Soundproof Recording Booths

Many successful indie artists and bands have high-quality studio setups right in the comfort of their own homes. It may seem like an unreasonably priced goal to set up a great home studio, but it isn't! One element that music makers feel like they won't be able to set up properly is the recording booth. I'm here to tell you that you have a few options, many of which are less than $100 bucks if you know where to look. 

Checklist Before You Consider Booths

Your recording booth will make a huge impact on the quality of the recordings in your home studio. But before we get to the different types of booths you can get for your studio, let's make sure you have the other crucial elements that are listed below. 

• Computer: A lot of people already have one handy, but you’ll need a desktop or laptop with good processing speed and disc space left for your home studio. 

• Microphone: You will need a good-quality microphone to record your vocal magic for your songs. Luckily enough, you don’t need to spend a grand or more on it. Good quality recording microphones from brands like Audio Technica and Rode will only run you around $100-$200 bucks. 

Related Post: See Tips For Microphone Sound Quality

• Music Software and Interface: Music software is used to record and edit your songs online, while the interface is used to hook up your gear to the music software. A common combo that Indie musicians use is Avid Pro Tools software with the Mbox audio interface.

• Headphones and Speakers: Headphones are a necessity when it comes to recording and mixing your music. As a beginner, you can stick to one pair of quality headphones (also around $100) or do it like a pro and get the two different types: closed-headphones for recording and isolation, and open-back headphones for mixing and better sound quality.

Portable Sound Booth Options 

After you've got the basic necessities down, there is one vital studio tool that you should consider if you want your sound to mimic the sound of the professional, million-dollar studio setups. You need a portable studio booth! Loads of independent artists, bands, and musicians record in the comfort of their homes these days thanks to technology, but a large amount of them are forgetting about the miscellaneous sounds that can negatively affect their recording session. Home studio booths come in a variety of options depending on your budget. 

How Much Does A Soundproof Booth Cost?

If you're going for cheap yet effective, you may want something similar to a full studio booth called an isolation shield, and available on SweetWater for around $99:

These small but effective types of booths are great for beginners and musicians looking to record pretty good quality audio for a pretty great price. You can also find many similar options that are around $100 or less on Amazon.

If you want to go to the next level in quality, you should consider vocal booths that you can physically walk into in order to isolate the sound better. Here's something to consider if you're looking for something a bit more but don't want to pay over $500. 

While this type of booth won't rival those at premier studios, you will be doing a much better job of keeping out house elements including fans, window noise, and people noise. 

If you're a professional with a huge budget already, you can go ahead and get one for thousands of dollars on the level of a Whisper Room studio booth:

Why so pricey, you may ask? Because sound quality matters! Far too often, DIY artists and musicians are hurting their audio quality by recording in spaces with audible air conditioning, footsteps, voices in the other rooms, and even loud weather in the background! This hurts the mixing and mastering process and may cause you to lose out on being able to consider your track "radio quality". The popular phrase, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" holds true in this regard. If you're making music, it should mimic the sound of a song you hear on the radio! 

Get more tips on recording and audio quality by joining the community! Sign up here and get your free digital copy of my book "The Unsigned Music Playbook".