I was tasked to make a simple sound booth this week in Tech Ed. We were given instructions on How to Make Your Own Sound Booth for Better Voice Overs from eLearning Brothers, which creates a rather spiffy looking sound booth (if not quite small). As I was in quite a pinch for time, I sought the simplest solution: a blanket over my head!

My voice with no sound set-up – recorded on my iPhone.
My voice with a blanket over my head – recorded on my iPhone.

I tested it out to make sure it worked, then went ahead and recorded the podcast from my previous post.

If I were to bring podcasting into my LLC, I would take the time to build some portable sound booths like the eLearning Brothers have suggested above. I love the idea of kids being able to take them outside and around the school.

In that vein, I would want a few microphones that are also portable, wireless, and that fit the library budget.

I found a couple options that I think I would pursue:

  1. Samson Go Mic Portable USB Condenser Microphone
A compact, handheld digital recorder with all of the features (and more) of an iPhone at a mere fraction of the price: $42 on Amazon (not that I would buy from Amazon, but it’s good to get a general sense of the price). At this price, I’d buy several for my LLC.

2. Blue Yeti USB Condenser Microphone

One of the easiest, and most popular microphones for podcasting. A quality mic for a reasonable amount. USB output for plug and play directly into the computer as well as XLR cable output for use with higher-end analogue equipment. Price is about $120, so I would purchase 2 of these for the LLC for the more dedicated podcasters.

These were found on discoverpods.com, in an article by Brian Benton titled 30 of the Best Podcast Microphones (For Any Budget).