Build a $35 DIY “Vocal Booth”

As a podcaster, you are judged not only on the content of your podcast, but on the quality of your audio. And the more you can do to improve the quality of your audio, from getting a good mic, to using proper mic technique, to having an acoustically-treated space, the more listeners will be able to connect with your message.

Fortunately this is easy. And for those podcasters looking to make the most of your space, an inexpensive option to help you sound better is a portable isolation shield.

Here’s how Kyle Bondo of Gagglepod created this one for around $35.

Build Your Own DIY Acoustic Isolation Shield

Supplies You’ll Need

Directions

1. Lay the tri-fold cardboard on a flat surface.

2. Arrange your acoustical foam panels at 90-degrees to each other.

3. Begin gluing the bottom row of panels to the tri-fold cardboard.

4. Pay attention to aligning the bottom edge of the tri-fold cardboard with the panel bottom edge.

5. Pay attention not to overlap the panels over the cardboard fold hinges.

6. Press each panel down with your hands to ensure the glue makes contact.

7. Finish gluing rows 2 and 3 until all 12 panels are set.

8. Allow the glue to dry. Do not place anything heavy on the foam.

9. Stand up and check for weak spots or areas that require more glue.

10. Check fold hinges.

That’s it! If all goes well, you should end up with something like this:

Final Thoughts

If you’re going to put time and money into your podcast, vet guests, do pre-interviews, outline episodes, and deliver your message, you might as well record it as well as you can. This DIY isolation shield won’t get you the recording quality a $1,000,000 studio, but it will get you going in the right direction when it comes to recording better audio for your podcast and make listening to your podcast a more pleasant experience.

Listen to Kyle’s podcast to hear how it sounds:

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