IF it works reasonably well, it seems like it could be a good value for something so convenient. However, I’ve heard these things and kind of stupid and that what you really want is some absorbent material behind the singer. What do you guys think?
I’m also considering asking my dad to help me build some acoustic panels to put on the walls, and maybe some bass traps, but I’m really procrastinating on it because it seems like it will be a lot of work. I think that gobos would be too heavy and bulky for me right now, with the space I’m in. As I train my ears, the sound of the room is becoming more annoying to me.
I made one of these for myself out of scraps I found at work and some rockwool - It looks really ghetto, but it works all right… That one is certainly inexpensive…
…But you’re right about absorbtion behind the singer - With a cardioid pattern mic, that’s probably even more important than reflections from behind the mic. I just use some sleeping bags/doonas/duvets slung over mic stands formed into a “T” - very effective in cutting down room reflections from behind the singer - this kind of thing:
I have done a similar setup, and it actually works pretty well. I just need something that’s always set up, or just takes a minute, if I am actually going to use it. Once, I just held some blankets over my head and draped them behind me like a big cape while I sang. It’s actually pretty good for my singing, too, haha.
Wow, that’s pretty good! It looks like MSRP is about $140 on that one. The sE Electronics Reflexion is perhaps the standard bearer for this, and MSRP for that is only $99.
Absorption behind the mic can certainly help, though with a cardiod mic you wouldn’t expect a lot of reflections to be picked up by the ‘dead’ side of the mic. But what can happen is those reflections bounce behind you, off another surface, and then back to the mic. That’s where the absorption behind you becomes more critical.
Either way it can be a lot of work, but the effort for either gobo’s or panels could be about the same. With gobo’s, you can take them with you if you’re not in a permanent space. They can also be used for both performance AND mixing (move the placement for best response). Gobo’s may be heavier, if you have them mounted on movable stands, but there can be a lot of advantages to the mobility.
I have that same vocal shield, and I haven’t noticed it make much difference at all in A/B tests when using a cardioid mic. The only time I’ve noticed it do anything is when I use a mic in figure 8 mode, because it lets me step back from the mic a bit and get a tight pattern without picking up noise behind the mic. The only time I do this is when I’m making a video and I need the mic to be offscreen.
I use one all the time in my studio. Makes a difference to my ears - but you have to place something like an acoustic tile or cushion on the top, to stop ceiling reflections.
