RealTraps Announces New Portable Vocal Booth

[Ethan Winer]

RealTraps is pleased to announce their newest product, the Portable Vocal Booth (PVB). This clever device mounts on any microphone stand to create a highly controlled environment for recording vocals and spoken narration in acoustically hostile spaces. Unlike other products that are too small to be effective in noisy or live sounding environments, the RealTraps PVB is much larger comprising a pair of 2 by 2 foot absorbing panels in an adjustable V shape. The integrated base attaches easily and securely to any inexpensive tripod-base microphone boom stand. The PVB can also be placed directly on a table or other flat surface.

The RealTraps PVB will ship by the end of February, selling for $299.99 direct from the manufacturer. However, we are now accepting pre-orders through the end of February at a discounted price of $249.99.

Complete information is on the RealTraps Products page. The RealTraps site also contains educational videos, magazine articles, extensive advice on all aspects of room treatment, as well as showcasing their high-performance acoustic solutions for rooms of every size and purpose.

[remo]

I've noticed a spate of these "mic baffle" products lately... but Ethan's looks like a winner because it's the BIGGEST!! but seriously.. great price point Ethan..


SM Pro Audio "Mic Thing"


SE Electronics "Reflection Filter"

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by remo

Ethan's looks like a winner because it's the BIGGEST!!

Bingo. And I've seen some that are even smaller than the ones you showed! But like acoustic treatment, this stuff is all about size. And having as much absorption absorption as possible, of course. It's also very stable on a stand.

Thanks.

--Ethan

[zvenx]

I think this is the product I have been waiting for for years.
My studio is a converted bedroom and I stll haven't gotten around to properly treating the walls and ceilng.
Vocals recorded in this room (control room and studio is the same one room) suffer from overly liveliness (reflections from the walls) and noise from computers gear etc.
Is this product meant to address both of those problems?
thanks
rsp

[Gibby]

yes. I'm also very interested in getting one.

[mobilemozart]

Wow, I was just gona buy the SE one... but this looks great!! Ethan I've been reading all about your products in the last couple weeks - I have learned so much from your realtraps website that I'm already promoting your products amongst my producer team!!

Definitely gotta have one of those - hope it's not to expensive to ship to germany (what about costums and tax?)

BTW: Loving Ethan's Cello Rondo Video

Peace,
Marc

PS: check out www.mozartandfriends.com - worldwide management for music producers (shameless plugging LoL)

[Ethan Winer]

Thanks guys!

Also, my partner and I decided yesterday to offer a $50 discount for early orders through the end of the month. So hopefully that will help you guys even more.

> hope it's not to expensive to ship to germany (what about costums and tax?) <

It should be pretty cheap to ship anywhere in the world. We designed the PVB to fold up and ship flat, so one or two of them can fit into the same size shipping box as a 2 by 2 foot MiniTrap.

> BTW: Loving Ethan's Cello Rondo Video <

Thanks man! I'm hard at work on my next video, and this one is turning into a much more ambitious project. I've been working on it for about half a year so far, and with luck I'll be done in another few months.

--Ethan

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Complete information is on the RealTraps Products page.

Looks like an interesting product.
But where is the extra info there? Seems just the same general info as the press release. Any technical info/graphs/... ?

[jayman]

Ethan, you know what would help you sell a ton of these is to post with and without samples on your website. Would you say this could/should be used in conjunction with a well or moderately well treated room? Or, is this kind of more for really bad untreated spaces? Thanks,

j

[zvenx]

Also when does the presale start?

edit: never mind :-). But yes some with and without samples would be great.
rsp

[duvalle]

dang ... great product ... exactly what i was looking for.
just too bad that shipping and customs
are very high when ordered from i.e. germany.

[Yutaka]

Dammit, I just bought the SE one a couple of weeks ago!

Reflexion Filter, as far as I can tell, works okay, though.

[keithl]

This looks like a great product, my question...and maybe Ethan or anybody can answer...

Say I am recording in my basement...I buy this, wouldn't I need also something to go behind me when I record to absorb any waves, also?

would a heavy packing blanket work for the "lo-fi/lo-cost" solution to put something behind the singer?

I know absolutely nothing about this subject, just looking for the best scenario.

Thanks!
Keith

[Brad McGowan]

Ethan,

How does the unit attach to the mic stand? Do you have any pictures showing the attachment? I'm curious how well this would work on a large Atlas style stand placed above figure-8 or omni dum overhead mics.

thanks,
Brad

[WidgetNinja]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Thanks guys!

Also, my partner and I decided yesterday to offer a $50 discount for early orders through the end of the month. --Ethan

Good call... just suckered me in. I'm still sore from Wade's last offering, but this is definitely small enough to sneak by before the germanium comps come out.

I actually really need something like this in my basement with my 7" ceilings. Is this powerful enough to at least help keep some of the resonance from building up in ribbons on a cab? There's only about 8 ft width where all my cabs live, so the sound smacks on wall and goes right back to the rear of the mic.

[Tim Farrant]

Originally Posted by keithl

This looks like a great product, my question...and maybe Ethan or anybody can answer...

Say I am recording in my basement...I buy this, wouldn't I need also something to go behind me when I record to absorb any waves, also?

would a heavy packing blanket work for the "lo-fi/lo-cost" solution to put something behind the singer?

I know absolutely nothing about this subject, just looking for the best scenario.

Thanks!
Keith

I have found that absorption behind the singer is more effective in cutting out room acoustic, but only if it's big enough and the mic has a cardiod pattern. I see no reason why this should not work behind the singer as well.

The only disadvantage with the size of this if it's in front of the singer - and I mean no disrespect - is that the view for the singer is not too hot, but I suppose you could pin nice pictures onto it!

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by DrDeltaM

Looks like an interesting product.
But where is the extra info there? Seems just the same general info as the press release. Any technical info/graphs/... ?

Not yet, but I'll have that soon. Judging by ear only, the sound reduction seemed like a good 10 dB. I plan to do a more useful test of isolation versus frequency soon. I can tell you for sure it definitely works.

Originally Posted by jayman

you know what would help you sell a ton of these is to post with and without samples on your website. Would you say this could/should be used in conjunction with a well or moderately well treated room? Or, is this kind of more for really bad untreated spaces?

That's a great idea! As for the main purpose, it's both to give a little isolation and to create a small dead sounding area. Which brings us to...

Originally Posted by keithl

wouldn't I need also something to go behind me when I record to absorb any waves, also?

The PVB should be enough by itself. The goal is to sing (or speak) into the V, which is highly absorbent. So the sound will be stopped right there, rather than have a chance to bounce around in the room. And since the sound is stopped before it gets out into the room, there's less need for more absorption behind you.

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

How does the unit attach to the mic stand? Do you have any pictures showing the attachment? I'm curious how well this would work on a large Atlas style stand placed above figure-8 or omni dum overhead mics.

We're working on photos, but it's really simple to assemble and set up. We figured most people will use this with a standard small tripod base boom stand. So the stand's main shaft passes through the hole in the PVB cross bar, then the boom portion is screwed to the threads locking the PVB cross bar in place. We'll have photos and more details soon on our site, but it's really quite simple. It can also be used without a boom, with the microphone's threaded base attached directly to the stand to secure the assembly.

Originally Posted by WidgetNinja

Is this powerful enough to at least help keep some of the resonance from building up in ribbons on a cab?

It depends on the frequency of the resonance. This is not meant to be a serious bass trap! For that you'd probably do better with one of our larger thicker panels in a stand or even the Gobo version.

--Ethan

[feyshay]

I have the Reflexion filter and thought it helped a bit with vocals. This would be another good addition (maybe even for adjacent to or behind the singer).
The size of this thing would also make it more useable for acoustic guitar recordings?

[norton]

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attac...1&d=1170804097

worth checking out.... more flexible positioning (stand mount, wall mount...etc.) and i think you get more panels for the $$$.


www.modtrap.com

[Geddyleewannabe]

Ethan,

How does this new product deal with/address reflections from low ceilings (e.g. 7 ft basement ceilings)? Does it?

[mikesilence]

Veeerrry nice, Ethan.

I would order one, but what about the shipping to Europe (Germany)?? By the way, will you be on Prolight & Sound in Frankfurt end of march?

All the best from Germany,

Mike

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by norton

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attac...1&d=1170804097

worth checking out.... more flexible positioning (stand mount, wall mount...etc.) and i think you get more panels for the $$$.


www.modtrap.com

Do you own this company or work for this company? If you do I think it is in VERY poor taste to post what you just did.

Ethan,
Great job on yet another product.


Glenn

[Brad McGowan]

Glenn,

I think that guy was just sharing with us another great option for this type of product. I'm glad he did because I couldn't think of the name of the product and had seen it before. To be honest I think it's a more attractive product because of the positioning flexibility and the price. I checked out the sound clips on the site and was impressed with its effectiveness. I think I may actually pick one up. So, Norton, thanks for sharing!

Brad

[ABGen]

how about real world tesimonies from users that have tried all of them?

i only have the Reflexion - and i love the size / form factor - works great for me - i wouldnt want anything bigger because of my space limitations in my home studio

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

Glenn,

I think that guy was just sharing with us another great option for this type of product. I'm glad he did because I couldn't think of the name of the product and had seen it before. To be honest I think it's a more attractive product because of the positioning flexibility and the price. I checked out the sound clips on the site and was impressed with its effectiveness. I think I may actually pick one up. So, Norton, thanks for sharing!

Brad

I could be wrong, but look here
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...50#post1096450

[ari_keys]

Is anyone else bothered by the fact that there is no technical info/graphs available?
And the tests of isolation versus frequency are not yet completed. I would have thought these tests would have been part and parcel of coming up with the design of such a product and optimizing it.

Am i missing something here, I dont mean to come off overly cynical and hope my post is not misconstrued as such.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Geddyleewannabe

How does this new product deal with/address reflections from low ceilings (e.g. 7 ft basement ceilings)? Does it?

Our Portable Vocal Booth is meant mainly to prevent your voice from getting out into the room in the first place. This is the main feature of its large size. With smaller devices the best they can aim for is to block some of the reverb and "room tone" that's bouncing around in the room. So it's much better to stop the sound from getting out into the room in the first place. But you are correct, if there is sound coming from above (or behind you) it will not be blocked. Though you could use two PVBs, with the second one behind you. We tried that in our initial informal tests and it helped even further.

Originally Posted by mikesilence

I would order one, but what about the shipping to Europe (Germany)?? By the way, will you be on Prolight & Sound in Frankfurt end of march?

It looks like shipping via the Post Office is the most economical. As soon as I have the final shipping box size and weight I'll add typical shipping prices to our site. Right now it looks like shipping will cost about $65 to most places in Europe.

Originally Posted by ari_keys

Is anyone else bothered by the fact that there is no technical info/graphs available?

Understand this is really just a new product announcement. We'll have data by the time it's ready to ship. In the mean time I promise you we tried it and it works very well!

We also offer an unconditional money back guarantee, as we do with all of our other products.

--Ethan

[Glenn Kuras]

Ethan,

I would tend to think that testing in the lab really is not going to work very well. If you do "A" mount we all know that will not work or if you space it off the floor by 4inches (J Mount) that aint going to work either (not giving a close to real world sabins number you would get in your room). The only thing you could do is randomly put them in the lab room on stands, but as you might agree that would give kind of "random" results.
If it where me I would skip it unless you have some kind of "secret" in them that has not been proven in the past. But then again, I like it when my competitors spend a lot of money. So I think you should get about 20 tests done.!!!!

Glenn

[Ethan Winer]

Glenn,

I would tend to think that testing in the lab really is not going to work very well.

Right. Standard lab tests measure absorption, and I already have solid lab data for the MicroTraps which our new Portable Vocal Booth is based on.

What matters more with a product like this is 1) how well reduced is the voice from getting out into the room where it can create audible reverb, and 2) by how much is sound from the front blocked from getting into the microphone.

I like it when my competitors spend a lot of money. So I think you should get about 20 tests done.!!!!

LOL.

Seriously, the tests I plan to do (soon!) don't require a lab. For one test I'll record speaking or singing in a live sounding room with and without the Portable Vocal Booth, and I'll also put the sound clip up on our site. The other test will put a monitor speaker in front of the vocalist, and I'll measure the SPL with and without the PVB in place. I can't think of anything else to test!

Also, if you look at the Reflexion Filter page on the SE site, you'll find no data at all.

--Ethan