Marisflo Advanced Microphone Isolation Shield With Upgraded Pop Filter and Sound Absorbing Foam, Enhanced Sound Absorption and Reflection

This isolation ball has really come in handy for recording audio. I'm not able to sound-proof or add any insulation to the space I'm in, and this has significantly improved my previously terrible audio to something passable for, well, not professional, but at least not as amateur. I'm still definitely a beginner audio person so I can't give any technical details but from a practical standpoint, I was able to install this on my mic and adjust to its size while recording in very little time at all. If you think this will help you, and you're about as tech-savvy as I am, then definitely go for this one!

And to be clear: that job is just a touch of isolation.Nothing is ever going to beat an actual treated room.There is no way for this, or any other device, to complete kill, block out, or isolate vocals from room reflections (although there are some plugins that can do a pretty decent job).But that's not what these little foam balls are trying to do.They're just trying to kill a bit of that overall room sound.And to my ears (and some resulting waveforms), it does a decent enough job.It also works pretty well as a pop filter (although I've definitely used better).I did NOT make it easy on this ball for my tests.I used an old, cheap Behringer C1 I had.Wrong size for it, and not the best mic to begin with.And I was pleasantly surprised!And the ball / pop filter combo didn't seem to color the sound all that much.This combined with some room treatment could get you a long way in having a decent bedroom set up.It's decently-priced at around $28.And tbh, I don't think even the most expensive version of this concept is going to do much more than what you get out of this thing.Maybe with some thicker foam?But even then, it's diminishing returns...

I love this for my Audio Technica AT-2020 condenser mic, and it's a nice addition to my home studio setup.I'll mention first the few minor drawbacks to this item, and they are MINOR.Firstly, with my AT-2020 mic, it fits very well, but I had to hang my mic very low in the suspension cage in order to have enough length for the mic's capsule to be fully exposed inside the isolation shield.It does hang safely, though, and the spongier foam insert (please see photo) doesn't block the mic's diaphragm. It did take some adjusting, but it works perfectly. If I weren't using the suspension mount and using an upright configuration, I would have more control over where the mic's capsule sits inside the chamber. However, it worked perfectly for me in sound testing with vocals.The second design drawback is not being able to 'work the mic' as I normally do when using a close-proximity pop filter alone, i.e. moving laterally with more dynamic passages. So, in lieu of moving from side to side, I only need to slightly turn my head to get a good vocal take. It does take a little getting used to, especially with not being able to see the mic, and relying on the headphone mix for dynamics and proximity monitoring, but the learning curve with this is short.The fixed distance of the dual screen pop filter is another issue. I had to be very conscious of not accidentally hitting it with my lips/mouth when tracking vocal takes.It just took a little getting used to, but I did find that I needed to boost the gain on the mic just a bit on my audio interface to get a proper signal in my recording software [tested with GarageBand, Logic Pro X, and Logic Pro2 for iPad, using only a PreSonus Audio Two interface] in order to keep my face away from accidentally touching the filter.The fixed dimensions and mic proximity with the pop filter in place also negate doing any close-up whispering or breathy passages.Anyway, those are the quirks and minuses I found, and they are minimal.On to the pluses...Here's what I absolutely love about this unit:It's lightweight, and it doesn't require any special mic stand adapters to use it.It dampens ambient noise (refrigerator, air conditioner, fans, etc.) VERY well, especially when boosting the gain on my mic to pick up subtle vocal nuances.It deadens ambient sound more than 270° around the mic, and it's so much more efficient than my heavy clamshell type device I had been using.The pop filter is well made, and the dual mesh inserts are separated by approx. 1/4" of airspace. So, I can really hit plosive sounds (P's and B's) without spiking into the red, or losing a good vocal take.It's also removable for more subtle work, and doesn't require a cumbersome gooseneck adapter.The main hexagon body is made of high-density foam, and it's durable feeling (and easy to brush clean).Note: The shipping box makes for handy storage and dust protection.The insert for the AT-2020 (and others *not in my collection) provides good vibration dampening around the mic itself in relation to the cube.Overall, I love this unit, and if you've ever experienced being inside an anechoic chamber, that's pretty close to how well it deadens reflection, and deflects/absorbs unwanted ambient noise.My home studio and neighborhood is noisy at times = occasional outdoor passing traffic, kids playing, appliances running, heating cooling fans, etc. So, before doing vocal takes, I need to turn down the thermostat on my refrigerator, turn off the AC units, shut off the forced hot air furnace, etc.This is by far the most ideal solution I've come across so far for compact and easy to use isolation and dampening.I highly recommend it for home recording studio use, and I think it's more than a good value considering the alternative of papering my walls with foam panels.Lastly, it's now the coolest looking thing in my setup.

This filter shield does cut on ambient noise quite well. Also, included pop filter is very good. However, at least for me there is significant limitation. I don't want to spend too much money on microphones and some I have received as gift. Two of my best microphones are the ones that must be pointed at the speaker, or the instrument. This shield only accepts microphone from the bottom, or the top if you invert it. I wish there was an option to insert a microphone from the back. In fact, I may cut a hole to be able to do so. At present, I can use only my lower quality condenser microphone with this shield. As I mentioned, shield works well, but I would like to use it with my best quality microphones.

I'm just getting in to recording, so I don't know as much about these. However, for my needs, it works all right. There are some issues with getting close enough to the mic to get good sound, but I was able to make it work.