Recording vocals at home on a budget can be challenge and many of us find ourselves in makeshift setups doing the best we can. In recent years the budget microphone isolation shield has become popular for home studio enthusiasts. Sure, computers, good quality microphones and great software have made a huge impact on the home studio scene, but many forget how the room sound can influence your mixes and recordings.
Today I am going to be reviewing a Microphone Isolation shield for those on a smaller budget. It’s a portable unit made by Moukey which was sent to me to review by the Donner music company. Charlotte Rose is singing in this demonstration (please see youtube video below). Also see the screenshots of customer reviews taken from the Donner website. I am also including a 15% coupon code for all my readers.
How Do Reflection Filters Work ?
They are designed to help eliminate or control early refections or sound bouncing around the walls of your room. Whether we call them early or late reflections doesn’t really matter, its just a technical term. They just have a role in determining the general character and sound of the room. The idea is that the Reflection filter will give you a more focused sound and eliminate echo or the characteristic sound of your room. Well that’s the theory anyway. But do they actually work?
Budget microphone reflection shields /filters are somewhat portable and can be placed on a straight mic stand, though I wouldn’t recommend using a boom stand. They can also be mounted to your desk if you are podcasting or doing voiceovers.
The shield sits behind the microphone and comes with a mounting bar for your microphone. If your a podcaster or working at a desk you will find plenty of mounting options. It’s the light weight of this unit that make those possibilities easier as some shields are heavier and require heavy duty mounts.
UNBOXING
Now to be fair when I pulled this thing out of the box I thought its so light how’s it going to make any impact on the sound? It folds up very compact but does will it actually do anything. We recorded some before and after snippets of audio. I am going to some before and after snippets or audio so please put some headphones on otherwise you won’t hear any discernible differences
The back panel is made of strong and durable ABS material and for a budget microphone isolation shield its very sturdy.
Being lightweight and foldable could makes this mic shield a good choice for touring musicians recording in hotels or anyone out in the field. I think it would fit in a backpack which makes it quite portable.
Who Could Benefit From Using A Budget Microphone Isolation Shield
- Singer Songwriters
- Podcasters
- Voice Over Artists
- Content creators
- Musicians on the road
SOUND DEMONSTRATIONS
We recorded one take with the reflection filter and one without. It was pretty clear that the filter made a difference and the sound was more defined and focused. I noticed once I removed the filter the sound of the room became more obvious and we lost some bottom end .
Compatability
Moukey have thought about compatability and you have Metal 3/8 conversion 5/8 nuts that will fit most microphone stands and shock mounts.
The microphone crossbar at the bottom can be adjusted by sliding which I really liked and made it quick and easy to set up and mount – keep in mind the weight of some of the other units on the market. If you travelling or out in the field this is definitely a plus.
It only take minutes to unfold this isolation shield, which can be fixed on a desktop or tabletop for live broadcast, and also can be mounted to a microphone stand for your professional recording.
This inner layer is made of high-density acoustic foam that is designed to eliminates audio waves bouncing around the room on hard surfaces like walls. The goal is to reduce ambient sound and give you cleaner recordings.
EQUIPMENT USED IN TEST RECORDING
- Focusrite Claret
- MIC – AKG 414
- Pre Amp – Emperical labs Mic E
- Moukey Microphone Isolation shield
A HOME STUDIO TIP
In my opinion it’s important to place some sound insulation behind the filter. This rear reflection is an important one to control. This could be a blanket or if you want to spend a little more money consider buying some acoustic sound panels for the walls. Donner offer a great deal on acoustic panels
CUSTOMER REVIEWS FROM DONNER WEBSITE
Invest in some insulation panels.
The reflection filter does help clean up your recordings. Going a step further would be investing in some acoustic panels. Donner are doing packs of 50 for around $80US dollars which is a great deal. Each panel measures 30cm square.
CONCLUSION
So in conclusion I think the moukey microphone isolation shield does the job. The price point at $100AU is very competitive considering what we were able to achieve. it’s going to be hard to beat.
Now is it as good as the Aston Halo – I don’t think so but that unit is $489AU ! I’m comparing it to the Aston Halo as the engineers and producers I know and trust think that unit is the best on the market. But one thing has dawned on me with the Moukey – its foldable and lightweight, The Aston Halo’wont fold up so this maybe a factor depending on your situation.
I have seen units that are way heavier and in my mind the lightweight design of the Moukey is a big advantage.
Sometimes we sweat the details and over analyse products and cant make a buying decision. In this case I think its hard to go wrong with the moukey budget microphone isolation shield. I just hope Donner dont want this unit back at least until we complete our album.
Check out The Tangled Souls here if you liked our music during the demo
Best of luck with your recordings !
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