What can portable vocal booth shields do for a boxy room sound?

[Scott47]

I’ve been trying to get my vocal takes to sit better in my mixes, and I’m wondering if my problem is the room itself. My recordings just sound a bit boxy and dead no matter what mic I use, and I don’t have the budget for proper acoustic treatment. Has anyone had success with those portable vocal booth shields, or are they just a gimmick for getting a drier sound?

[FrankGM]

I tried a portable vocal booth shield for a few weeks in a small untreated room. It cut some reflections, but it also made the sound feel hollow and boxed. I had to adjust mic distance constantly.

[AnthonyRH]

In my experience those shields can be gimmicky. They reduce room feel but they also shrink the pickup and can introduce weird phase quirks with a close mic.

[JonathanH]

I swapped to pulling the mic right up to my mouth and used a couple of blankets around the desk. It wasn’t perfect, but the vocal sat a bit more in the mix and the room hiss dropped.

[Gregory_H]

Could the real problem be monitoring or the vocal chain rather than the room?

[Scarlett_R]

I tried a budget fabric booth frame with a thin cloth cover. It helped a little on the highs, but the mids still sounded dull. I decided to save for real treatment later.

[Luke45]

One time I wandered off topic and started blaming the house plant in the corner, but the take still sounded flat. Maybe I’m chasing the wrong thing, or maybe the problem is in the mix.