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Even if you have a top-quality microphone and headphones, good gear can only take you so far when recording your voice on the road without proper insulation surrounding you. That’s where a portable recording booth, also called a vocal isolation booth, can make or break your vocal takes.
When recording at home or remotely, we’ve personally seen (or rather heard) the difference one of these can create. It may look pretty simplistic, but the comparison is instantly noticeable and the ability to set up a recording area anywhere is a great bonus to have at a moment’s notice. The best portable isolation booth can keep your tracks sounding consistent, and you don’t need to have studio-trained ears to hear it either. If you’ve got a space with limited size, such as a small apartment or garage, this is an invaluable piece of your setup, and some smaller “shield” models can even fit right onto your existing mic stand.
These movable booths not only isolate outside sounds from creeping in to your mic, but also provide a backing that reduces echo. The result is a clean and clear capture of your voice, ready to be edited in your favorite DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Even without the effects of a studio application though, the comparison between vocals recorded with and without insulation enveloping you is night and day, and might even be the missing piece you’ve been looking for to get your tracks sounding just the way you first heard them in your head.
Another benefit we’ve experienced with these is keeping your roommates, family and neighbors from being disturbed by noise. Sometimes you need to get loud for the right feeling to come through on the final mix, and with some of the more encapsulating vocal isolation booths, you’ll be able to sing and scream at top volume, while the people next door will barely be bothered. This goes both ways as well, since the inner layer helps to dampen any sounds coming from other parts of the house, like if someone’s watching TV, running air conditioners or just from the natural hum happening in any room.
And it’s not just for singing either — these portable booths also work great for voice acting, narration, podcasts or really anything that involves voice (or even acoustic instruments too), and can be taken anywhere you need to record. Here are the best portable recording booths, some of which include panels and other accessories to set up your remote studio.
