Pop Filter

JDOD

JDOD

therecordingrebels.com
Never bought a pop filter before - but was trying to get some singing done the other day and it was full of pops and shit. Particularly on P sounds and Ss.

I sing into a 57 and a cheap focusrite Rode clone. Is there anything I should be looking for? or just something that will stay in place.

I tend to sing quite loud and on a good scream can get my voice to split quite well now.

There's millions of them on eBay ranging from less than 2 quid to >80 quid.
 
Most do the same thing.
Some have a double layer...on on each side of the ring, so you get a small space between the layers.
Some use metal, but I personally don't care for them, as I do feel they alter the sound more than the cloth ones.

I would get a 6" diameter, so it can completely cover the mics, and also so that the actual plastic ring is not in play as much as it would be with the smaller ones.


The other thing...with or without a pop filter...face the mic head-on, and then turn your head and/or your body by "about" 45 degrees relative to the mic so you are not singing straight into it, but rather off-axis. Kind the same thing people do when miking a guitar cab sometimes....they turn the mic on an angle relative to the cab/speaker.
That can help a lot with pops and esses...and you don't have to do it the whole time you are singing, just turn your head when you know you have a plosive or ess sound coming up that is problematic.
 
I'd rather use old stockings... also I'm not totally borassic, I'd be happy to buy one. Just need to know what to look for.
 
fat_fleet said:
DIY Cheap Microphone Pop Filter
Click to expand...

Nice DIY...but I would never attach the filter to the mic stand, because odds are you will press up against the filter when you sing...or bump it...and that will be picked up by the mic through the goose-neck and the hard attachment to the mic stand.
Always put the filter on its own stand...IMO.

JDOD said:
I'd rather use old stockings... also I'm not totally borassic, I'd be happy to buy one. Just need to know what to look for.
Click to expand...

Nylon stockings are actually quite good.
If when the store-bought filter rips on mine...I use a nylon stocking to replace them, and frankly they work out better also because the stockings are more sheer and natural color, so you can see through it, which helps if you are reading lyrics or what have you,
I don't know why they all make pop filter with black material...???
 
miroslav said:
Most do the same thing.
Some have a double layer...on on each side of the ring, so you get a small space between the layers.
Some use metal, but I personally don't care for them, as I do feel they alter the sound more than the cloth ones.

I would get a 6" diameter, so it can completely cover the mics, and also so that the actual plastic ring is not in play as much as it would be with the smaller ones.


The other thing...with or without a pop filter...face the mic head-on, and then turn your head and/or your body by "about" 45 degrees relative to the mic so you are not singing straight into it, but rather off-axis. Kind the same thing people do when miking a guitar cab sometimes....they turn the mic on an angle relative to the cab/speaker.
That can help a lot with pops and esses...and you don't have to do it the whole time you are singing, just turn your head when you know you have a plosive or ess sound coming up that is problematic.
Click to expand...

Cheers, so 6" double layer cloth should be fine? Are they all much of a muchness really from a technical point of view? If so, I'll just go for one that appears to have a good connector for the mic stand.
 
miroslav said:
Nice DIY...but I would never attach the filter to the mic stand, because odds are you will press up against the filter when you sing...or bump it...and that will be picked up by the mic through the goose-neck and the hard attachment to the mic stand.
Always put the filter on its own stand...IMO.
Click to expand...

I usually just hold it between my mouth and the mic.
 
miroslav said:
and then turn your head and/or your body by "about" 45 degrees relative to the mic so you are not singing straight into it, but rather off-axis.
Click to expand...

this helps. what i do regarding this is aim the pop filter at an angle from the mic and then i sing into the filter, not straight into the mic. this way, what's going through the filter is slightly off axis from the mic. i found that helps a bit. keep the filter the minimum distance you'll sing from the mic at any point, which for me is around 8". The track i'll put up in the clinic today is a good example of that - 8" on quiet sections and 18" on the loud chorus. Most people are much closer, but i'm screaming pretty loud in that track.

i haven't tried making one myself, but I would assume it works just the same.
 
Cheers all, I had assumed that there was something techy about pop filters - didn't realise they were just a generic cheap bit of kit and you just want one that looks like it won't fall apart
 
About the only feature I'd recommend looking for is a gooseneck. My first pop filter had a rigid metal neck to it, and that made it a pain to get positioned correctly. My current one is a Shure pop filter, and the nice long gooseneck makes it easy to position it for any mic.

...and I have no qualms about attaching it to the same stand that the mic is on. I've never had issues with transferring vibrations to the mic via the filter/stand.
 
Well...you may not get a lot of noise form the pop filter being attached to the mic stand...but next time you do your vocals, put on your headphones with the vocal cue, mic open and set to where you normally have it, and then tap the filter ring or the goose neck and listen if the mic is picking up the vibrations.

I guess if you use a really good shock mount for the mic, you can avoid all but the worst bumps, but I know how much a stand or even the cable can transfer noise when tapped or bumped, so I would think a metal goose-neck might do the same.

I took an old mic stand and to it I attached the pop filter with a long goose-neck, and also a small sheet music holder with small light, and one of those headphone boxes with personal volume knobs, and a place to hang my headphones...plus I can also add the small wrap-around type of filter/shield to the top of that stand if needed, to block any room sound from the back of the mic.
So it serves multiple uses, and I can just grab that stand and put it into place once I get my vocal mic set up on its own stand, and nothing touches the mic stand.
 
miroslav said:
Well...you may not get a lot of noise form the pop filter being attached to the mic stand...but next time you do your vocals, put on your headphones with the vocal cue, mic open and set to where you normally have it, and then tap the filter ring or the goose neck and listen if the mic is picking up the vibrations.

I guess if you use a really good shock mount for the mic, you can avoid all but the worst bumps, but I know how much a stand or even the cable can transfer noise when tapped or bumped, so I would think a metal goose-neck might do the same.

I took an old mic stand and to it I attached the pop filter with a long goose-neck, and also a small sheet music holder with small light, and one of those headphone boxes with personal volume knobs, and a place to hang my headphones...plus I can also add the small wrap-around type of filter/shield to the top of that stand if needed, to block any room sound from the back of the mic.
So it serves multiple uses, and I can just grab that stand and put it into place once I get my vocal mic set up on its own stand, and nothing touches the mic stand.
Click to expand...

Miro, I don't think my either the quality of my vocals or recordings are good enough to care. I just want to make recording vocals easier.
 
Hey...that's cool. :)

You make the choices that work for you.
I was just mentioning the noise potential, and tossing out some ideas about what you can do with a spare stand if so inclined.
 
miroslav said:
Well...you may not get a lot of noise form the pop filter being attached to the mic stand...but next time you do your vocals, put on your headphones with the vocal cue, mic open and set to where you normally have it, and then tap the filter ring or the goose neck and listen if the mic is picking up the vibrations.
Click to expand...

Well, yeah.. next time you mic a guitar amp, try kicking the mic with your foot. That gets picked up too. :)
 
If you consider that shock mounts are intended to isolate the mic from stand/cable noises...then it starts to make sense why a hard connection to the stand can be an issue. I've seen some people with their noses/mouths pressed against the pop filters...

...but I want to know why you kick your guitar cab mics? :D
 
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