grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
One of the things I've always personally liked about home recording, actually, the recording of music in general, is the way the proper 'pro' methodology sits comfortably alongside the homemade, maverick ways. Well, they're comfortable in my mind. I don't look down on gearsluts, each to their own. Neither do I condemn the mavericks. There's innovators and hacks in both crowds and if I'm honest, I'm a bit of both at different times. And I have a room in both camps......
There are some that conclude that because of availability and relative low cost (in comparison to yesteryear), that pretty much everything we need in pursuit of our musical paths is affordable. But that isn't always the case if the Newbie adjunct "I'm on a very tight budget", is anything to go by. Students, low paid workers, folk with dependents, those in debt.....it's interesting how many of us can be strapped for even £30/$54 in a pinch. Not only that, there are times when it's actually enjoyable to make your own stuff or repair your leads or amps or whatever it may be.
So this is just an encouragement to anyone that may find this buried among a zillion tasty threads that are much more interesting, to not feel that everything has to be bought. Even if it ultimately is cheaper to buy, sometimes there is value in doing it yourself or with others.
This is just a cheapskate's pop shield/filter.
Literally put together in 15 minutes from imagining how it should look, I can tell you it's really effective. It's double sided and takes no high end away but plosives are dead in the water on this fella. I've had it for about four years. I made it in such a way that it's a few inches from the mic. If placed too close to the mic, you get something more irritating than plosives and sibilance - you get, in a singer's excitable moments, the wind actually knocking the shield against the mic so it sounds like a percussionist is right on their shoulder !
The end of the hanger is curled in a circular fashion and easilly slides off the mic stand once the mic holder is unscrewed. It's not pretty, but who cares ? It does the job. I blew really hard into it and could barely feel any wind on the other side.
Sometimes, stories you hear about what can be done turn out to be false dawns (egg cartons on studio walls ?) but this is one that comes up trumps.
Interestingly, I don't personally use it. I try to control plosives by not emphasizing those Ps and Bs or if I do by singing across the mic or slightly under it. The preamp up to a good level takes care of any shenanigans. But most of the vocalists I record need one.
There often isn't time to give a lecture on mic technique, much less remember it all ! I'm just glad I've got friends with interesting voices that are prepared to sing and spare me the time, like my friend in these pics. There's a difference between singing for enjoyment or being able to hold a tune and actual recording. People often aren't confronted by that until they are actually at the mic !
