0556 – Pop Screens and Filters

2022.07.10 – 0556 – Pop Screens and Filters

Pop filters[1] work by either displacing or slowing down the flow of the air, to make it less aggressive on the mic head.

There are two kinds.

There’s the foam ‘hat’ that goes directly on the mic head to protect it from windblasts and usually seen on outside mics. But the microphone experts Neuman says these can reduce the treble part of a voice slightly.

There’s also the filter that’s a ring of plastic or metal which holds two layers of a thin metal mesh or gauze-type fabric. It’s attached to the mic stand two or three inches away from the mic itself to work effectively, not directly against the head.[2] It’s also a good idea to angle the pop screen slightly to avoid sound reflections bouncing between the screen and the mic head.

For a similar reason, large pop screens are better than smaller ones because the ring that holds the fabric may introduce sound reflections, too: the larger the pop screen the further away the outer ring is from the mic.

These screens are much more effective against pop noises than foam shields and affect the sound far less, although they can be a bit intrusive as they are larger than the mic head, and you may not be able to read a script as easily or simply feel that it’s getting in the way of you connecting with the mic.

[1] Hear sound samples of how pop-screens and filters work, here: https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/how-to-protect-your-microphone-against-pops

[2] As this short video explains: pic.twitter.com/ekrf1Vg65y

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.