Problems with plosives

  • Thread starter Thread starter LauraM
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LauraM

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Hi everyone, I'd appreciate help with my plosive problem.

I'm recording my voice (spoken, not singing) with my Blue Yeti mic. I use Audacity on my mac for editing. I have an Auphonix pop filter, but I'm still getting some unpleasant sounding plosives.

I've done some experimenting, trying to fix this problem. I've tried different gain levels, moved my mic lower, so that my mouth is higher than the mic instead of being a the same level as the mic. I've also tried moving the mic farther back (I've gone from about 4 inches away to 12 inches from my mouth). I've tried having the pop filter parallel to the mic, and at several different angles (I read that having it on an angle helps, but I haven't noticed a significant difference).

Is it possible that I need two pop filters? Or that I should get one of the metal mesh pop filters, instead of my dual layer nylon pop filter?

I'm looking for a solution that will eliminate this problem during the recording (I'm still learning to to edit, and I don't know if it's even possible to do this through editing on Audacity). I saw on a different thread that it's possible to train yourself to speak with less intensive plosives, but I would rather find a different solution, because I'm trying to get a very natural sounding read and I think that if I'm constantly having to think about the level of my plosives, it's going to make my recording sound self-conscious and stilted.

Thanks for your help!
 
Ultimately it's a technique thing - knowing your material well enough to move back a touch, turn away a touch, and make less plosive noise.

Bit different if you're reading, rather than singing, because of the amount of words you're going to be romping through, of course, and you're probably not actually rehearsing it and you'll get sentences with lots of plosives, whearas a lyric writer will probably intentionally avoid such things, knowing they'll sound bad.

Perhaps try another layer on your filter - old pantyhose works well, I'm told - that'll give you a free idea of whether an additional filter's going to do you any good.

In terms of editing, try deep v notches on volume at the suspect points to tidy up. Works wonders, but is labour intensive.

Sorry I can't be of more assistance - spoken word is not really my thang. Good luck...
 
You could certainly throw a 58 (or similar) screen right over the thing, plus an external pop screen.

And yeah, technique.
 
One silly trick that sometimes works is to tape a pencil on the front of your mic, vertically in line with the dead centre of the mic capsule inside. Sounds weird but it seems to be able to split the air flow from your mouth and greatly reduce the effect of plosives. Looks strange but it's got me out of a hold on voice overs more than once.
 
Three things you can address:

1 Using a pop filter (which you are), or adding more filtering (as others have suggested).
2 Not singing directly into the mike, but singing over the top or to the side (which I think you've tried).
3 Controlling your plosives. Some people are more 'poppy' than others, but you can practice being less poppy. Trying saying 'people' without pushing so much air behind the p.
 
Mic overhead a la Hollywood boom? Talk ACCROSS the diaphragm instead of directly at it.

There are some very effective pop filters made from a special foam plastic, quite expensive and the name escapes me for the mo!

Oil be beck.

Håkan P110

Dave.
 
Try talking over the top of the mic or under it if hung upside down (my favourite as you can have the word sheet under the mic and they can see it) but still have the mic pointed towards the mouth. I often get spoken word clients to do this.

Alan.
 
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