Gearing up

[Dana]

The measurement you have are strictly a starting point. When it comes to speech, there is a lot of leave-way. You can add 6 inches or 2 feet, it really will not make a difference for using this type of Gobo. Now, more importantly, you need to get your mic closer to your mouth. It needs to be 3 to 4 inches away. The closer the mic, the less gain you will need to apply. The less gain you apply, the LOWER your noise floor. The lower your noise floor, the better chance passing the ACX requirements. You do not need to invest in a mic stand at this time. Just find a box that you can sit your mic on, that will bring it up to your mouth.

[thestorygirl]

OK, makes sense. What's next? Add additional inches to the dimensions?

[Dana]

The first thing we need to figure out is what will be the dimensions, if you decide to move your recording location into a new area. If you plan on keeping the same amount of space, then I would recommend making it 6' tall, and adding 12 inches to each side as well as the depth. This should work for any sitting position as well as if you decide you may want to stand during your narrations. This is just my opinion and your recording location will have the final say.

[thestorygirl]

My apartment is pretty small and located close to a busy road with semis, motorcycles, and heavy traffic regularly going by. I think I'll stay where I'm at for the time being since my friend doesn't seem to mind. I'm thankful for the spot, but it does take an extra effort to go over there.
I'm 5'6" by the way.

[Dana]

OK, no problem. Later on down the road, you may want to check into using a dynamic mic. This will stop most of what you described from making it into your recordings. As far as the Gobo goes, I drew this up this morning. The rear panel can be any size but I would not go larger then 4 feet. So, 48 inches or smaller for the width. Once you put the panels together, use large electrical zip ties as the hinges. That way you can either fold it up or cut them off to move them.

SG.jpg (86.31 KiB) Viewed 102 times

SG.jpg (86.31 KiB) Viewed 102 times

[thestorygirl]

Cool! Ok, so this booth has a door on it?
Sorry to cause more complications and configurations, but since you said no larger than 48" I decided to measure a 2nd card table I had and it turns out it's smaller. So I could use that instead (I really don't need so much space). That makes it 33" + the 12 extra inches you recommended for width = 45".
So,
6' x 45" x 49"
????

[Dana]

Cool! Ok, so this booth has a door on it?

No, there is no door. It is three sided and the electrical ties just hold everything together. Since it is round pvc pipe, you can just fold it up like an accordion.

Sorry to cause more complications and configurations, but since you said no larger than 48" I decided to measure a 2nd card table I had and it turns out it's smaller. So I could use that instead (I really don't need so much space). That makes it 33" + the 12 extra inches you recommended for width = 45". So, 6' x 45" x 49" ????

If you make it larger then 48 inches, then you would need to add more pipe, Ts and Elbows to stiffen up the frame. Since all you are trying to do is prevent the echo effect from happening, it really depends where you will be sitting. I will use my desk as an example. It is 5 foot wide and 30 inches deep. I would make my read panel 5 foot 4 inches wide and my side panels 32 inches wide.

There is no wrong way. If you want to be able to set it up to stand and record, that is where the 6 foot height comes in. If you are 6 foot 6 inches tall, then you would make it 7 feet tall. I use the 36 inches due to you can buy pvc pipe in 10 foot lengths. You can get 3 pieces with only one foot of waste. If you use a 8 foot peice of pipe, you will have 2 foot of waist but that size is perfect if you are building it with anything that = 48 inches. That would give you 2 pieces with 0 waste.

[thestorygirl]

Oh, good grief! No, I am not 6'6". 5'6" is more like it!

OK, 6'[height] x 45" [width] x 49" [depth]. I measured the 49" because of the fact that my chair juts out more from the table, of course. Does this make a difference then? Should I sit facing the rear panel or the other way?

I think I am following your configurations.

Thank you so much!!

[Dana]

You want to be talking towards the rear panel. The side panels are there just to keep your voice from re-entering your mic. This is what causes artificial reverb in your recording. You are so funny! I was using the 6' 6" as an example. Now, if you have no plans to stand and read, you can build the same thing that would fit on your desk. Since I use a dynamic mic, I only use a rear panel. The one with the towel, cost me $3.50 to build. The one below it cost me $155.00.

stand.jpg (544.08 KiB) Viewed 82 times

stand.jpg (544.08 KiB) Viewed 82 times

[thestorygirl]

Thanks! I would like to have the option to stand. So, are we ready to go to the hardware store?