Remember my story on Studiobricks, the new kid on the block of isolation booths?
When it first came out, the voice-over community went a bit crazy.
How could an unknown company in Spain come up with something that costs less and is just as good -if not better- as the vocal booths we’re all used to?
One of the people reading that story was voice actor Mike Bratton. He had been in touch with the folks in Spain, when an exclusive offer caught his eye:
The first U.S. talent to order a new Studiobricks ONE booth, would receive a 30% discount if he mentioned the story on the Nethervoice blog
As soon as he read that, Mike contacted the CEO of Studiobricks, Guillermo Jungbauer, and he sealed what he called “the deal of the century.”
Last week, Mike Bratton assembled his very own booth, made of Studiobricks. And frankly, he needed it. I’ll let him tell the story:
MIKE TALKS STUDIOBRICKS ONE
“The neighborhood I live in is called Park Slope. It’s in Brooklyn, NY. It’s a fairly residential neighborhood, but my apartment building borders a very busy avenue ( Atlantic Ave.). Oh, and for the last 2+ years, we’ve had constant construction going on right out our window for the new Barclay’s Center arena that is now nearing completion at the end of our block.
So, to be honest, this booth would’ve been very useful over the last few years.
Luckily, our apartment windows are very good at keeping out the sound. They’re double-paned, and nice and quiet. The most noise I really get is from the neighbors upstairs. They tend to walk, jump, drop what can only be described as bowling balls, and seem to constantly move furniture around, directly over my head.
For the most part, it’s not that bad during my recording day, but the more work I do for the West Coast, the family is home up there, and they can get noisy.
This new booth will hopefully help with that as well… especially the floating floor!
My main reason for buying the booth when I did, is to prep for our new baby arriving this winter.
My previous booth, while excellent sounding, was terrible at keeping errant noises OUT. And for that matter, keeping my noisy voice IN.
So, since my office is now going to be part nursery (we call it the “surface), I needed a bit of a buffer… so if the little guy is sleeping nearby, I won’t wake him up, and if he does wake up, he won’t necessarily be a featured extra in whatever voice session I’m in the process of recording.”
What can you say about the process of ordering your booth. Did Studiobricks understand your specific needs?
“Guillermo at Studiobricks was great (Guillermo Jungbauer is the CEO, PS). I contacted him first about pricing on the normal Studiobricks booths, and he told me about the ONE system that was forthcoming. I looked into the specs of that, and put them up against the usual contenders (GK, Vocalbooth.com, WhisperRoom™, etc. ), and they were very, very good. In fact, the sound absorption/blocking specs were at least as good if not better than the enhanced models from the main companies, and for a good bit less money. So, it was really a matter of just stepping off the cliff and taking the plunge.”
Was there a language barrier while communicating with Studiobricks or did that not play a role?
“There was very little problem with understanding one another. Guillermo completely got what I was asking whenever I had a question, and there never was really any issue in communication. Everything is always prompt, and thorough. In fact, it’s interesting, because he’s several hours ahead of me in Spain, and most of his responses came via email during MY business hours, which was pretty amazing.”
How long was the time between order and delivery?
“I ordered the booth at the tail end of July. August is a big vacation month in most of Europe, so he got the production in and done in a matter of about a week or two. It was shocking how fast the production of the booth was actually completed. Then it was a matter of the booth being picked up from the manufacturer and put on a boat, and shipping it overseas.
That process took a bit, but honestly, it basically took about 6 weeks (or less) from door to door, which is about average for what I was being quoted from the other companies. Other folks might have different results, depending on where in the US they’re located. It actually arrived at port in New Jersey on the 27th of August. My order date was 7/23… so a little over a month from origination to destination port. Then, I took delivery at my home on September 7.”
Did Studiobricks take care of all the shipping details for you?
“Everything was taken care of on Guillermo’s end. All I had to do was wait for the shipping company to contact me when the item was in transit, to give me updates on its tracking and once it arrived. It was seamless.”
Did you have any problems with customs?
“No problems at all. It did have to be held at port for a few extra days, as it got selected to be VACIS X-Rayed. Being that it was going into a holiday weekend (Labor Day) when it was selected, it took a few extra days for release.”
Did the entire package arrive in one piece?
“Indeed… one, gigantic, wooden-crated, incredibly heavy piece. You know, even if you buy a booth from domestic manufacturers like GretchKen and/or Vocalbooth.com, the panels still come on a big palette on a big truck. The only difference here is the shipping crate/container, and several thousand dollars. Even without the special extra discount, it was vastly cheaper than any of their domestic competitors (except Drum Perfect, which is the booth I had before ).”
What was it like to get it into your apartment?
“It arrived on a mid-sized moving truck. We had to open the crate while still on the truck, and moved all the pieces down to ground level. Thankfully, I live in an elevator building in Brooklyn. Because of the size and weight of the elements it helps to have a number of friends/ family that are willing to help you carry the things up for you, if you have a few stairs to climb.
To be fair, the door is the heaviest piece. It’s a real, honest-to-goodness studio door. All the bricks themselves are fairly lightweight, or at least, reasonable weight for one person to carry up a flight of stairs. The entire process from truck to home took about 45 minutes of steady effort. I highly recommend a hand-truck/dolly (or two) and some palettes with casters. It will make life much easier on you.”
Tell me about putting the booth together. Was it as easy as advertised? Could you do it by yourself or did you need help?
“It was crazy easy. All the bricks are clearly labeled, and the instructions just tell you where to start., and you’re off and running. The most difficult and nerve-wracking part is seating the door frame. But that gets done fairly early on, and once it’s seated, you’re off and running.”
Did you run into any unexpected problems?
“Not really. The biggest issue I had, was at the end. I had one “horizontal stick” left over. I’m positive I put them in (they go in the corners) on every level, so I’m going with the theory that I had an extra. Because honestly, I don’t want to go back and take the thing apart to find out if I forgot to put in a piece. : )
Oh, also, unfortunately, the door handle seems to be broken… or at least, suffering slightly. I can only lock the door seals from the outside, and that really helps make the booth incredibly quiet. Guillermo has already responded and said that replacement parts will be in the offing, and I’ll be able to get the door back up and running properly within a matter of days… oh, on that front, the little power converter, supplied to run the ventilation system, was unfortunately broken in transit… but again, I made Guillermo aware, and it will be here with the door handle replacement. He’s really just so easy to work with.
And to be perfectly honest, to have this giant thing travel as far as it did, I’m impressed that it only had those two little problems.”
Note: the new door handles and power converter were sent from Europe on a Wednesday and they arrived and were installed on Friday.
Did you use the Studiobricks Skype assembly service or did you have to contact Studiobricks in any other way while putting the studio together?
“Never needed the assembly service… it was that easy. In fact, my wife was shocked how quickly the thing went together… and again, it was just me, except she helped me (at 6 months pregnant no less!!! ) to marshal the door into place.”
What’s your overall impression of the product now that it has been put together.
“One word. WOW. It’s really impressive. The build-quality is outstanding. Honestly, it completely exceeded my expectations. It’s shockingly quiet… SHOCKINGLY. My wife went in, and I locked her in the booth for a few moments… and her eyes lit up when she realized how quiet I sounded outside the booth to her. My previous booth sounded awesome… great absorption… but it bled noises like crazy. The Studiobricks booth delivers a nice, quiet environment.”
What surprised you most?
“When you take the pieces out of the shipping container and lay everything out, it looks intimidating. Once you get the floor down, the first layer up, and the door frame… the assembly just flies.”
Does the StudiobricksONE keep ambient noise out as you had hoped it would?
“YES! So far so good! In all honesty, I’ve found that studios, especially networks, are so used to working with talent that have home studios, that they’re pretty forgiving of a dog bark, a noisy upstairs neighbor, or even a tv playing quietly in the background, because it just doesn’t print as loud as my voice does on the mix.
That being said, noises wreak havoc with your concentration, and you worry that it will affect the recording quality, which in turn will make your performance less than what you want it to be.
Now, I’ve been working just fine up to this point with my previous booth, and as I said, it sounded terrific. But, we have a baby on the way, due in December and my previous booth would’ve been exactly zero help in keeping out any noises that a hungry newborn might make. It also would’ve been the same for trying to keep Daddy’s loud blathering on and on away from sensitive baby ears.
I think, just from the scant 24 hours or so that I’ve had to play with the Studiobricks, that this booth will serve me well. Is it sound “proof?” No. Is it better than any standard walled booth I’ve ever been in? Absolutely. It frankly rivals some booths I talk in regularly in Manhattan, and those are $10K and higher custom booths. You can buy them for your home, and in fact, the company is based in New York, but as we say here in Brooklyn: “Fuhgeddaboudit”, Studiobricks is where it’s at.”
What do you think of quality of the wall treatment inside the booth?
“The Wall treatments are good. They’re made by Vicoustic, which is a new player on the scene I think, or at least, they’re new to me. They’re another European audio company. I think they’re similar to Auralex, but much denser, and easier to deal with. They’re backed with some serious adhesive, and you just peel and stick. No muss, no fuss.
Frankly, comparing them to Auralex does Vicoustic a disservice. I’ve never really liked Auralex that much, but always regarded it as a necessary evil. Luckily my previous booth didn’t have Auralex, but it had absorbing materials inside the wall coverings. It was a great system.
I might want some additional treatment though. It’s not as dead as my previous booth was, and so it’s a bit disturbing to my ears, but again, I’m just not used to it yet. Hell, it might actually sound better. My ears just aren’t accustomed to it yet. But if I do get more treatment for the walls, I will definitely get the Vicoustic pieces. Because, not only do I think they’re nicer than Auralex, they’re just dead sexy lookin’ too!”
SOUND CHECK
Mike’s voice-over clients aren’t going to care as much about the looks of his new booth. They want to know what it sounds like. Have a listen:
Mike also ordered a ventilation unit from Studiobricks. How would that affect the recordings made in this 4′ by 3′ booth? You be the judge:
Voice talent and coach Jonathan Tilley is based in Germany. Just as Mike, he read my blog and he is now another proud owner of a Studiobricks ONE booth, and he couldn’t be happier. He produced the following video review of his new booth:
Meanwhile, Mike Bratton has offered to answer all your questions in the comment section below. That way, it stays all in one place and you don’t have to hop from site to site to find answers.
One of the things people wanted to know is the ambient noise level in and outside of the booth. For this, Mike took his trusted Neumann U87 and recorded the following:
The Studiobricks ONE retails at about $3,500 (depending on the exchange rate of the Euro). Tax and shipping is not included. There’s a wide range of colors to choose from, and you can even have your logo on your booth. How cool is that?
All Mike has to do, is wait for the baby!
Please contact Studiobricks for details at info@studiobricks.com.
Paul Strikwerda ©nethervoice
PS Missed opportunities. Playing it safe. Living with regret. If this is you, Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan has something to say. Click here to read about his amazing journey.
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Thanks for posting the results, Paul. I’ll definitely be looking into these folks as an alterative to some of the other options out there. I still need more soundproofing to complete my studio, but I may hold off on buying a pile of Auralex panels in favour of this!
I’ve been waiting for this for some time and it of course doesn’t disappoint! I’m crunching the numbers hard on this one… REAL HARD, the smoke is coming out of my ears.
The sheer coolness factor of this is off the charts and the logo, A custom logo on the door? How cool is that? I can see where it’s going to go…Now to change point of view, It ISN’T just a cool toy, it’s an essential part of my growing business! Ya, that’s it! (and it’s a cool as can be new THING!) Thanks again Paul, and also, there’s a lot of negative press about Spain, thanks for the positive words and Guillermo, thanks for creating a product Spain can be proud of.
Hi Ted, this booth is certainly a long way from the grey carpeted boxes we’re so used to seeing over here. I’m sure every system has its own merits and no one has ever done a head to head test of all the different types of iso-booths. Yet, the ultra cool design and portability makes these Studiobrick booths really stand out. And with shipping and taxes included, the Europeans still manage to beat American prices.
Mike,thanks for the fabulous recap of your experience with Studiobricks, especially the transport from Europe and the superb communication and service from this company. I will definitely consider it for my studio.
It isn’t every day I read a new word that makes me laugh out loud, but “nurfice” did it:) Congratulations on your new Studiobricks booth and your growing family!
Great post and seriously so since I live about 4 hours away from their warehouse and factory in Spain. I also spoke with Guillermo as well, and he was kind enough to offer me a 25% discount on a larger booth- the 120, with delivery from one of their trucks- right to my door. I am SERIOUSLY considering this as a replacement for my current booth. And it helps to avoid the nasty customs and shipping if I had gone with a booth company in the US. Thanks again Paul for another insightful and informative post and for solidifying my consideration of StudioBricks as my new booth alternative.
If Guillermo keeps handing out discounts left and right, he’s not going to make any money, Monty. Let us know what you decide to do!
Thanks for doing this article, Paul. This is just the information I’ve been looking for. I am very glad Mike is happy with the purchase after taking a risk with a new expensive product. Price being relative, it’s a very good deal. I can’t build something as nice for twice the price, and we all know about the existing prefabricated options.
And thank you for picking this story up on your excellent and entertaining show, George. We have a number of solid prefab choices in the U.S. but as far as I’m concerned, none of them can compete with the looks and the price of Studiobricks. And listening to Mike’s audio, the sound is pretty impressive too.
Mike, I am incredibly jealous.
Thanks for the info..just worried that he’ll be in the booth when his wife is ready to deliver!! Seriously, would love to hear a comparison for the ambiant noise…door open..door closed..kind of thing!
@Paul, you’ll hear more on Mike’s experience on EWABS!
All of a sudden this booth is looking A LOT more appealing…as I’m still a pretty young guy (24), and not close to settling anywhere permanent just yet, portable booths like this or the Whisper Room are what make the most sense for my current situation. I’m moving to Los Angeles really soon, and I was thinking about just ordering a Studiobricks instead of taking my Whisper Room with me depending on how it sounded…and I must say, it sounds pretty damn good…
Here’s one question I have if you don’t mind answering, Mike. While I thank you very much for posting audio samples, I was wondering if you could post an audio sample with a mic other than the 416 (if it’s not too much trouble, of course)? I ask because the 416, being a shotgun mic of course, has great off-axis rejection. I’m curious how the Studiobricks One handles a mic that doesn’t have as good off-axis rejection as the 416 does.
Either way, thanks for posting!
@Dave – No problem! I was planning on doing that anyway, but just hadn\’t yet had the time. I\’ll hook up my U87 and crank up the gain and see how it sounds.
@Paul Warwick, I’ll be doing another little voice-test for the guys at EWABS. I did do a bit of an ambient noise test, but I think I probably forgot to send it along to Paul…but I’ll do a new one soon. Thanks!
Hi @Jane! I’m glad I could make you laugh. My wife and I came up with that word on the fly. I’m a bit of a “Wombo” ( Word Combo ) freak, and do that kind of thing all the time. She got into the act on this one, and it works well!
Thanks for the post. It helps answer my questions.
I am dying to get that kind of money up for such a magnificent Vocal booth for my Voice Over work! I am so convinced that this is the most important sound reduction tool any voice Over Artist could have. As It is now, My reads have to “tap” dance around traffic noises and that takes time and Aggravation. I know you all know this feeling. But MAN, do I wish there was a way to get this sound booth from Studio Bricks. I was convinced before this article came out, but this is such a kick in the pants it isn’t funny! It’s Like wishing to get that one particular present at Christmas and hoping with great anxious anticipation!
Hi David, think of it this way: any investment is a calculated risk and eventually it has to pay for itself. When I finally got around to building a serious home studio, I became much more productive because the outside world wasn’t intruding on my business anymore. Had I known about Studiobricks at that time, I would have bought a studio from them. I love my home studio, but should we ever move, I can’y take it with me.
Thanks Paul for posting and Mike for sharing this. Very interesting to hear about your whole experience.
Thanks so much for all of this GREAT information Paul and Mike! After a summer of banishing my children to play outside or in the basement and texting my husband not to walk like the Jolly Green Giant, I’m very curious to know how the booth is doing with the new baby in your world.
My office and studio are on the top floor of my house, so it’s the noise on the main level that gets me. I simply must do something about it before next summer and am extremely interested in Studio Bricks.
So, I have a few questions:
1. Do you remember what EWABS show covered Studio Bricks so I can look up that one? (LOVE those guys!!!)
2. Mike, How has your experience been with ambient noise and what kind of noise? (I’m not a mic expert, but my Neumann TLM 103 picks up a lot)
3. Have you had to add any additional treatment to your booth for noise reduction or acoustics?
Sorry to repeat queries if you’ve covered this information before in other venues and for probably sounding like the techno idiot I admittedly am.
Thanks much!
Hi Kelley: in the first article I wrote about Studiobricks, I have a quote from George Whittam, taken from the show. I don’t remember which episode it was, but if you watch the repeat, you’ll see the same pictures as the ones posted on my blog. In fact, the EWABS show covered Studiobricks after my blog post came out.
Mike lives in NYC and his neighbors aren’t exactly quiet (I believe they have a few kids). I’m curious to know how Mike will rate his new booth once his baby is born. For voice-over purposes, I usually recommend selecting a mic with a tight pick-up pattern and low self-noise (such as the CAD E100S).
Both Mike and Jonathan ordered additional Vicoustic foam to fine-tune the sound of their booth. Small spaces always sound boxier than larger spaces, no matter how clever the design. They did not order any other products for additional noise reduction.
Just an additional note from my experience with my ONE booth that arrived last week. After a Source-Connect consultation session with George Whittam today, he suggested that I add 8 Auralex LENRD bass traps and move the mic from a floor stand to a ‘mic crusher’ boom arm mounted from a wall.
George’s advice makes sense. The smaller the room, the more boxy it will sound. Studiobricks works with a company in Portugal that makes excellent panels: Vicoustic.
what exactly are the panels made of? one user states “sandwich wood and rubber”.
Is that plywood and neoprene? or OSB? or MDF?
how thick are the panels?
in youtube vids, I don’t see anyone putting in the “horizontal sticks” Mike mentions…..what are these? is there a vid showing the floor being made?
thank you.
Those are great questions, Paul, and I’m sure Guillermo would be happy to answer them, if you send him an email.
yes, Paul, I contacted him before posting here.
all I got were 2 pdf’s with none of the info requested.
so I thought it would be easier to have someone who has actually seen and handled one, and hopefully built it, to provide the info.
their youtube build video starts with the floor already built, and doesn’t show anyone dealing with any “horizontal sticks”.
I would also like to see a diagram of a panel cross-section, both for the standard and “premium”(triple wall) constructions…….if anyone knows, pls post
thank you
Some of the information you requested might be propitiatory and protected under patent law, but that’s just a guess. If I were you, I would get in touch with Mike Bratton. He’s the happy owner of a Studiobricks booth and I’m sure he’s willing to answer your questions.
Guys,
I’ve been conversing with Guillermo but still waiting on an answer – what is the weight of a finally constructed ONE booth (I’m assuming the smallest) ?
There’s someone in my city who has one he might be selling on which is 1.8m x 1.8m (w x d), 2m (h) which was custom made apparently.
The biggest issue I have is that we live in a rental house which is older and based on brick stump foundations, with solid wooden floors then covered in carpet/underlay.
My concern is the weight of the Studiobricks booth, it’s impact on the house and the carpet below.
Hey Paul, I wish I could answer your question, but I can’t. I have written two articles about Studiobricks, but I’m not affiliated with the company.
So a year and half later…. I’m curious to know Mike’s thought on the booth. The good, the bad, if he’s done any kind of modifications, etc.
The 24 hour review is good, but the proof is once you’ve discovered any/all the bugs and what you wish was better. Perhaps, STUDIO BRICKS The REDUX is required.
Thanks for chiming in, Dave. Since I more or less broke the Studiobricks story, many cabins have made the journey from Spain to North America. Many colleagues have used Facebook and other social media platforms to tell us about their experiences. As with most small enclosed recording spaces, tuning is a key factor in how a booth will perform. By that I mean: having enough dampening material inside the cabin, and positioning it in the right places.
I’m sure Mike will be more than happy to give you an update. Since he contributed to the article, he moved from NYC to Chicago, taking his booth with him. That alone should make for an interesting experience.