A few people have asked me (the lead singer of Lonely London Lad) about my vocal setup. I thought I'd share some information about it because I think it could be of general interest, both to fans and musicians.

I don't use an outside recording studio. Instead, I have a two thousand, four hundred pound soundproof studio in my home.

To produce high-quality vocal recordings, without mechanical noise, ambient noise, or even air noise (the movement of normal ventilation produces audible sound), I needed to invest in this monster. It was quite an investment, but I feel it has been worthwhile.

Here are a few interesting tidbits of information about the recording studio:

It has dual walls with a small space between them to deaden outside noise. The windows are 4-thick.

The interior is covered with acoustic fabric on the walls and ceilings, and on top of that Auralex acoustic foam.

The floor is hardwood, to add some acoustical (and aesthetic) brightness.

The entire studio is wrapped in thick blankets to further knock down outside noise.

The lighting uses special silent bulbs.

The door alone weighs over 200 pounds.

It's fairly roomy inside, with 36 square feet. I can spread my arms any which way if I want to, and can fit a full-sized keyboard in there with me.

Cables pass through holes in the walls. Electrical cables, and those carrying audio signals, are threaded through separate holes to avoid corrupting the audio signals with interference.

The ventilation system is passive. When the door is closed, a vacuum seal forms within the studio, and a passive and silent flow of air is created when air is sucked out -- air is drawn into the hermetic room by the vacuum effect, much like, in the singing technique, air is drawn into your lungs after you exhale with the diaphragm.

Despite all this, it is not completely soundproof. If somebody screams outside, you can hear it, but the microphone, being less sensitive than the human ear, generally will not pick it up.

When I go in and shut the door, I am enveloped in quiet, the acoustical equivalent of being in a darkened room. To some, it's induces claustrophobia; for me, it's a nice feeling.

Questions? Comments?

- Robert