Vocal Helmet Idea, soundproof vocal helmet.
MARCUS
I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
work,,,really well!
So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
before?
If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
"scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
winner.
Please Email your ideas and suggestions on this concept.
Thanks,
Marcus
Mixerman
Put on a motorcycle helmet with a visor, and listen to what you sound like.
The mic isn't going to sound much better. But don't let me stop you, at the
very least you could come up with some cool effect, like a feedback loop or
something.
Mixerman
MARCUS wrote in message <3893A465...@att.net>...
Chris Goodland
closet with some carpet padding or maybe some professional product such
as Auralex (they have a web site www.auralex.com.) Don't forget the
floor and ceiling. Here is another possibility. A cone shaped piece of
insulation with a mic. mounted in the bottom, then just holler into the
cone. -CHRIS
Chris Goodland
Matthew B. Tepper
of all the Spice Girls. (Did you know that the British Phonographic
Industry is giving them a *Lifetime Achievement Award*? I'm not making
this up -- go to
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000129/re/leisure_spice_2.html !)
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
"Compassionate Conservatism?" * "Tight Slacks?" * "Jumbo Shrimp?"
Scott Dorsey
> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
>loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
>picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
>but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
>work,,,really well!
> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
>before?
No, and I am NOT going to make any Tarnhelm jokes. The problem is that
it's not easy to seal in the sound, plus of course a lot of the sound
comes from the chest.
One nice gadget that does kind of do what you want is the Coles lip
microphone. These were very common for sportscasters in the fifties
before broadcast booths became available, but they look incredibly
silly and did not survive the introduction of television. Coles still
makes them, though. They are amazingly effective noise cancelling
gadgets that sit right on your lip. And while they won't give you a
full body vocal sound, they are pretty good for quickie voiceovers
when you don't have a quiet room.
>If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
>I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
>they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
Right, what you have done was create a resonant chamber. You don't want
a resonant box, you want something that will absorb the sound. The
problem is that absorbing sound is not done easily.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Miklin Halstead
The factors which are crucial to sound insulation in a case like this are:
-elimination of airborne transmission paths
-elimination of structure-borne transmission paths
-sufficient mass in the insulating layers
-avoidance of coincidence of resonances between insulating layers
The best construction for your system that I can think of would be something
like this:
Locate all of the airborne transmission paths from your sound source. This
will include at least your mouth, nose, and any other superfluous openings
(ie holes in your head). These should be treated to stop air passage--duct
tape is probably a good solution.
Next, a couple of mass layers separated by a non-rigid isolater will bring
your transmission loss to a respectable value. It's important at this stage
to consider the avoidance of coincidence transmission between mass layers,
so try to find materials with different mass-spring behaviors when connected
together with the resilient isolator. I would start with something like
lead-impregnated vinyl, which you can probably get molded to fit snugly
around your head, followed by a resilient layer of compressed fiberglass,
and finally an outer shell of concrete. Thicker is better in this case,
provided you avoid coincidence behavior. You mention a bucket--I would make
it a 55-gallon drum, filled with concrete and your head stuck in. Allow to
dry.
Finally, the structure-borne flanking needs to be addressed. After the
preceding treatment is complete, you'll probably find there is still
transmission through your legs to the floor. You should arrange to have a
resilient suspension system fitted to the ceiling of your apartment, with a
suitable harness for your feet. Don't forget to take into account the mass
of the rest of the system--the suspension and ceiling should be modified to
withstand the weight of the concrete as well as your own body weight.
This isn't exactly a do-it-yourself project. It's for that reason that we
always recommend you call in an acoustical consultant. In particular, there
are a few snags that may turn up towards the end of this project which will
be much more easily dealt with if you have professional assistance on hand.
(Hint: While of course you shouldn't try this at home, this is probably
really the only way you're going to get enough real insulation to be able to
scream as loud as you want (or at least as loud as you can) in the middle of
the night in apartments with the sorts of piss-poor transmission losses
allowed by light-timber construction common in apartments.
The more realistic solution is to take all of this treatment and move it
from your body to the interior of the apartment--a "Whisper Room" sort of
idea. You should find it easier to deal with ventilation issues as well,
although it will be quite expensive.
Have a look at http://www.whisperroom.com/ to see what sort of solution
might work for you.)
Good luck,
Miklin
MARCUS wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
> loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
> picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
> but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
> work,,,really well!
> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
> before?
> If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
> I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
> they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
>
> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
> "scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
> helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
> the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
> winner.
>
> Please Email your ideas and suggestions on this concept.
>
> Thanks,
> Marcus
--
__________________________________________________________________
Miklin Halstead mm.ha...@auckland.ac.nz
Acoustics Research Centre +64 (9) 3737 599 xt 8542
The University of Auckland +64 (9) 3737 410 fax
__________________________________________________________________
fjre...@my-deja.com
survive past the "duct tape over the mouth and nose" part for more than
a minute or so (assuming they took a deep breath). One method for
better survivability might involve a bathtub full of ice water and a
team of paramedics for just after the vocal take (which would,
ofcourse, have to be shortened to just one or two words). Then there is
the question of how to, in a hurry, get someones head out of a 55
gallon drum filled with concrete... dynamite?
In article <3893AFD9...@auckland.ac.nz>,
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
erehwonstudios
(esp. child), since this sounds like a great tool for suffocation.
please do be careful if you're testing your prototype; don't do it alone.
of course, if you're planning to mount an AHU with lined ducts and in-
line attenuators, and suspensions to reduce the AHU vibration, and
diffusers for the air flow rumble...
well hey, this could be a great product for allowing one to truly
"escape" to a quiet paradise in any surroundings! you won't get much in
the way of professional recording quality within there but, semi-
seriously, you might find a market for this amongst the sharper image
crowd.
cheers, m
---
michael.mills
erehwon.interactive.studios - new.york.city
vox.fax: 212.875.8616
arpa: erehwon...@worldnet.att.net
---
In article <3893A465...@att.net>, mjc...@att.net says...
Miklin Halstead
> This is a good idea and all, except the singer probably wouldn't
> survive past the "duct tape over the mouth and nose" part for more than
> a minute or so (assuming they took a deep breath)...
To be honest, I was looking at this problem more from the perspective of his
neighbors, for which I suppose my solution could be seen as "overkill". But
it would probably save the folks upstairs quite a bit of grief unless, of
course, he failed to take into account the ceiling-loading issues.
Miklin
Mark McQuilken
>
> Hello,
>
> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
> loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
> picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
> but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
> work,,,really well!
> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
> before?
> If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
> I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
> they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
>
> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
> "scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
> helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
> the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
> winner.
>
> Please Email your ideas and suggestions on this concept.
>
> Thanks,
> Marcus
M:
Mel Brooks already beat you to the punch in the '60s: the "cone of
silence" in Get Smart!
McQ
__
Mark McQuilken
FMR Audio
www.fmraudio.com
(800)343-9976 - US Only
(512)280-6557 Voice
(512)280-8627 Fax
Arny Krüger
"Scott Dorsey" <klu...@netcom.com> wrote in message
news:870alb$iu$1...@nntp5.atl.mindspring.net...
>
> One nice gadget that does kind of do what you want is the Coles
lip
> microphone. These were very common for sportscasters in the
fifties
> before broadcast booths became available, but they look incredibly
> silly and did not survive the introduction of television. Coles
still
> makes them, though. They are amazingly effective noise cancelling
> gadgets that sit right on your lip. And while they won't give you
a
> full body vocal sound, they are pretty good for quickie voiceovers
> when you don't have a quiet room.
There is a picture of this one at
http://www.slidingdelta.com/aea/4104prod.html .
IMO it would probably work on TV today. Its appearance might have
just been way before its time!
ka...@viscomtec.com
<Mixe...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Yeah, and you won't have any problems with reflections doing that.
>
>Put on a motorcycle helmet with a visor, and listen to what you sound like.
>The mic isn't going to sound much better. But don't let me stop you, at the
>very least you could come up with some cool effect, like a feedback loop or
>something.
>
>Mixerman
>
>MARCUS wrote in message <3893A465...@att.net>...
>>Hello,
>>
>> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
>>loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
>>picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
>>but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
>>work,,,really well!
>> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
>>before?
>>If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
>>I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
>>they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
>>
>> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
>>"scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
>>helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
>>the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
>>winner.
>>
>>
>>Please Email your ideas and suggestions on this concept.
>>
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Marcus
>>
>>
>Sound is movement of air, cant do in a helmet, you would only screw the mic and earphone. if you want to scream try experimenting with phase inversion where you scream into a mike and it is sent back to you in an inverted form the only way to cancel something is to provide the oposit, careful though if you get it wrong then you will have sore ears... In a studion the best way to stop sound traveling is to provide a barrier of still air...at leas 50mm thick
>
Scott Dorsey
> This is a good idea and all, except the singer probably wouldn't
>survive past the "duct tape over the mouth and nose" part for more than
>better survivability might involve a bathtub full of ice water and a
>team of paramedics for just after the vocal take (which would,
>ofcourse, have to be shortened to just one or two words). Then there is
>the question of how to, in a hurry, get someones head out of a 55
>gallon drum filled with concrete... dynamite?
After spending two days comping ONE SINGLE STUPID SONG, I am suspecting
that putting a vocalist in a 55 gallon drum filled with concrete and
dynamiting it might be an excellent idea.
Paul Jenner
Paul.
A splendid helmet is guaranteed for all ...
Daniel Maverick Falkoff
Rick Knepper
> Hello,
>
> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
> loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet.
This would be worse on a hairdo than headphones. Couldn't have that.
> I know if you
> picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
> but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
> work,,,really well!
> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
> before?
> If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
> I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
> they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
>
> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
> "scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
> helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
> the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
> winner.
>
> Please Email your ideas and suggestions on this concept.
>
> Thanks,
> Marcus
--
Rick Knepper
Wasted Potential Productions
MicroComputer Support Services
Po Box 1461
Ft. Worth, TX 76101
817-239-9632 business hours
817-737-4002 after 6 PM
413-215-1267 eFax
Project Studio
CD Duplication - Budget Short Runs
PC Tech Support & Equipment Sales
http://www.wastedpotential.com
GoobAudio
: > I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to
record my
: > loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet.
When you get it done, I want one. My wife may think I am
recording her, but the tape will never roll. 8o)
Robert Williamson
news:3893A465...@att.net...
> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and
theoretically
> "scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound
escaping the
> helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need,
heck with all
> the people living in apartments these days this as a
product could be a
> winner.
I've no doubt that any good acoustic insulation would work.
The problem I
see with this is that the helmet would have to be very much
oversize to
accommodate the thickness of insulation required. You'll
probably have to
make it from scratch, but fiberglass is pretty easy to work
with. As
someone else already pointed out, you'll need an air supply,
too :)
Robert
Mike Rivers
> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
> loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
> picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
> but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
> work,,,really well!
I know better than to laugh at off-the-wall ideas. There's an
interesting article in the latest issue of Studio Sound about gear
that never made it to market. One of the ideas (one of the few that
I'd not seen or heard about) was a shoulder-mounted monitor speaker
set that an engineer on the move (film sound was the intent, I think)
could use as monitor speakers in lieu of headphones. It was
apparently laughed out of the market before it ever got out of
development even though it worked fairly well.
> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
> before?
> If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
> I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
> they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
Recording anything, particularly a voice, in a small, enclosed space
almost always gives a "boxy" sound unless the space is extremely dead.
> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
> "scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
> helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
> the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
> winner.
This is one of the limitations of the studio-in-an-apartment. I doubt
that you'd be able to adequately seal a "helmet" so that sound
wouldn't get out, and still be able to breathe. Perhaps you could
experiment with a hard diving suit and a headworn mic mounted so
closely to your mouth that the direct sound would completely
overshadow the sound bouncing around inside the helmet.
--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mri...@d-and-d.com)
Tom Silverwood
this afternoon. Last week the QB's were needed four speakers instead of
two because of crowd noise. The whole idea reminds me of a poem (can't
remember the source) about a man in an isolation suit, which shut out all
external noises and other input. Trouble was, it also completely isolated
him from the world, new ideas and other advantages, like better life styles.
. .
Of course that is why many of us usually enjoy live performances better
than recordings: one never really knows what will happen.
Tom
Mike Rivers <mri...@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
news:znr949241047k@trad...
Eric H
> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
> loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
> picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
> but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
> work,,,really well!
> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
> before?
> If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
> I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
> they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
> "scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
> helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
> the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
> winner.
Why not just buy an old phone glass booth? 'Course you'd have to wash
out the urine smell.
--
Eric Handler
"But the pension fund was just sitting there!!"
Barry Graham
"Robert Williamson" <rlw...@kc.rr.SPAMTRAP.com> wrote:
> As
> someone else already pointed out, you'll need an air supply,
> too :)
>
In this case an air supply is absolutely unnecessary.
Believe me!
ma...@greatlinfordmanor.com
Blakey Boy.
Fred Pickering
Sounds like a good idea except for the physics of sound! A friend of mine
came up with a sound proofed closet that is not too bad. Try to pickup one
of those old 1920's heavy large clothes wardrobes (closet) fix up any
rattles, squeaks, etc. line the interior with sound proofing material, put
the mike inside. You stand outside screaming/singing into it. Whilst it
won't completely block the sound you can expect about 60 to 70% reduction.
Behind you position a 3 door screen with blankets draped over. When you have
finished the screen folds up and goes in the closet......
Fred
MARCUS wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I've had alot of trouble lately finding where and when to record my
> loud vocals and I came upon a wild idea, A VOCAL helmet. I know if you
> picture this your laughing as well as I did when I first pictured it
> but, the more I thought about it the more I though it could
> work,,,really well!
> So my question is have any of you every contemplated this idea
> before?
> If so, what are some things I really need to know about sound proofing?
> I tried putting a box or two over my head as well as plastic buckets and
> they only seemed to amplify the sound, made it more booming.
>
> What I want is to mount a mike inside this helmet, and theoretically
> "scream" if necessary at say midnight, with no sound escaping the
> helmet! Is this possible, what materials would I need, heck with all
> the people living in apartments these days this as a product could be a
> winner.
>
j.taylor
best of luck-bet you look silly-put it in
the video.
Will Hunt
tnw
That is so strange, because I have given some thought on contemplating
such a device--so now there's two of us going around in those early
underwater helmets, you know, like Popeye would have , and there would
be fish swimming around in it--hey, that's it! We need one of those
helmets!!!
But seriously, as over-populated as this planet is, people being
stacked on top of each other in apartments, etc, I really have to
wonder how we get any singers at all, you know what I mean? Where do
they rehearse in the beginning? Drummers can use practice pads, and
guitarists can use headphones....
About the only logical thing I can think of would be to use some kind
of portable singing booth, because having your head compressed in such
a device as a helmet would distort the sound way beyond, not to mention
what it would do for the 'ol hearing!!!!!
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
RGB
<fjre...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:870m5e$7tg$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> This is a good idea and all, except the singer probably wouldn't
> survive past the "duct tape over the mouth and nose" part for more than
> a minute or so (assuming they took a deep breath). One method for
> better survivability might involve a bathtub full of ice water and a
> team of paramedics for just after the vocal take (which would,
> ofcourse, have to be shortened to just one or two words). Then there is
> the question of how to, in a hurry, get someones head out of a 55
> gallon drum filled with concrete... dynamite?
>
> > --
> > __________________________________________________________________
> > Miklin Halstead mm.ha...@auckland.ac.nz
> > Acoustics Research Centre +64 (9) 3737 599 xt 8542
> > The University of Auckland +64 (9) 3737 410 fax
> > __________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
>
>
MARCUS
Marcsu
reco...@crosstudio.net
way to get the whole of the sound from your mouth into the microphone,
and then have it cancelled out by phase inversion before it has a chance
to leave your helmet, then you've got a product that will make millions.
why build a vocal booth when you can just have the singers all
wear VocalHelmets? The worst thing you can do is fail.
You'll never hurt me with that slingshot! (Goliath)
You'll never walk on the moon! (Elijah Muhammed, Nation Of Islam)
People don't want computers in their house! (Xerox & IBM)
just remember me when you make your millions.
sean IzReal wright
http://www.crosstudio.net
In article <38942454...@news.clear.net.nz>,
ka...@viscomtec.com wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Jan 2000 20:29:52 -0800, "Mixerman"
> <Mixe...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
> >Yeah, and you won't have any problems with reflections doing that.
> >
> >Put on a motorcycle helmet with a visor, and listen to what you sound
like.
> >The mic isn't going to sound much better. But don't let me stop you,
at the
> >very least you could come up with some cool effect, like a feedback
loop or
> >something.
> >
> >Mixerman
> >
> >MARCUS wrote in message <3893A465...@att.net>...
> >Sound is movement of air, cant do in a helmet, you would only screw
the mic and earphone. if you want to scream try experimenting with phase
inversion where you scream into a mike and it is sent back to you in an
inverted form the only way to cancel something is to provide the oposit,
careful though if you get it wrong then you will have sore ears... In a
studion the best way to stop sound traveling is to provide a barrier of
still air...at leas 50mm thick
> >
>
>
sellama...@gmail.com
Did you find any solution in the end? I would like to make such a helmet as well :)
Thanks!
