https://www.vocalboothtogo.eu/vomo-for-professional-voice-over-actors-and-singers-/In the pursuit of high-quality audio recordings, reflection filters have become a favorite tool of many recording enthusiasts and professionals alike. These devices promise to improve vocal clarity and focus by reducing unwanted reflections and ambient noise. However, their effectiveness is more than doubtful. This article aims to shed light on the reasons why reflection filters may not always be the ideal solution for achieving optimal audio recording quality.

Incomplete acoustic treatment

While reflection filters can help minimize reflections directly hitting the microphone (albeit very little), they do not address the overall acoustic properties of the recording environment. Reflections from the floor, ceiling, and other surfaces can still affect sound quality, leading to coloration and uneven frequency response.

 They take up a large part of the view

Due to their nature, they occupy almost all of your view in front of the microphone, and you have nowhere to put your text. This can be a big problem, especially when recording VoiceOver. 

Cost Effectiveness

Reflection filters can be a significant investment, especially when considering high-quality options. For individuals with limited budgets, allocating resources towards other aspects of the recording chain, such as a better microphone or acoustic treatment may yield more noticeable improvements in overall audio quality. 

Alternative 

A great and especially functional alternative to reflection filters is our VOMO portable acoustic booth, which will provide your microphone with protection from all sides and is made of the most acoustically suitable materials.

While reflection filters can be useful tools in certain recording scenarios, it is crucial to recognize their limitations. Consideration should be given to the specific needs of the recording environment, the desired sonic characteristics, and the available budget.

Unfortunately, they are often pointed to as miracle pieces of equipment that will improve your recordings many times over, which is definitely not true and there are plenty of much better alternatives on the market.

This is a new standardized test for Noise Isolation Class. 
This test is different from STC test.
STC is designed for materials and partitions, where NIC is designed for sound isolation enclosures.

Noise Isolation Class (NIC) – A single number noise reduction rating of a partition, room, or enclosure, where sound pressure level differentials are measured in one-third octave bands and compared with standard contours as per ASTM E 413.

Test results noise reduction graph in dB & NIC (SPB / Double wall):

Test results NIC by frequency: (SPB / Double wall):

This is a new standardized test for Noise Isolation Class. 
This test is different from STC test.
STC is designed for materials and partitions, where NIC is designed for sound isolation enclosures.

Noise Isolation Class (NIC) – A single number noise reduction rating of a partition, room, or enclosure, where sound pressure level differentials are measured in one-third octave bands and compared with standard contours as per ASTM E 413.

Test results noise reduction graph in dB & NIC (SPB / Single wall):

Test results NIC by frequency: (SPB / Single wall):

Don't want the neighbors to be forced to listen to 2 hours of your workout? They even complained about you and now you can't even exercise at home?

Fortunately for you, there is a solution!

Our soundproof double-wall booths are perfect for exactly these purposes.

Specifically, we tested the SPB33D booth, but all D-type, double-walled booths achieve the same noise reduction properties.

We invited a friend who plays the saxophone over to do the test.

We placed the microphones in the room next to the one our friend was playing in, this room demoed the neighbor's apartment. He played first in front of the booth and then inside the booth.

Although we only tested the saxophone, you can achieve very similar results with other similarly noisy instruments.

And how did it all turn out? Well, we were happy with the results, judge for yourself here:

Does it happen to you that you cross yourself out when recording VoiceOver or your voice skips? Maybe it's because you didn't warm up before recording.

Your voice needs to be prepared and warmed up just like any other part of your body before you start using it. We looked at how to do it in the new video that Dan made for you!

In this video we explain the importance of voice and language exercises and show you 3 simple exercises you can practice before recording to deliver the best possible result and avoid injury.

Video link here: 

https://youtu.be/AfCKN8KCi2c    

When you think of digital nomadism, you rarely think of VoiceOver. Most of you who are dedicated to VoiceOver know very well that a studio is needed to record a quality VoiceOver.

Such a studio usually weighs hundreds of kilos and is permanently built into the room. It's hard to imagine that you can travel while recording VoiceOver.

It is possible to travel and record VoiceOver thanks to our VOMO portable acoustic booth, check it out here

VOMO weighs only 8KG and measures 60cm x 60cm x 15cm. Thanks to these compact dimensions, it is suitable for travel, so you can record VoiceOver almost anywhere.

Due to the dimensions, it was possible to design a backpack for the VOMO, so it is not a problem to carry the booth over a longer distance.

So it is possible! Are you interested in this issue? Watch our new video on our YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/7fKhKnsFaGQ 

Studio Vokál v Brně 

Together in this article, we'll take a look at how Vokál tackles acoustics in the studio.

Find out more about the studio at www.studiovokal.cz

There's a new podcast studio in Brno called Vocal, a cubbyhole for all the kittens that will throw you for a loop.

The studio is located in the Brno creative hub Kumst. Kumst was created in the premises of the former Favu BUT, which is the oldest non-arts college in the Czech Republic and is located at Údolní 19.

Converting a room into a studio

The boys from Vokál decided to turn a room in Kumšt into a podcast studio and they went about it smart... They took a room that originally served as a music classroom, so they've been doing the hardest acoustic work since the beginning in the Vokál studio, which we call our chicken coop. All the walls in the studio are fitted with acoustic panels, which also give the studio a distinctive style.

The studio has three windows (plus one in the tech closet) overlooking a busy street. As the studio is used for podcasts and video, it is advisable to cover the windows when filming.

For Vokál, acoustic blankets solve both problems at the same time - parasitic light and noise from the street.

Acoustic blankets are targeted to you

Vokál decided to go one step further... he modified his acoustic blankets. They had each acoustic blanket cut by a seamstress and Velcroed to the middle of the blanket. So when you're filming, all you have to do is zip the blankets together. This way the acoustic blankets look better and more home sweet home, which many kittens will appreciate.

Door acoustic blankets as curtains you'll certainly fall in love with

Vokál divided its studio into two parts - dark and light - according to the needs of its customers and the topics of their podcasts. The smaller dark stage is equipped with a door acoustic blanket, which is laid on the ceiling structure - it was already in the room. With the door acoustic blanket, unwanted reverberation can be quickly picked up and placed virtually anywhere in the studio.

As you can see, we've done great thing with acoustic blankets in the Vocal Studio. So the sound blankets serve also as an addition to the studio. Check out the types of acoustic blankets (www.vocalboothtogo.eu) and built your own studio.

I am Jan Štumpa,
video producer
Watch my youtube channel: Už toho mám plný kufr
www.filmambo.cz

and find out when I'm really fed up.

Are you bothered by ambient noise when recording VoiceOver, Dubbing, etc.?

Do disturbing sounds from the street often get into your recording and spoil it?

SPB double wall soundproof booths are a great solution!

Our soundproof, double-walled booths can easily handle a neighbor mowing the grass, an ambulance driving by your house while you're recording, or even a neighbor's dog that starts barking every time you press the record button.

We often get questions from you, about how specifically the booth copes with a certain type of noise at a certain volume, and since it is not possible to do a separate test for each customer individually, we decided to do a big test that will hopefully answer all the questions and confirm at the same time the quality of our double wall booths.

Test description

We're testing the SPB33D specifically, but any double wall booth, regardless of size, would achieve the same results - you can view all types by clicking here

Disturbing noises

We've created an audio track containing 9 of the most common distracting noises you might encounter.

Of course, we were not able to include every disturbing noise in the test, as the test would then take several hours, but we tried to select the ones that you ask us about most often and we believe that this will be enough to give you an idea of the noise reduction properties of double-wall cabins .

In front of the building, we have placed professional iLoud Micro speakers from which we emit disturbing noises at the highest volume. We wanted the noise in the room to be as loud as possible, as we understand that everyone has a different level of noise in the room, and for that reason we went a little overboard with the volume to make the test result valid for everyone.

Voice playback

Since no one records only silence, we decided to imitate VoiceOver recording.

For maximum consistency, which is crucial for the objectivity of the test, we decided to play the voice from a professional iLoud MTM speaker, which we placed in the same position and distance from the microphone each time, so that the recorded volume of the voice was the same in front of the booth and inside the booth.

Test recording

As I already indicated, the first part of the test takes place in front of the booth and the second inside the booth. We recorded everything on two microphones, the SE X1S and our VBM 90. We recorded on two microphones just for checking, but the result you can hear is recorded on the SE X1S.

For the purpose of a better comparison, we have edited the recordings from outside and inside the booth so that it is as easy as possible to find the sound that is disturbing you and compare the result.

Result

And how did it all turn out? Well, judge for yourself, we're more than happy with the results.

Video link:

 youtube.com/watch?v=s82kGmvxWYQ

You must have noticed that there is no recording of separate noises inside the booth in the video. We decided not to put it there, considering the length of the video, but if you are interested, you can listen to it, together with all the uncut recordings, here:
soundcloud.com/user-179117028/sets/spb33d_eng_test

We hope that this test will help you in making a decision, and if you still have any questions that were not answered by this test, do not hesitate to write to us at: support@VocalBoothToGo.eu

View all our double wall cabins here.

My dream, which I am still pursuing, is to build my own film studio. This involves a super location, high ceilings, constant buying of everything I need and a way to control the acoustics.

What is an acoustic blanket?

An acoustic blanket is the least hi-tech thing in my tech park, yet I'm always impressed by how easy it is to tame the acoustics of a room with a sound blanket. So a sound blanket has become a faithful helper in and out of the studio. And it certainly doesn't stop there.

I regularly use acoustic blankets instead of blinds or curtains in my studio and on projects. They can quickly minimize parasitic light from outside by covering windows or even larger glass surfaces, while improving the reverberation of the room including light insulation from outside noise.

I found that I could just fit two acoustic blankets in a blue Ikea bag. The features of the acoustic blankets are redeemed by their weight, with each acoustic blanket being around 5.5 kg. Two acoustic blankets already add up to an 11 kg package (roughly 70x35x35 cm when folded into the bag). This also makes sound blankets one of the heaviest things I have to lug around on a job. My tripod and head is about 9 kg and just throw it over my shoulder. Acoustic blankets are already quite voluminous - it's good to have a car, or a very strong back.

Who are acoustic blankets suitable for?

After two years of working with acoustic blankets, I can recommend them to all creators who are setting up their own studio or podcast studio at home. To all experienced and aspiring musicians who don't mind egg shells at all, and to all fellow filmmakers who want to scoop up sound in hopelessly small offices.

Improving room reverberation

Acoustic blankets do not serve as a sound insulator, but as a reverberation absorber. As I discovered, there is a difference. An acoustic blanket improves the reverberation of a room and, when placed appropriately, can also contribute to sound insulation – when placed in a window.

What acoustic blankets help with the most is reverberation, so that the room doesn't sound like a cave. It is reverberation that most often spoils my spoken word recordings. It's the sound that reverberates endlessly against the big white walls of the room – the echo/echo.

In this aspect, the size of the acoustic blankets is a key factor. Their 5 m2 is already a decent area through which the sound must pass. Thanks to the acoustic blanket, the sound is largely absorbed and does not return in such intensity and what is even better: the sound that does pass through has to pass through the blanket again after the reflection and is absorbed again. For this reason too, it is a good idea not to put the acoustic blankets directly on the wall, but to leave a gap to increase their effectiveness.

Work in the studio

Bad acoustics are fine for shooting, but the film studio works mainly with sound. I want to be able to change the existing conditions in the studio, just like when working with lights. Recording live music can be different from recording noise or spoken word. So my main requirement for acoustics is the ability to control them, which is why I have been considering acoustic panels for a long time.

Acoustic panels

Acoustic panels look great, especially when you buy designer pieces, but the installation... I have to be pretty sure I want them exactly where I'm going to stick them.

I just don't want to stick anything anywhere!

Acoustic screens

Then I found something called acoustic screens. They do the job, sure, but I can move the fridge around the room and it will be the same in the (in)freedom of movement. I'll think carefully about whether I want to move it back and forth, plus they're still not cheap or efficient at all.

Advantages of acoustic blankets

These common ways of dealing with acoustics are not for me. If I also need to record sound while shooting, I need a mobile acoustic panel solution. Panels that can be packed up, rolled over and placed in the space without much delay, or just thrown over the fridge and get rid of unwanted noise in the room.

I found these features in the acoustic blankets from Vocalboothtogo.EU At the time of writing I own five acoustic blankets in sizes 200*243 cm in two colours white/black.

I am Jan Štumpa,
video producer
Watch my show on youtube
www.filmambo.cz

Different sizes of acoustic blankets can be viewed or bought directly from e-shop by clicking HERE

How to reduce ambient noise?

I go ordinarily to my favourite Wolťák Karel for a friendly chat, run up a few stairs, shake his right hand and there is no indication that Karel is a gamer who is going to try it online.

With a wave of his hand, he points me in the direction of his room, where we're supposed to play games for a while. Already from the doorway, VocalBoothToGo.EU acoustic blankets tower to the ceiling, mounted on film spacers such as Manfrotto autopole. I enter the room and see up close that the sound blankets are held together by the exact green clamps. I have them too.

Acoustically treated room

My first concern was whether it met his expectations of an acoustically treated room. I could only read satisfaction from the slight smile. Without much more conversation, we are sitting in Karel's burrow, and a comfortable silence surrounds us. The sounds of the city are no longer disturbing us, now more important things come up.

Construction

Karel describes to me how he got the spreader bars, measured the space and chose the appropriate acoustic blankets for all four sides VB76-G Acoustic blanket 200x300cm and for the ceiling the shorter VB70G Acoustic blanket White/Black 200 x 200cm. All simply clamped to the spacers.

I don't often go to churches, but to lean over and see such a beautiful ceiling moves you. At that moment, the concept of a party burrow disappears from my mind – perhaps a monastery is more appropriate. 

Conclusion

Karel loves survival games and in such a silent monastery this genre of game excels best. It's not for nothing that our friends say, "Don't run in the woods late at night when there are zombies everywhere!"  

I am Jan Štumpa,
video producer
Watch my show on youtube:plný kufr
www.filmambo.cz

Check out VocalBoothToGo.EU's acoustic blankets if you're disturbed by your surroundings and want some peace and quiet to play survival games.