As discussed in the last article, where you record your voice over can make a big difference in your booking rate and your ability to be seen as a professional. Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned pro, recording your commercials, narrations, or animation jobs in a noisy space can frustrate your clients and editors, and they may not hire you again. It is essential to have no interferences within your recordings, and so, therefore, a voiceover booth is key to your success.
I began my voice over career recording in a closet within my home, and it served me well for the first three years of my career. I recorded thousands of auditions and hundreds of jobs in that closet, and although it was not pretty and quite stuffy, it got the job done. I landed commercials on network TV and hundreds of explainer videos for international fortune 500 companies.
Quality Voiceover Booth Choices
Eventually, I decided to upgrade my booth to a more professional look and feel, and I’m happy that I did. The booth I have now (Vocal Booth to Go) works very well for my day-to-day work. It diffuses noise, absorbs sound, and is not too stuffy, which smaller booths tend to be. Although it is not the most expensive booth on my market, one would never know. When deciding to purchase my booth of choice, the Vocal Booth to Go, I did quite a bit of research online to learn about the various options available today. These are some of the most popular and highly-rated booths available.
Vocal Booth 2 Go
This booth is cost-effective, portable, travel-friendly, and durable. It’s a portable walk-in studio that allows you to have an immediate acoustically treated room anywhere. This is an excellent option for a permanent booth at home and on the road. The set-up time was relatively quick, and in no time, you could be recording professional sounding Voice over for your clients. The booth comes with a PVC frame, moving blanket walls, and a LED light within a large duffle bag. Available in multiple dimensions. The Vocal Booth to Go interior is in the color white, which aids in providing me a lot of energy and vitality throughout my day.
- Price: $955 USD+
- Made in the USA
- -10 dB reduction
- Under 50 Lbs
Tri-Booth
Cost-effective, portable, travel-friendly, and durable. Ideal for voice actors or recording artists who require an affordable professional home/mobile studio anytime. Set up time is relatively quick. The booth comes with a PVC frame, moving blanket walls, a stand, and an LED light within a duffle bag or hard-shell case. Available in three dimensions – standard, short or tall. The interior color is white.
- Price: USD 1500
- Made in the USA
- Under 50 lbs
Whisper Room Voiceover Booth
Though this booth is at a higher price tag, this is a trendy choice for voice actors. This is considered a professional-grade voice over booth and can stand the test of time. This booth comes with the frame, walls, a ventilation system (add-on), door, cable passages, acoustic foam, LED light, and a remote switch. Available in many dimensions, you choose and can also choose from colored acoustic foam.
- Price: USD 4275+
- Made in the USA
- -30 dB reduction
Bear Cave Silent Booths
This booth is a professional-grade option and would sit permanently within your space. The basic models are the only booths that use 1-inch MDF for their walls, and their single wall unit is roomier than most. Their double-wall units are the only ones on the market that use an innovative material called Sonopan, which is specifically used for soundproofing.
- Price: USD 3878+
- Made in Canada
- Single Wall Booth -25-30 dB reduction
- Double Wall Booth -40-45 dB reduction
Studio Bricks
If you’re looking for a higher-end vocal booth, look no further than the famous Studio Bricks. It is the booth that accomplished voice actors possess. The overall visual appearance of Studio Bricks is very appealing. It dons a white sleek, futuristic look, all done with professional-grade materials. The interior studio foam comes with a recognizable cube design. The booth comes as a frame, and all other materials are not included in the basic price. Multiple color options of the exterior and interior studio foam are also available. Despite its high-quality design, it’s pretty durable if you decide to move the booth’s location into a different room of your home, your office, or move entirely.
- Price: USD 4500
- Made in Spain
- -46 dB reduction
Which Voiceover Booth is Best?
All of the booths mentioned are professional-grade and highly acclaimed. Suppose money was no object. I know which booth I would be getting. I would list the Whisper Room, Bear-Cave booth, and Studio Bricks to be similar in functionality. They are a more permanent structure and are all very quiet rooms regarding noise reduction. All three brands also come with many add on’s, such as HEPA filters, Bass Traps, Desks, wall windows, etc., to perfect your recording space. My booth of choice would be the Studio Bricks, not only because of the design and low dBs but also because I love the overall aesthetics. It is a thing of beauty, as well you can choose your studio foam color, and I love the idea of a lighter, brighter booth to give me energy throughout my day.
As a diverse millennial voice actor, my Vocal Booth to Go will serve me well for years. I would love to be a digital nomad traveling with my portable booth. And when I am ready to upgrade for my home, the Studio Bricks would be at the top of my wish list!