Vocal Booth Calculator — Acoustic Treatment Panels

A dedicated vocal booth should have 60-80% of wall and ceiling surfaces covered with absorption panels. This creates a very dry recording environment (RT60 of 0.2-0.3 seconds) which gives the cleanest vocal recordings and the most flexibility in mixing.

For vocal booths, 100 mm (4 inch) thick panels are ideal. They absorb well down to about 250 Hz. Thinner 50 mm panels only absorb mid and high frequencies, leaving the low end untreated. Pair panels with corner bass traps for full-range absorption.

Yes. Small rooms have worse bass problems than large ones because room modes are more widely spaced and energetic. Place bass traps in as many corners as possible — corners are where bass energy accumulates. Floor-to-ceiling traps are most effective.

For voice recording, an extremely dead booth is usually fine because you can add reverb in the mix. However, singers sometimes prefer a tiny bit of ambience for performance comfort. If the booth feels uncomfortably dead, you can leave a small area of wall untreated or use thinner panels on one wall.