I´ve got an Isovox. I use it with an AT 4040 microphone and I´d like to say a couple of cons. 1 You need to get used to singing inside of it, specially if you´re gonna sing powerful vocals, It took me some time to get used to it and not moving my head too much, 2 When mixing I need to reduce around 3 db in the 350 Hz area. 3, It´s not cheap Other than that it´s a fantastic isolation system, My room has some treatment as well. That is my experience.
Agree on both points… been working with mine for a lil over a year and that boominess is a beast… yeah the sweet spot for cutting out the boomy low has remain elusive… especially since I am trying to retain the character of my tlm 49…
this was super helpful, I didn't think about being limited to the walls of the isovox when recording. probably really good for slow sad songs, but if you wanna get lit probably not the best all around choice.
I decided to go with the DIY booth with PVC pipe and and the thick moving blankets with grommets. I bought the blankets and tested them in big closet space I have. They work fantastic!
We have a winner here! None of those solutions presented in this video come anywhere close to your setup, and I bet you probably paid WAAAYY less. The isovox is $1000, and it doesn’t even account for the reflections that come from the opening! And the mic it comes with is dogs##t. Kaotica is snake oil, its literally cheap foam they sell for $200-$300. Highway robbery really. And vocal shields are dumb because they block the area that cardioid mics naturally block out anyways. Might as well light your money on fire, at least it will be useful as a heat source. Just hang heavy blankets like you did. Hell you can get heavy blankets from a Good Will for $5. These companies just want your money guys. Look up the PVC and blanket DIY video, that dude is a legend giving that game out for free…
@@KC-bi9jw @K C yep, it was a great idea! Also the Iso doesn't do anything for the reflections behind you. Who ever thought up the PVC/blankets was a mad genius. Props to @wavywayne though, he did a similar DIY video a couple of years back...
I've done this. I too convinced myself that it made a difference worthy of the space it took up. After some more years of ear training, I realized the moving blankets did very little. It did not justify the space it took up and it had virtually no impact on the end results. I could easily arrive at the same results without it. If you're going to use materials that aren't technically designed to absorb and or disperse sound, you'll need to apply them directly to the surfaces where the reflections are happening. You'd do better to attach wall to wall foam in a closet and then attach the moving blankets as an outer layer. You'll especially want to pay attention to the ceiling. That would really start to get you some dead space. Buuuut.. you can treat most rooms well enough with $200 - $300 worth of acoustic panels placed in the right places. One good sized panel above the mic and one behind the artists when facing the mic would go a long way alone. Start from the closest surface to the mic. None of the solutions in these videos are worth the price and some even take away from the character of the mic.
@@o5pfilms951 Agreed. I put a room divider with some panels on it next to me. Some panels on the wall behind the mic. Thick panels on the wall behind me. And some strategic panels covering specific angles on the ceiling. Worked like a charm.
The ISO Vox is around 1000 bucks. With the same amount of money, you could easily create your own vocal booth packing way more space for your entire body to fit in, and way better sound isolation. They really need to lower the price.
@@daveycrockett9447All these audio companies take serious advantage of people. They know the average person doesn’t have the quiet place or the know how to build a booth. I’m gonna build one tho
You mean Rode I assume and I can only compare it to the Rose nt1a and the AT2020 and it’s better than them both especially the c800 clone from the mic Locker.
Great energy, Great content. Would've loved a section with the audio compared to each other with no edits in between. Kinda like what you did at the end but for all the options
I been rocking the Kaotica forever...along with padding my mentor taught me how to make and the trusty packing blankets.....but Wow 👀👀 that Iso Vox Sounds AMAZING🙌🙌
Does the Kaotica help with isolating your voice from outside noise? My basement booth ruined in a flood and I was told the Kaotica is all I’d need to record in a bedroom. Would I be able to record without outside noise from cars riding by bumping music and what not?
ISO VOX is very effective and seems to do what it says it will do. But it's impractical for most serious sessions. It might be great in a pinch, on location in an impromptu situation but for long sessions and sessions where you have a vocalist who's gonna need to belt something out, I'm afraid the sound pressure might be too much unless you are using a dynamic mic. Not sure what kind of mic the ISO VOX has.
The enclosed solution does reduce room sound the best, but it also affects the eq response of the microphone to some extent, which is probably not an issue in most cases. In other words, the enclosure can over-dampen the mic, and make the sound excessively soft.
It also won't fix the problem for most people because the side of the mic you actually speak in is still prime for picking up your room reflections. For the price of the kaotica you could deck out your room with foam and acoustic/moving blankets.
The Boxed in closure is the best solution in my opinion. Thanks bro. This, like all the helpful tips that you offer is awesome and I just want to say thank you. You are much appreciated and I have told others about subscribing to your site. Keep up the great work bro. Awesome 💪🏾💯
This is a good ass test and comparison vid. Really appreciate you picking a shitty room to record this in so we can really hear the affectiveness or lack of these filters 👌🏼🤝
I really enjoyed this video - well done. Only one thing I wish would've happened. The ISOVox test used a different microphone; so, without verification, the muddy sound might have come from the microphone. Only mentioning this because it was very obvious the same microphone was used in the first two tests. Again, I think this was fantastic and it definitely was helpful.
Realistically if I were to choose one of these with my money. It would be the shield. Rotated properly it deadens most of the echo and reflections coming back from behind. The eyeball still had some resonances coming from behind. If I were a millionaire with no care for money. The iso vox was the best. I'm looking at treating my entire room for the best sound possible for all of my mics. DIY panels seem to be my most affordable option.
Tbh, all these options drastically change your source sound. The ISOVOX is way to dry, but mostly gives that low mid boothy tone. The eyeball in my opinion is a complete waste of money and time. The eyeball completely muffles your sound with or without the pop filter and it also retains to much low end. The reflection shield is probably the best of the 3 but still rendered useless cause you will still get reflections in a untreated room. Your source is the most important thing and if your source is hindered or altered then I can promise you, you will have to do more processing on the mixing end. You're better off processing your "room tone" post recording on the mixing end for the best result if you don't have the availability to record in a acoustically treated environment.
Yoooo...bro do a popping while recording in pro tools video bro...I looked thru aalllll yo videos and didn't really see nothing touching and you da GOAT 🐐
I love the isovox it's a very much thing to have even though my room is treated I still use it if you looking for that professional sound in any type of room scenario the isovox is the way to go
It's crazy seeing this, 20 years ago I created my own isobox using a subwoofer. Once my two 15's blew I decided instead of replacing them I would just use that box and put my microphone inside of it. Then I used the blanket on top of that. Got some great results doing that. Before that I used to take every mattress in the house and use it for a booth. 🤣
Informative comparison, thanks for info!. The thought of putting my head in a box to sing conjures thoughts of claustrophobia. I've isolated with blankets, panels and a shield . Fingers crossed 😊
I own the Isovox 2 and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless it's the only solution for you. Don't use a condensor mic, you'll cry, trust me. The low build up is terrible plus it's just gives a boxy sound throughout the whole spectrum. A dynamic mic like a SM7B will make it less worse and the low build up can be tamed with Soothe and some EQ. It could sound pretty good actually but you'll have to spend a lot of time on finding out how it works best for you. It does an amazing job at keeping reflections away and the noise in the other rooms will decrease drastically.
Yea it took me a while to come up with a chain that works but honestly people can't even tell anymore I have guys who want to record with me because they love the sound. It just takes some work but if you figure it out you basically have a studio sound.
What’s up Brother Wayne ? I actually have the Sterling Shield but the home studio room I record in is not too reflective as long as I don’t get too close to a wall with my microphone. That Iso Box might isolates the sound very well but I instantly thought of how distracting it would be for me trying to sing and emote with my head in a box… 😆 Especially if I’m also going back and forth doing punch ins which is usually the case with me… Thanks for the demonstrations… 🙏🏾
The IsoVox sounds great, but it’s way expensive. You could have a DIY vocal booth for less than that and be totally enclosed. But, like I said, it sounded really good.
well the reality is that when u record a singer u already set up the polar pattern of your microphone so that I rejects sounds from behind and picks up sounds from the front. The noise behind the mic can still be heard because it is reflected by the walls and sent to the front of the mic. So theoretically the filter should be at the front of the microphone behind the singer, not behind the mic as that area is already dead and does not need a shield. Treating the room (or singing from a closed full of fabric whatever) is the only thing that kinda helps with reflections. That and the pop filter that is maybe the only thing capable of absorbing some reflections (but that, being in front of the singer and not behind, also absorbs high frequencies).
ps. in any case if one sings a few inches from the mic reflections should not be a huge problem (this applies to the closet too unless u have a 10 mt wardrobe and then lucky u). An isolated room allows you instead to record a singer standing further away from the mic (even 20 0r 30 cm away) and obtain more sparkly and bright vocals (avoiding the proximity effect which boosts low frequencies).
the ball in my opinion might be best.. I think the iso Vox might take too much out .. and it does sound good tho... might depend on the artist and their voice.. so I might just take both in my studio.. just to have..
Most mics will be too boomy with low end build up in the isovox! The isomic kind of work against the boomy-ness but you can still hear it in wavy's vid.
Every mic I have I can place in the IsoVox. My Shure SM7b I have to prop up in the IsoVox but it works. The only thing with the IsoVox is that you should use a mic that is a tube mic nor a mic that has a bump in the lower frequencies. I use the Warm wa87 when I use the IsoVox
I got the isovox 2 lmao and I could never find a comparison video well more than 2. And I was waiting on you to do one but I love the isovox 2 paired with my akg 414 mic. I want to try the isovox mic with the triangular capsule
The Isovox he is very expensive. I went with the porta booth for $100 and happy with it. I did purchase the Shields and I don't find they do very much on their own.
i had the vocal booth 2 years ago, sound great but i sold it because some artist has to squeeze in it and artist get claustrophobic. hard to place paper and such
I meant to tell u in ur kaotica review... in the manual it says to put the mic in from the inside take off the pop filter for the purpose of switching mics
Once you compress the vocals, especially if you're really pumping them the differences between these really get obvious. I'd say the issue with these is that when you're stuck inside a small box the bass goes through the roof but yea the isovox sounds much better then the rest but still I think it's too expensive to justify buying it when you can treat your whole damn room for that much money lol.
Wayne… imma keep rockin with ya… and I understand why… but in reality the isovox creates nearly intolerable boominess that is near impossible to eq out without changing the character of the mic. Now the isovox specially made diaphragm is designed to address this… furthermore it is worth mentioning that yeah mounting different mics is fang near rocket science… but after a year I continue to work with it… until I get my whisper room…
Got a igloo sprayed with the finest asbestos, I just make sure the talent concentrates on the long sustained notes so there’s less breathing in, you know Or I’ll grab some of my older aunts and uncles, they are always cold so there wearing sound absorbent 70s tweed and shit, absorbs that noise like pork loin at the buffet table at the all you can eat They just gather up in a semi-circle around the talent, I noticed that the vox performance has a “freaked out” quality to it, lots of real emotion, nice and my aunt Louisa kinda repeats almost everything she hears so there’s that random, sporadic, kind of delay going on, you know You can’t buy that box, even Warm Audio isn’t touching that So there’s your 4th solution brah
long ago I tried the PVC booth technique myself instead surrounding the pvc with lots of blankets and bed sheets. What type of foam material did you use? and what was the shape/size of your structure?
@@BushyJJ It's tiny. Only 3 square feet. 8 feet high. Inside I used thick spikes. Put it in every area of the inside. The door is a thick moving blanket so you are completely surrounded by foam. Because of the tight space and spikes I nicknamed it the iron maiden. Foam made by far the biggest difference. I would never go back to blankets alone.
@@BushyJJ Yes. Spike shape allowed me to cover as much area with foam as possible. Just a area rug on the floor. Could probably improve it. But the recordings are really good.
The ISOVOX creates this low end rumble. Almost sounds like a proximity effect times 10. Really bad build up. A triangle capsule mic might minimize this a bunch. I think that's why the company actually sells one.
Yea but if you know how to eq and some multiband compression I'll be honest it's a none issue. I record people with it and they love the end result it took me about two years to figure out the chain that works with it but it's golden now.
@@slimannaciri694 No amount of EQ can fix a sound that wasn’t captured correctly at the source. You can do as he mentioned, as I did years ago when I had one. I got ok mixes. My clients loved it, but eventually, I had to stop lying to myself lol The thing is, this isn't a normal proximity issue. It's a build up of frequencies at levels way worse, that are slapping back into the mic, milliseconds after the initial vocal. It's completely ruining the natural tone of the vocal/mic pairing. The body you're looking for gets eq'd out when trying to clean it up. The slap back build up is what you're left with trying to balance. Completely unnatural.
I love your channel bro and you mixed my track Yoshis Island for me... this Isovox is pure garbage though unless you're using their mic lmao. But yeah if you get the isomic too, go for it 🤷🏾♂️
The Isovox was the best, but it had its own internal reflections. I wonder if the Eyeball inside the Isovox would improve on that? Or it might just muffle your sound.
I really wish you would’ve done one with plug ins on it at least the EQ some compression maybe order some check don’t compress it all the levels go up. Hear the difference. Easier would’ve been way easier to hear that difference.
facts bro thats what I've been saying. This was more so a promotional video for Isovox. They did pay for the video. Thats why they made sure the room was the worst room possible so it would outshine all the others. If you're trying to record at home fr. Then you have to be a real deal amateur to do it in a full empty room like that. The eyeball is $165 right now usually $200. That isovox is $1000. Lol thats why he never mentions the prices lol. You can spend $500 and get the eyeball and some treatment and get even better results before paying for that thing. Plus get freedom to move and record and look at your lyrics. That thing you're stuck in that small spot.
🚨🚨ATTENTION🚨🚨 I have an isovox 2 for the last 2 years and although it take reflections out, these are the issues I had with it before spending money on sound proofing panels. 1. It works best paired with the isovox mic 2. It is very expensive. $1000 for the isovox alone plus taxes and $1299 plus tax for the isomic 3. I paired the isovox with my tlm102 and I always had to fight tooth and nail with low end build up. You will need to be an experienced mixing audio engineer to get Wavy Wayne quality vocals with this. Sound proofing panels are the best route to go. Spending 2300 plus tax on this combination can get you great sound proofing panels for less and will give you way better sounding vocals.
