Neil Wilson's Product Review: The VOCAL BOOTH TO GO

Today, I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing the Carry On Vocal Booth Pro from vocalboothtogo.com. Here is a link to check it out for yourself…

http://www.vocalboothtogo.com/testimonials/104

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS…

Since I was JUST asked… I wanted to pin some initials thoughts as I’ve surfed the site to read more about it.

When the CoVB is completely tore down and ready for travel it looks like a garment bag. As an avid traveler, ease of mobility to, from, and through the airport are extremely important to me. My current travel rig consists of a Macbook Air, 416, either MicPortPro or Apollo Twin and all of the necessary wires and such. It all fits into this backpack…

I’ve never traveled with a garment bag, thus I am already skeptical about lugging the CoVB through the airport. Also, I NEVER check my bag. So, I push the carry-on/personal item rules to the limit. Now, I’m adding a whole other bag to the mix? But, what if the CoVB garment bag can carry my computer or ipad, mic, and other accessories? That would be AWESOME!

I usually find some sheets and an ironing board or luggage rack to setup my “hotel” booth. So, the CoVB is already peeking my interest by making that part easier.

In the pictures the booth looks like it does a great job at killing side and rear noise. But, what about the issue of the acoustics and noise BEHIND you? Large diaphragm mics pick up what’s behind you as much as what’s around the mic itself. I’m thinking a little flap of material to throw over your head and shoulders to kill some of the noise behind you?

Anyway, just a couple notes before the unit shows up…

IT’S HERE…

The CoVB arrived today. It’s actually smaller than I thought it was. I immediately decided to unbox and setup the unit. I’ll admit I’m not a “directions reader” so I just dove right in. There is a little learning curve to the unpacking and setup. But, it went together fairly easily. Here is how it looks setup on the dining room table.

One of the things that I really like about this unit is the fact it allows you to utilize the shelf thingy and attach the unit to a mic stand. It’s pretty self explanatory with it’s set up. Here is how it looked on the mic stand…

I will say however, that I did not find this unit to be very stable. It’s a touch wobbly. Also, I use a UAD Apollo Twin as much as possible when I travel. There is no room for my computer, mic, and the Apollo. So the Apollo has to sit on the table next to me. Which isn’t a deal breaker by any means but something worth noting. The included LED light is a nice touch for the unit and attaches very easily. It uses 3 AAA batteries

SOUND QUALITY.

Along with the CoVB, I was sent their new microphone. Here is a pic…

I can’t help but notice it is more of a shotgun style in design. For those into that sorta thing… here are it’s specs. http://www.vocalboothtogo.com/acoustic-and-soundproofing-products-vocal-booths/portable-vocal-booths/shotgun-condenser-microphone-vbm-90s/9-132#ja-pathway

I tested the mic in their booth. Open room, using simply the booth and the microphone with my Apollo Twin, MacBook Air, and Twisted Wave. I also then took the mic into my booth and gave it a test run in there too. Amazing how much quieter my booth is.

TO SUM IT UP…

In my opinion the CoVB is ALMOST there. It built with good quality and has some neat features that I wouldn’t change. I still attest it needs a flap of fabric to kill noise behind the performer. I love the idea of it attaching to the mic stand. It just needs to be a little sturdier.

AUTHOR BIO: Neil Wilson is a Hollywood trained voice over talent who is globally represented by Atlas Talent NY and LA. He resides in Southeast Louisiana and does not hunt alligators, but does love a good crawfish boil from time to time. You may have heard Neil on campaigns for Fox Sports, HGTV, The San Francisco 49ers, Butler Basketball, Harley Davidson, U.S. Department of Defense, Lay-Z-Boy, Wet Seal, Infinity, Ford and more.