Are you wondering if you can DIY a Japanese closet (oshiire) into a soundproof room?
When recording at night, you hear “insects, wind, and car sounds.” Your ASMR listeners point out background noise. You’re renting, so professional soundproofing isn’t possible, but you want to do something… With limited space in your room, the idea of “can I record in the closet?” naturally comes to mind.
To give you the answer upfront: While turning a closet into a fully soundproof room isn’t realistic, using it as an “acoustic booth” optimized for ASMR recording is one of the most cost-effective options available in Japan.
This article provides practical information on the possibilities and precautions of DIYing a closet into a soundproof room, specific construction methods, differences from professional soundproof rooms, and smarter alternatives.
Why More People Want to Use Closets as Recording Booths#
There are several reasons behind the growing demand to use Japanese closets (oshiire) as recording booths.
Closets Still Exist in Many Modern Japanese Homes#
Closets remain a common storage form in renovated traditional houses and homes with Japanese-style rooms (washitsu). They’re also still found in many rental properties, from studio apartments to regional rentals.
Especially in rental studio apartments, closets are often left unused as “unused space,” making it natural to want to utilize them effectively.
Closets Make Sense as Small Booths#
Using a closet as a recording booth actually has logical advantages.
Small spaces are advantageous for recording
Small spaces reduce sound reflections, which is beneficial for recording environments. For purposes like ASMR recording that capture subtle sounds, suppressing indoor reflections is crucial.
Visual barriers help concentration
Entering the closet blocks visual stimuli, creating an environment conducive to recording focus. This is an important factor for streaming and recording work.
Low cost way to create a “private room” feeling
Since closets utilize existing structures, you can create a recording space with a “private room” feeling at a much lower cost than purchasing a new soundproof room (800,000 yen / approximately $5,300 USD or more).
The Reality of DIY Closet Soundproofing (Important Challenges to Know)#
Using a closet as a soundproof room comes with several practical challenges. Understanding these before choosing the right application is important.
Why Closets Aren’t Ideal for Soundproofing#
Achieving complete soundproofing in a closet faces the following structural challenges:
Two-tier structure with thin walls and floors makes sound leak easily
Closets typically have a two-tier structure with thin walls and floors. This makes sound leak easily, and achieving complete sound isolation is difficult. Particularly, low-frequency sound isolation is challenging due to structural constraints.
Virtually no ventilation → heat builds up
Closets have almost no ventilation openings, so using them as sealed spaces causes heat to build up easily. For extended recording sessions, this can lead to stuffiness and equipment failure risks.
Adding soundproofing materials (gypsum boards, etc.) creates excessive weight
Achieving professional-level soundproofing requires heavy materials like gypsum boards and soundproofing sheets. However, closet structures aren’t designed to bear such heavy loads, creating risks of excessive structural stress.
However, It’s Most Cost-Effective for “ASMR Recording”#
While turning a closet into a fully soundproof room is difficult, for ASMR recording purposes, it’s one of the most cost-effective options.
Whispering benefits more from “absorption than isolation”
For ASMR recording, suppressing indoor reflections through “absorption” is more important than completely blocking external sounds. When recording subtle sounds like whispers, indoor reflections significantly affect sound quality, so applying acoustic treatment in a small space can achieve sufficient quality.
Indoor reflections are a bigger enemy than external noise
In ASMR recording, indoor reflections often affect sound quality more than external environmental noise. Small spaces like closets have the advantage of being easier to suppress reflections.
Creating “air that doesn’t pick up noise” is more practical than perfect isolation
Rather than achieving complete sound isolation, minimizing noise within the recording environment—creating “air that doesn’t pick up noise”—is more practical for ASMR recording. Applying acoustic treatment to a closet can create this “air that doesn’t pick up noise.”
Specific Construction Method: Steps to Turn a Closet into an ASMR Mini Recording Studio#
Here’s how to turn a closet into a mini recording studio optimized for ASMR recording. This method focuses on “absorption rather than isolation” for safety and affordability.
① Always Use the Space as “One Box”#
When using a closet as a recording booth, it’s important to use the space as one box without removing the upper and lower tier dividers.
Don’t force demolition—simply “creating an acoustic space inside” is sufficient. Breaking the closet structure can cause restoration issues in rental properties, so utilizing the existing structure is safer and more practical.
② Cover Reflective Surfaces on Walls, Ceiling, and Door with Acoustic Panels#
Covering reflective surfaces inside the closet with acoustic panels can significantly reduce indoor reflections.
Recommended Configuration
- Apply acoustic material (3-5cm thick) to wall surfaces: Covering all wall surfaces with acoustic material suppresses sound reflections. Use commercial acoustic panels or urethane foam.
- Cover door back with felt or soundproof curtains: Applying felt or soundproof curtains to the inside of the door suppresses sound reflections from the door.
- Suppress floor reflections with rugs or EVA mats: Placing rugs or EVA mats on the floor suppresses sound reflections from the floor.
This configuration can reduce indoor reflections by 80-90%, achieving sufficient sound quality for whisper and close-mic recording.
③ Minimal Configuration for Budget-Conscious Users#
For those wanting to keep costs down, here’s a minimal configuration:
- 100-yen store felt × several sheets: Used as basic acoustic material for closet walls
- Commercial acoustic panels × 6-12 sheets: For more effective acoustic treatment
- USB fan (heat countermeasure): Used for ventilation
With this configuration, you can turn a closet into an ASMR recording mini studio for approximately 9,000-15,000 yen total (approximately $60-100 USD).
④ Microphone Position Dramatically Changes Sound Quality#
Microphone position inside the closet significantly affects sound quality.
Keep binaural/condenser mics away from walls
Getting too close to walls makes reflected sound from walls more likely to enter the microphone. Keep the microphone 20-30cm away from walls.
Create a whisper-specific position 10-15cm from mouth
For ASMR recording, the distance from mouth to microphone is important. Creating a whisper-specific position at about 10-15cm achieves optimal sound quality.
Dangers of Trying to Make a Closet into a Professional Soundproof Room#
Attempting to turn a closet into a fully soundproof room can cause structural problems and safety issues.
Weight Problem (Soundproofing Materials Are Heavy)#
Achieving professional-level sound isolation requires heavy materials like gypsum boards, soundproofing sheets, and double walls. However, closet structures aren’t designed to bear such heavy loads, creating risks of excessive structural stress.
Especially in rental properties, damaging the structure can result in high restoration costs.
Ventilation Problem#
Attempting to achieve sound isolation by completely sealing the closet causes ventilation problems.
Stuffy within minutes in sealed space
Since closets originally have almost no ventilation openings, completely sealing them makes the space stuffy within minutes. This isn’t suitable for extended recording sessions.
Heat buildup can cause ASMR equipment failure
Without ventilation, heat from equipment builds up, increasing the risk of failure for microphones and audio interfaces used in ASMR recording.
👉 Conclusion: Using a closet as an “acoustic booth” rather than a “soundproof room” is optimal. ASMR is most compatible with these conditions.
Smarter Alternatives to Closet DIY#
There are smarter alternatives beyond modifying closets. Here are options recommended in order for beginners.
Option ①: Place a “Simple Acoustic Booth” in Front of the Closet#
Rather than modifying the closet, placing a simple acoustic booth in front of it offers better ventilation and safety.
Danbotchi
Yamaha’s “Danbotchi” is a simple soundproof booth available for approximately 60,000-150,000 yen (approximately $400-1,000 USD). It’s assembly-type and offers significantly better ventilation and safety than closet modifications.
Assembly-type Acoustic Booths (10,000-30,000 yen / approximately $67-200 USD)
Overseas-made assembly-type acoustic booths are also available for approximately 10,000-30,000 yen. They offer better ventilation and safety than closet modifications, making them recommended for beginners.
Option ②: Use Closet as “Equipment Storage” and Apply Acoustic Treatment to Room Side#
Instead of modifying the closet, you can use it as “equipment storage” and apply acoustic treatment only to the room-side wall.
Common Method
- Use closet as “storage for acoustic materials”: Store acoustic materials inside the closet and take them out as needed
- Apply acoustic treatment only to walls around desk: Apply acoustic panels only to walls around the recording desk
This method keeps fixed costs low and makes removal easy. It’s also easy to implement in rental properties.
Search for acoustic material sets on Amazon
Option ③: Create an “Acoustic Curtain Booth” in One Corner of the Room#
You can also create a simple recording booth in one corner of the room using wire and soundproof curtains.
Wire + Soundproof Curtains
Hanging wire from the ceiling and suspending soundproof curtains creates a sufficient recording space just by enclosing the area. This offers better ventilation than closet modifications and is easy to remove.
Summary: Using Closets as “ASMR-Specialized Booths” Works Best#
We’ve explained the possibilities and precautions of DIYing a closet into a soundproof room, specific construction methods, and smarter alternatives.
Using a closet as an ASMR recording-specialized booth is one of the most cost-effective options available in Japan. While complete soundproofing isn’t realistic, closets excel as acoustic spaces, and their small size directly contributes to ASMR recording quality.
What’s needed isn’t sound isolation but “eliminating reflections,” and for small-scale, short-duration recording, this is the most cost-effective solution.
When modifying closets, it’s important not to break the structure and to focus on acoustic treatment. Also consider smarter alternatives like simple acoustic booths or acoustic treatment on the room side.
Find the method best suited to your recording environment and create high-quality ASMR content.