96” x 80” | $70 $128 | 4 units 2 units |
| Foam mat | $9 | 1 unit |
| PVC pipes | $50 | 10 units |
| PVC tees | $8 | 8 pieces |
| PVC cross | $2 | 1 unit |
| PVC side elbows | $16 | 8 units |
| PVC side tee | $12 | 4 units |
| Total average cost when using moving blankets | $165 | Good results |
| Total average cost when using sound acoustic blankets | $223 | Very good results |
Portable Manufactured Acoustic Foam Sound Booth
This type of portable sound booth uses acoustic foam panels of at least 60% sound absorbent efficiency. As long as the room where you are is quiet, you can do a good job each time you don’t have access to a rigid wall sound booth.
They can be mounted on a stand or on a horizontal surface (table, desk, bed). A good acoustic foam portable booth will look like a box with an open side where you can stand in front. The microphone, portable recorder, lamp, and tablet or computer can be easily set inside the booth.
Con: The model that has only one curved wall (not a cube) is not really effective unless the surfaces of the room where you place it are highly absorbent. The reality is that a standard living room, bedroom, or home office is around 50% reflective. Therefore your time and effort recording a professional audio product in those rooms may be a waste of time.
Portable DIY Acoustic Foam Sound Booth
The materials to make a DIY acoustic foam sound booth can be PVC pipes to make a structure, a plexiglass sheet or any other type of acrylic surface, or even thin wood boards for artistic drawing. You can use velcro segments to join the corners and avoid sound coming in.
Other easier alternatives can be using a standard or foldable cardboard box. Just make sure the acoustic foam panels are the same size as the inner walls.
These are the average prices for acoustic foam panels on the most common absorbing percentages:
| Material / Brand | Price | Noise Reduction Coefficient NRC | Total Price to Make a Sound Booth(4 walls, ceiling, floor) For 160 ft2 |
| ZINEQI Acoustic foam panels Wedge shape (Recommended) | $12.99 12 pieces pack (12”x12”x1”) | 0.92 | 14 packs $182 Amazon.com |
| ZINEQI Acoustic foam panels Pyramid shape (Recommended) | $37.99 12 pieces pack (12”x12” x2”) | 0.92 | 14 packs $532 Amazon.com |
