Inspiration
Published on October 28, 2015
Comments 20

DIY Podcast Sound Booth & Sound Check

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Gear for my sound booth

As I prepare to launch “Mandala Stories,” I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts, from independent podcasters to pros with teams of audio experts. I’ve been thinking a lot about the type of experience that I want to create for my listeners.

I imagine people all over the world tuning in to listen to my mandala stories while they create and color mandalas.

Over the years, I’ve been told how soothing and relaxing my voice is and it has me thinking about how this might help to add to the relaxing practice of creating and coloring mandalas. Can you imagine it?

It will be like a mandala oasis, retreat, sanctuary.

As I listened in to other podcasters, I’ve been hyper aware of the sound quality. I quickly realized that my studio space has a lot of hard edges that cause the sound to bounce. That bouncing noise translates into a distracting background noise that takes away from the message and the overall experience. (A quick shout-out to The Podcast Dude for getting me started.)

I turned to Youtube to research how to make a sound box. I discovered this clever idea of converting a storage box. It was important to me that the equipment would be neatly tucked away when I wasn’t using it, but easy to access. Above all I didn’t want my studio to look cluttered with technology.

Sound Booth Armoir

I had an idea! Why not buy a piece of furniture and trick it out?

My husband set out to find the perfect piece on Craig’s list. Voila! We found this computer armoire that fit within our budget.

DIY Sound Booth

My husband cleared out the inside and lined it with egg foam that is designed for reducing sound echo.

3-soundbooth

Would you like to hear my sound check and first recording?

I want to hear from you. How does it sound on your end?

Learn more about my new podcast series, “Mandala Stories,” that will launch mid-November 2015.

Learn when the first episode is ready: subscribe to my weekly e-mail newsletter.

This entry was posted in: Inspiration

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Kathryn Costa is an instigator of soulful and creative living. Her passion can be summed up in three little words: “create and connect.” Kathryn’s programs help people to find clarity, let go of fear, embrace their dreams, and explore their creativity. Kathryn has been an online community developer, teacher, and soulful guide for 12 years. Her unique teaching and coaching style integrates tools and practices from her training in Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching, Soul Coaching, The Virtue’s Project, and Jaguar Path Shamanic Apprenticeship Program.

20 Comments

  2. abr0893 says

    You sound great. I can’t wait to hear the podcasts. I think your voice is perfect for talking about mandalas and creates a very relaxing atmosphere and sound!

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  5. Dianne says

    you are giving a whistle with the letter S. Treble probably needs lowering a smidgeon.

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    • Kathryn Costa says

      Thanks Dianne for your observation and tip. I hear it too. I’m definitely going to play around and see about minimizing that for future recordings. I appreciate your feedback!

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  9. Fabienne says

    Hi Kathryn, Yes that’s true, your voice is perfect and the sound quality too!

    We did the same with my ex-husband a few years ago. We put eggs boxes in the board where our beamer was because of the noise of the ventilator and it worked very well.

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  10. Aaron Dowd says

    That’s awesome, Kathryn! I’m glad you care about sound quality, that’ll come through in everything you do and people really appreciate it.

    Best of luck with the show!

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    • Kathryn Costa says

      Thanks Aaron for swinging by and leaving a comment. It means a lot. I do believe that taking the time to dial in the sound quality will reap huge rewards in creating an enjoyable listening experience.

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  11. Nancy says

    Wonderful and creative! Today, I found myself wondering what you were using that for. Thanks for the post. You’re so dedicated. 🙂

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