How I Recorded a Radio Commercial in an Airport Lounge Phone Booth

I work in the entertainment industry as a photo editor and voice actor. I’ve narrated audiobooks, voiced national and regional commercials, recorded podcast intros as the show’s “announcer,” played characters in video games, and I have a role in an animated movie coming out later this year.

I love it so much; jobs rarely feel like work. It’s really a dream come true for someone who grew up playing radio DJ, actually deejayed events, and hosted talk radio for a spell.

I’m part of a fantastic voiceover community. It’s comprised of people whose voices you hear all the time — all the way to folks who are trying it for the first time. Someone in the group recently brought up the subject of doing voiceovers while traveling. It reminded me of an interesting experience last fall.

A Last-Minute Client Request — During a Trip

Last October, I traveled to what was then known as one of the Chicago Seminars. (It’s now the Chicago Points Travel Festival.)

One of my regular ad agency clients emailed me the day before I left Los Angeles for Chicago. They needed a commercial recorded ASAP — but the script hadn’t been approved by their client yet. They’d send it to me in the morning — when I’d be on a plane.

It was one of those rare times when taking Delta and a connection (I flew Burbank – Salt Lake City – O’Hare) actually turned out to be a good career move!

My SLC layover was a little over three hours. I could record the spot in the Delta Sky Club — assuming one of those almost-soundproof booths was available.

RELATED: The best credit cards for Delta airport lounges

What I Packed (Fellow Audio Nerds, This One’s for You)

Into my TravelPro roll-aboard, I packed my:

• travel microphone
• travel audio interface
• travel acoustic foam
• microphone cable
• pop filter
• travel mic stand

(Fellow nerds: I use a MacBook Pro with Adobe Audition.)

Right as rain, the script came in during my BUR–SLC flight. I read it, made some notes, and was ready to go.

Turning a Sky Club Phone Booth Into a “Studio”

Once I got to the Sky Club, there was a line, of course. Eeps. I waited about five minutes to get in — but worried about finding an open phone booth.

Turns out, I snagged one within about four minutes of entering.

Now, these booths aren’t designed to be full-on recording studios. They’re great for Zoom calls on a laptop. But they’re cramped for voiceovers.

Plus, there’s so much tight, flat space. That’s bad for acoustics, because the sound bounces right back at your mic. (That’s why you see acoustic foam with all sorts of interesting designs.) So I used some clothes to create the best sound-absorbing material I could, in addition to my travel acoustic foam.

The Great Apple Cider Incident

Then I went to a beverage station for apple juice. Why? Apple juice helps with mouth noise — those mouth clicks from saliva and such. (Hot water and apple cider vinegar swishes are my go-to, but they make me want to gag.) Well, there was no apple juice there or at the bar.

However, a wonderful Sky Club rep saw me looking around and asked if she could help. I asked her if she had anything with apples. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Apples?” I explained why I needed them — and she thought it was fascinating! So she directed me to their hot apple cider dispenser. Perfect!

Turns out, the person in front of us got the last cup. She said she’d get some more and bring it to me. I went back to my “studio” and waited.

She showed up with two cups: one for her and one for me. She was so surprised by my recording setup that she tripped — and spilled hot apple cider onto my clothes and part of my laptop.

She apologized profusely and looked as if she were waiting for me to yell at her. I assured her everything was OK. (My equipment is insured. Plus, my Mac has been through more than apple cider spills! Most importantly, yelling wouldn’t solve anything.) She went and got me another cup of cider — and I gave her a Job Well Done certificate.

Recorded, Mixed, and Running in New York

Nothing was damaged. I recorded a few takes of the spot, mixed the audio, emailed it to my client, and the ad is now running in New York.

The booths are very good — not perfect — at isolating outside sound. But they do a good enough job. With all my gear in there, everything was a very tight squeeze: my TravelPro roll-aboard, my backpack, and my sweatshirt all got pressed into service as a computer stand, a sound-absorbing surface, or a footrest.

Not bad for a three-hour layover.

Final Approach

So, yes — you can record a commercial in a Delta Sky Club phone booth.

That’s the thing about this work: with the right (compact) gear and a little improvising, the “studio” can be wherever you happen to be sitting for three hours.

Have you ever pulled off something work-related in an unlikely spot — a lounge, a hotel room, a rental car in a parking lot? I’d love to hear your road-warrior war stories.