Looking to buy and build a recording booth in the back of a toy hauler?

[andybarnett]

Hi there guys, I'm early in the process of looking at buying either a 5th Wheel or Travel Trailer to put a sound isolation recording booth in the back (it doesn't have to be huge, probably 4'x4') to record voice over in while I'm on the road. I have a family of five (three kids) so it's kind of a unique situation trying to get the booth in a unit and still have enough sleeping space for everyone. I'm thinking a toy hauler might be my best bet because of the open space and the fact that it's probably constructed in a way to handle a little extra weight (the booth probably would weigh anywhere from 1000-1500 pounds and I'd also want to center it on the axle I imagine). Does anyone have any suggestions? I would consider older bunkhouse models (and keeping the beds on one side) but I'm not sure that would workout because of needing to center the booth in the middle of the room for weight distribution.

One specific unit I was looking at was a 2010 Heartland Road Warrior 36.

Thanks,

Andy

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I think your looking in the right direction for a toyhauler. It will handle the extra weight and still have room for the youngsters. I'm sure you will get some more info from our other members also.

Enjoy the forum and hope to see you in a Heartland unit.

Jim M

 

[Diamondjim]

"Voice over" caught my eye. I don't have a toy hauler so I'm worthless to you there....but I was thinking of getting into voice over, you must have some experience if you have work you can do on the road.
Would love to chat with you sometime on what it took to get into it. School I'm assuming.
Good luck to you here....great group of folks, and willing to share knowledge.

 

[Garypowell]

Another suggestion would be to plan your work around your travels and use "real" studios as you need them. My guess there are thousands of sound studios around. Of course this would add to your overhead. And depending on if you ever have to do emergency work you could simply schedule you working time.

Or find a utility trailer you could outfit to pull behind a rig. This way you get full utilization of you home on wheels and a separate studio. If you are like many your first rig might get traded in on something else rather quickly so you just hook the studio up to that new rig. With kids my guess you are going to home school.....which means you'll need all the space you can get.

Some will argue not a good idea to pull something behind 5th wheel but it is done......I see boats and cars being pulled all the time.

But very neat idea! Keep us posted.

 

[Silverado23]

Take an idea from portable Ice shantys and make a collapsible studio using several panels that could be pinned together when needed.
Panels could be stacked for travel and assembled when the studio is needed for use.

 

[jbeletti]

This is an interesting thread. Wishing you the best in finding the perfect platform for you and your family as well as your studio.

I did a single voiceover session to record audio for a promotional video. It was a homemade soundbooth and man - it was acoustically dead in there! They really work to isolate - that's for sure.

 

[jbeletti]

Drawing on some of the ideas already shared here, what if...

In a toyhauler garage, build the booth out of 4 panels that are piano hinged together, where one of those panels are permanently attached to one interior side wall and where the other 3 panels are opened up and lie flat against the same wall. Have a booth ceiling permanently attached to the ceiling of the toyhauler.

When needed, fold the 3 movable panels into their booth shape and place a prefab booth floor inside. Then when needed, the booth is easily put together and when done, it's easily stored up against an outside wall.

 

[Bones]

Convert the bathroom in the toy hauler to your studio. I mean the second bathroom in the back

 

[jbeletti]

Convert the bathroom in the toy hauler to your studio. I mean the second bathroom in the back

Great idea Dave.