The barrier to entry for creating your own recording studio—whether that’s for music, podcasting, or anything else—is lower than ever. But dampening exterior noise is still vital to ensure whatever you’re recording sounds clean. Here’s what to look for in an isolation shield.
Premium Quality
This product can be mounted or stand alone on a flat surface. It comes with a pop filter to improve sound quality. Amazon
The idea with an isolation shield is to create a small, enclosed area with dampened sound—like a recording closet, but smaller. Generally they’ll be made of some kind of dense foam, which serves to block out unwanted external noise.
Tabletop Model
A folding design makes this option simple to store when not in use. Amazon
A good isolation shield will have vents on any metal panels, usually on the back of the shield itself. Those are important because they allow just a little bit of sound to filter outwards, rather than bouncing around inside the shield and causing an echo.
Comes with An Adapter
This choice can be attached directly to a boom arm or clamped onto a desk. Amazon
Different isolation shields have very different designs. One great option if you like to move around is to go for an isolation shield that folds up; typically these will come with hinged panels. That enables you to have a fairly large, but still portable, shield.