On-the-Go Studio: The Best Portable Recording Booths
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Whether you’re just putting together a home studio for the first time, or you simply want to upgrade your setup, the most important thing to have for capturing vocals is a good mic. The second most important thing? Proper insulation around it. No matter how great a vocalist you are, or if you’ve got the best mic available, you’re still going to need plenty of vocal isolation. That’s where the best portable recording booths come into play, which make it easier to quickly install a pro-level at-home studio setup.
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But just because these are portable recording booths doesn’t mean you’ll sacrifice sound. In fact, you’ll notice a night-and-day difference in the takes when you get a closer listen and start mixing your tracks. But you don’t need an entire room engineered to be totally echo-free with professionally-installed foam padding on the walls. That’s the beauty of these portable recording booths, also known as portable isolation booths. They may look like a simple fix, but you’ll notice the variation right off the bat.
Portable Recording Booth Buying Guide
Here’s what you need to know when searching for the best portable recording booth for your next session.
Consistency: Not only do portable recording booths help prevent the natural reverb of a room from affecting your vocals, but they also keep the way you sound consistent. In other words, no matter where you record, you won’t have to deal with trying to make all your takes sound uniform. Whether you’re recording in the garage or at a hotel, these portable recording studio booths truly let you set up and sing whenever the inspiration strikes.
Setup: There are quite a few different varieties of portable recording booths on the market. They all have the same ultimate goal, but differ on sound isolation and portability. A complete booth is the bulkiest, but if it’s staying stationary, it may be your best option for the best sound quality. These can be set up in the corner of a room or even a large closet to keep it truly isolated. If you’re going for more portable, some of the mouth-level unfolding models can attach right to your mic stand, giving you a makeshift booth wherever you want.
Sound: Generally speaking, a vocal recording booth that surrounds you on all sides will offer the best sound in the end, making it easier to get the clearest, crispest vocal takes. While that’s a big benefit for any musician, it’s especially convenient for beginners who don’t yet know how to mix vocals in a studio program, or have the resources to hire a producer. If you get that perfect take that captures your sound without distracting and unwanted background effects, you can use it as-is, or play around with additional options in your application to start experimenting and learning what’s available, or go back to the original take.
Other Uses: These aren’t just for vocalists and musicians, but they’re ideal for voice acting, narration, podcasts, or anything that involves voice or acoustic instruments.
The Best Portable Recording Booths
We selected the best portable recording booths for recording podcasts, vocals, and instrumental tracks at home and on the road.
1. Snap Studio Original Recording Booth
Still the champion of home recording booths, this truly is the ultimate setup for your studio space. Taking up 5.5 square feet and standing six-foot-eight-inches when fully assembled, the Snap captures isolated vocals from anyone inside. It may not be completely soundproof, but it does cut way down on reverberating waves significantly up to 80 percent. Plus ,there's also a light switch so you're not completely in the dark, and a mobile clip for a phone or tablet so you can see your lyrics. Assembly is as easy as putting PVC pipes together, and the draping blankets all around are heavy-duty, absorbing sound from inside and keeping out unwanted noise. This also includes a hefty travel bag and eight AA batteries.
Snap Studio Original Recording Booth
2. TroyStudio Portable Recording Booth
By far the lightest of the bunch here, TroyStudio's Booth Box is truly the most portable. This wood-framed cube lined with two-inch foam lets you instantly set it down and begin recording anywhere. Simply place your mic on the inside of the booth to get started. It has the ability to knock out up to 92 percent of unwanted reverb, and fits right onto your mic stand.
TroyStudio Portable Recording Booth
3. Pyle Wood Microphone Isolation Shield
Pyle's portable recording booth has a sturdy, multi-layered wood frame, with two-inch thick foam on the inside that does a great job capturing your voice and also keeps out the buzzing and humming of household appliances nearby. This fits right on your mic stand, and you can even adjust the depth to bring the mic closer to your mouth or instrument.
Pyle Wood Microphone Isolation Shield
4. Aston Microphones Halo Portable Mic Filter
Aston's retro-futuristic looking shield uses patented PET felt for significantly improved isolation, giving you a pure, dry vocal take every time. The odd shape provides nearly 360 degrees of filtering, and works well for makeshift studios that are up against natural house noises like pipes and heating, reflecting unwanted sound outward thanks to its built-in ribs on both sides. At nine pounds, it's still plenty portable, and can fit onto most mic stands.
Aston Microphones Halo Portable Mic Filter
5. Isovox 2 Home Vocal Booth
If you know you'll be doing vocal recording for a career, this one can be a good investment. It has thick and durable material, seriously dampening outside noise, while still being portable when needed. The side panel opens up easily too, allowing you to replace or adjust the mic inside without squeezing your hands into a tight, dark space. It's also sturdy at almost 25 pounds, and we recommend setting it up on a speaker stand rather than a mic stand for extra stability when in use.
Isovox 2 Home Vocal Booth
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