GIK Acoustics has a way to reduce a room’s bad tonal coloration from getting picked up by your vocal microphone. VISO, that’s Vocal ISOlation booth, is a nice looking triangular-shaped vocal shield that uses ECOSE® technology—the same absorptive material used in GIK’s room treatment panels to control errant sound reflections bouncing around the room.
Other vocal shields use thin polyurethane foam that looks cheesy and deteriorates over time. Foam doesn’t absorb much in the low-mid frequencies where you need it most with close-miked vocal recordings.
The VISO Booth uses a pair of 1.5-inch thick, 16.5 X 11.5-inch panels rigidly joined to form a right angle. There is a short, straight microphone stand to attach a mic clip or shock mount right in the focal point of the two panels. The interior is covered in black cloth material great for pinning lyric sheets or dialog scripts so that they are directly in your face. The outside is made of blond wood veneer with a cut pattern design like GIK’s 2A Alpha Series panels.
I found the VISO booth to reduce the amount of “boxy” room tone from my singer’s vocal mic. I recorded her in my office using a Bock U195 condenser microphone and it sounded great, but my office is not a friendly acoustic space. By the time I got the compressor set up and she got warmed-up, a little louder, and fully energized the room, I started to hear the sound of my office on her vocal sound too much. Without changing any recording settings and just setting up VISO, the sound was better immediately! It was dryer, clearer, and much easier to mix and add effects later on. Love it!
The VISO Booth sells for $119 MSRP.
