Adventures In Audio

The ultimate portable vocal booth?

In the quest for ever-drier vocals, how can you achieve the ultimate dead zone in your studio?

Harlan Hogan Porta Booth

It is often better to record vocals very dry, without any ambience or reverb. This is because you can process the recording in any way you want later. You can add reverb, but you can't take it away.

But achieving a dry vocal sound isn't always easy. If your recording room has hard surfaces, whether flat or irregular, then you will have ambience (the word 'ambience' is generally used to mean the reverberation of a small room). This might sound nice on instruments. It might even sound nice on vocals if you get the mic placement exactly right. But being able to achieve a very dry recording should be part of any recordist's technique.

So you could add acoustic treatment to the room. Acoustic treatment in general (which is not the same as sound insulation) comprises both absorption and diffusion. But here we just want absorption. Without going into the lengthy details here, with sufficient budget and materials you could make any room dry as a dead dingo's armpit.

But what if you don't have the budget? Or you don't want to make the whole room dry? Then you might consider a vocal booth. You can buy a vocal booth, but once again we're talking money. You could build one. Bear in mind that the acoustics of very small spaces are difficult. You could build a small booth, put a lot of absorption in, and find that it ends up sounding 'boxy'.

So in the face of these difficulties, a new class of product has emerged - the portable vocal booth. Typified by this example from sE Electronics, the main aim is to prevent excess vocal sound energy flying straight past the microphone and energizing the room. The device will also reduce reflections that would otherwise strike the back and sides of the mic.

This is a noble aim, although one would have to consider whether any of the similar devices on the market might reflect some sound directly back into the mic. Clearly this would be undesirable.

But one thing seems puzzling. Why are portable vocal booths so small? Well they are not exactly small but they could be a lot bigger. Like a Dyson Sphere versus Ringworld. It's weight that is the problem. It's one matter to sell a product that will sit on a mic stand, quite another if it requires a scaffold to hold it in place.

But these products conventionally treat the vocalist and microphone as an entire system. What about just considering the microphone? What if you could reduce the aperture through which sound energy can access the microphone, so that the microphone is screened from the room in all other directions?

Sounds crazy? Well fortunately there are people in the world crazy enough, or inventive enough, to try it out. Here for instance is the Harlan Hogan Porta-Booth (shown in the photo above). And here is how you can make a similar gadget for yourself...

It's an 'over to you moment'. If you use a booth like this, or build one yourself, send us some 'before and after' audio. A lot of people out there are interested.

P.S. What about adding a hood to go over the performer's head like an old style photographer? Just kidding. Or maybe they already have (at 1:50)...

Comments on this video

You can comment on this video at YouTube

@larrypie915:  i need help, where can i get a permanent marking device

@angelegend:  Making it tomorrow.  Thanks for the video!

@deadpoolmf531:  Are there any benefits (Aside from portability) to using the whitmore cube over a cardboard box of a similar size? 

I ask because I don't think I'll be moving my recording equipment often, and if it doesn't change the audio, I figure I could just use any sort of small box just so long as I line it with the foam...

@Shanethefilmmaker:  Let's say you're a voice actor. Your mic is a headset. This may sound a bit silly. but could you just put the finished box over your head?

@Delightedrobot replies to @Shanethefilmmaker: You might want a larger version of this box if you plan to put it over your head. The other factor to consider is that the microphone design of headset microphones tends to be slightly different than the design of freestanding microphones.

@Shanethefilmmaker replies to @Shanethefilmmaker: Delighted Robot
 Thank you.

@anthonysmith3946:  Smart

@Delightedrobot:  @lordchris202 At the time I made the video, you couldn't get foam in small quantities, but yes, if you can avoid cutting the foam, I recommend smaller pieces.

@Delightedrobot:  @geraldp You can use other types of foam. The foam used in the video was what I was able to get in a small quantity at the time I made the video.

@Delightedrobot:  @Munneyonmymind The link in the video description has a complete parts list.

@stuntboy556:  Where did you you get the red box from?

@VisorBlue:  Darn, mine's blue, I wanted a red one. The cubes are Whitmore collapsible cubes, 2 for $15 from Walmart online (site-to-store). I bought four 12" x 12" Auralex foam pieces for $4 each to make it simple. Search for Harlan Hogan for info on this. Hogan and Amazon sells the kits ($130) if you don't want to make one. The box does a nice job of increasing the resonance of your voice, makes it sound like you have a better microphone.

@Logos385:  I've had luck with mounting something similar on a wall (even mounting tape does the job) and angling a boom mic stand so the mic ends up hanging in the center of the space.

@Delightedrobot:  It's a cloth storage box.

@Delightedrobot:  The video was not recorded using the portable studio.

@Delightedrobot:  A real sound booth is better but this works pretty well.

@jamesoclark:  Jake, love the solution with the snowball. I've got problems in my own office with echoing. This will make for a good weekend project.

@TomTerrific:  Great video not only for people traveling, but making a portable studio for your home. I noticed that the Container Store has even larger collapsible boxes you could use.

@Delightedrobot:  If you do a reasonable job of eliminating outside noises, this will further help get pro sound. It was originally designed and used by a professional voice actor, if that's any kind of endorsement.

@wingerwanger:  I can't afford a real vocal both and i was thinking of getting one of these instead.In terms of capturing unwanted outside noise and ambience, how do you think this holds up against a real vocal booth ?

@wingerwanger:  i can't afford a vocal booth, and i was thinking of getting one of these instead.In terms of picking up any sort of outside noise or ambience, how well do you think this holds up against a real sound booth ?

@Delightedrobot:  The article linked in the description has additional details and places to buy all the parts.

@Delightedrobot:  That's an excellent idea!

You can comment on this video at YouTube

Thursday January 20, 2011

Like, follow, and comment on this article at Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram or the social network of your choice.

David Mellor

David Mellor

David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.

Learn Pro Tools with our amazing range of video courses

Pro Tools video course catalog

Browse Pro Tools courses...

Learn Logic Pro with our amazing range of video courses

Logic Pro video course catalog

Browse Logic Pro courses...

Learn Cubase with our amazing range of video courses

Cubase video course catalog

Browse Cubase courses...

Audio Masterclass gives you all the technical knowledge and skills to bring your musical dreams to life

The Audio Masterclass Music Production and Sound Engineering Course

Get the most from your studio with the Audio Masterclass Music Production and Sound Engineering Course.

Learn more...

More from Adventures In Audio...

Your power amp is average - Here's why

Adding tube warmth with the Freqtube FT-1 - Audio demonstration

Adding tubes to a synth track with Freqport Freqtube

The tiny amp that does (nearly) everything

Can I unmix this track?

Why you need a mono amp in your system - Fosi Audio ZA3 review

Can you get great earbud bass with Soundpeats AIR4 Pro?

24 bits or 96 kHz? Which makes most difference?

16-bit vs. 24-bit - Less noise or more detail?

Are these earphones REALLY lossless? Questyle NHB12

Could this be your first oscilloscope? FNIRSI DSO-TC3

OneOdio Monitor 60 Hi-Res wired headphones full review

Watch me rebuild my studio with the FlexiSpot E7 Pro standing desk

Can a tiny box do all this? Testing the Fosi Audio SK01 headphone amp, preamp, EQ

Hi-Fi comfort OVER your ears? TRUEFREE O1 detailed review

Get the tube sound in your system with the Fosi Audio P3

Any studio you like, any listening room you like - For producers and audiophiles

Hidden Hi-Fi - The equipment you never knew you *didn't* need - Fosi Audio N3

Adding tubes to a jazz mix with Freqport Freqtube

Adding tubes to a rock master with Freqport Freqtube

Adding tubes to female vocals with Freqport Freqtube

Adding tubes to male vocals with Freqport Freqtube

Adding tubes to real drums with Freqport Freqtube

Adding tubes to a bass guitar with Freqport Freqtube