Best Sound from Condenser Mic

[DarkFriend]

Okay, this is going to sound really stupid, but..

I've got a Audio Technica 3035 condenser mic (http://audio-technica.com/prodpro/profiles/AT3035.html). My vocalist sings rock/pop type music, not vey agressive, but not folk-quiet either.

The mic has a 10dB pad switch and a roll-off switch.

Question 1) How far away should my pop screen be from the mic itself?

Question 2) How far away should the vocalist be from the pop screen?

Question 3) Should I use the 10dB pad or roll-off switches?

I've recorded vocals with this mic and they sound great. I'm soon to experiment with some settings/positions/etc., but wanted to see if anyone had opinions on the three questions above.

BIG thanks for your input..

 

[Lopp]

The distance of the pop screen doesn't matter as much as the distance of the vocalist from the mic. The pop screen can beplaced at a distance to keep the vocalist a set distance from the mic. For example, place the pop screen 6" away from the mic. The vocalist is usually an inch or so away from the pop screen. Experiment with vocalist distances because the distance affects the tone.