Chad Edward Official

As seen on BetterSoundproofing.com.

The Modular Soundroom Builder’s Guide is an extensive start-to-finish resource for musicians and audio-related professionals wanting to build a highly effective soundroom (a.k.a. soundbooth, iso-booth, etc.) with a fairly basic set of tools and building skills.

 

Soundroom Features

  • Spacious interior 
  • Modular for storage & moving
  • Extremely sturdy, dense walls, floor, & ceiling
  • Interior sound treatment options
  • Lighting options
  • Full-size door & double-layer window
  • Expandable & customizable
  • Focuses on quiet construction methods

What’s Included In The Guide?

Comprehensive step-by-step walkthrough including shopping list, instructions, pictures, measurements, build tips, & much more.
Multiple FULL 3D models that you can view and edit online to make your own blueprints!
1.5 hours of timelapse video footage covering my entire build, with & without commentary.
All content is downloadable and also available instantly online!

This guide minimizes headache, reduces waste cost, and drastically speeds up your build time so you can focus more on USING your sound room…not building it. It can be followed step-by-step or simply as a reference point for a custom build.

All of this for only $37!

This is a realistic build with impressive performance. Here’s the proof.

I put this soundroom to the test by cranking my Mesa Single Rectifier and Mesa 4 x 12″ cabinet nearly to max volume (far more than I would ever use for recording). Here are the results of that test:

Need more info? Continue reading, or…

A Little Background

I’m a musician (surprise!) of almost 25 years with a passion for spreading industry, technique, and recording knowledge. Truth-be-told, I’m an equipment junky and spend way more time fiddling with music-related gadgets than I have time for, but that’s another story altogether. I also run a comfortably-sized YouTube channel, this website, and I’m the guitarist and primary songwriter in a band.

Also…yes, I just recently cut my hair. :\

Music is more than just a hobby to me; it’s a part of my identity. I just can’t not do it, and that was never an issue…until a couple years ago.

After owning a home for 10 years, I moved to a completely unfamiliar city with hilariously overpriced housing. I was stuck with a small apartment and it was pretty clear that making music was going to be challenging at best. This severely impacted and limited my growth as a musician.

Eventually I stumbled on the idea of building a modularized “iso-booth.” Ew, I know. Tiny “booths” are rightfully frowned upon by the recording community due to their “boxy” sound and coffin-like feel. Fair enough, but stick with me. What if it weren’t tiny at all?

Could a free-standing room be built with enough space to not only record, but maybe even practice?

Before committing to the idea, I took a look at pre-built options on the market. Everything out there was insanely expensive didn’t meet my needs. In the end, building a room made sense in my situation.

Unfortunately, apartment living complicated things. Rental property owners don’t typically appreciate their tenants modifying their buildings, after all. I also had no idea how long I would stay in that particular apartment.

Design Conception

My humble first sketch

Rather than build something I would certainly have to demolish and toss in a dumpster at some point, I naturally moved toward a modular design that could be disassembled and even moved to another location if necessary. It was around this time that I realized — “Holy cow, this might actually work.”

I eventually ran out of reasons to keep stalling, so I dove head-first in designing and building the room based on tried-and-true sound dampening and treatment principles over the course of about 4 months.

I had a hunch that this information might be helpful for others in a similar situation, so I recorded my entire build and threw up a quick timelapse video online. Suddenly I had someone new asking me for build plans almost every day. I took their cues, and after another 4 months or so, here we are.

 
If you’re reading this, I’m guessing that this hits close to home. You need a place to make noise, record, and bring back the “creative” in you that’s been silenced for too long. This is your starting line.

Environment and Tool Requirements

You’re building a structure, so obviously you’ll need a screwdriver or two. More specifically, here are the base requirements for this build:

  • A garage or place to build and house the soundroom
  • 7’W x 9’L of total space for setup
  • 8’H or taller ceilings
  • A good cordless drill with plenty of drill and screw bits
  • Inexpensive circular or table saw
  • Basic hand tools such as screw drivers, hack saw, stapler, clamps, utility knife, etc.
  • Safety glasses and work gloves
  • Reasonably close access to a home improvement store (e.g. Home Depot, Lowes, etc.)
  • A friend to help here and there

Who This is Not For

I’d love for this to be an option for anyone, but unfortunately that can’t be the case. If any of the following describes you, this guide may not be the right fit:

  • Anyone building a booth can get a LOT out of this guide, but the step-by-step design is not meant for apartment or attached home dwellers with no garage or workspace for construction. Sorry!
  • This build is cheap comparable to a full studio construction or a pre-built solution, but costs can still add up. I don’t recommend this to anyone on an extremely tight budget. Instead, a better option might be quiet recording options and/or investing in practice rental space.
  • This guide focuses heavily on quiet construction. However, there will be short moments where you just need to use a saw, and a LOT of drill-work. If you have hyper-sensitive neighbors, check with them to make sure they don’t mind the minimal noise.
  • Measurements are in standard/imperial units (inches). If you’re dead-set on using metric units, it could be a headache to do all of the conversions.
Still want to know more? Plenty of useful info in the FAQs below, or if you’re ready…
Get the guide now for only $37!

FAQs

I collected these questions from various online discussions, comments, and questions related to my build.

Is this a scam?

IT IS NOT A SCAM, although I do understand your apprehension for buying from smaller retailers online. This guide is a massive resource that I spent months compiling. Rest assured that the transaction is secure, I have a reputation of being active in the online music community, and I’m easily contacted through this website, email, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

How long did this soundroom take to build?

Roughly 4 months. This includes design and construction time.

How much did you spend?

If you’re budget conscious and catch some deals, this build is absolutely possible in the $1000-$1300 range. This is also over time. You don’t have to buy everything at once. I was not budget-focused and I paid for it, literally. I was in the $2,000 USD range. Ouch!

How much does it weigh?

I’ve estimated it at roughly 1500-1700 lbs using the materials and dimensions in this guide.

Do you have a version of this guide in metric units?

Unforunately, I do not at this time. If this is something that you’re interested, let me know here.

Why a rectangle? Don’t you know that parallel surfaces are terrible for sound reflection?

Yes, I am aware. Any shape other than a cube would be nearly impossible to build without complex equipment and would require a much greater level of building experience. Modularizing the build further complicates this. With a properly treated room and thoughtfulness while recording, this space can be perfect for anyone recording small instruments and/or voice.

Why foam sound treatment?

For my uses, I deal with primarily high and mid frequencies with only moderate lows. This is exactly what quality studio foam is built for.

What is this room best suited for?

Recording and practicing the human voice and smaller handheld instruments.

How “soundproof” is this room?

Soundproof by definition is a moving target. The term refers to stopping sound from exiting the environment it lives in, but that is dependent on the internal volume. If you’re recording voice, it will be nearly soundproof. If you’re recording a loud amp or percussion, it will substantially reduce the volume within to the outside environment but not completely eliminate it. Additional density can be added to the design if you need to further “soundproof” the room.

Can I use this for drum practice?

With its current size, I actually do sometimes put my electronic drums in this room so I can practice late at night without bothering anyone. Your acoustic set would have to be very small to fit in this room. However, you can definitely modify the dimensions to fit your kit! Again, I suggest modification in 1-foot increments for conversion simplicity. One other thing to note – the room’s walls are only so dense. A drum set may still be fairly loud unless you add additional materials to increase density (which is entirely doable if you’re up for it).

How about drum recording?

It is absolutely possible, but you will have a fairly “tight/focused” sound, as opposed to a big room. This means that you’ll want to add room ambiance via effects in post.

Can I modify the size?

Absolutely! While the guide is very dependent on the measurements around the supplied dimensions, you can change the dimensions (I recommend 1-foot increments) and even revise the supplied 3d model to help you calculate every single material dimension, from the studs to the door.

Why did you leave the outside unfinished?

This is an ongoing project. I may finish the exterior at some point. This guide does not cover finishing techniques.

If the room is sound and air-tight, how do you breathe in there?

The guide does not currently include info about ventilation. However, shhhh…I may or may not be in the process of creating a free add-on section for the addition of ventilation ports with baffles and small electric fans. The room is large enough to stay in for about 20 minutes without issue. Right now, I’m simply opening the door for a few seconds to circulate the air. It is a non-issue as long as you stay aware.

I’m interested in purchasing. Will you answer questions if I get stuck in my build?

While I can’t guarantee my availability or capability to help in every situation, I’ll do my best to respond to any questions and help talk you through anything that might pop up in your build.

What’s included and why are you selling this instead of giving it away like your other content?

Unlike my other content, this guide contains a massive collection of condensed information that took months to write and compile. I’m all for sharing knowledge online for free, but this is a serious next-level guide intended for those serious about building their own soundroom.

If I purchase the guide, when and how do I get access to it?

You get access immediately! As soon as you’re done checking out, you’ll be directed to the secure guide home page that allows you to view it all online or even download your own copy!

Is the checkout secure?

Absolutely. Rest assured that this site was built by a professional developer around corporate-level security. It uses Commodo SSL encryption and a well-known and trusted payment processor.


CLICK CHECKOUT TO GET THE GUIDE

(CHECKOUT IS FULLY SECURED BY SSL ENCRYPTION)

Instructional Guides

Modular Soundproof Room Builder's Guide

$37.00 now.

[pmpro_advanced_levels]