While it might not be as glamorous as cinematography, directing, or acting, audio is a just-as-crucial part of the filmmaking process. Yet, despite its importance, audio recording tips, techniques, and products don’t often get the same amount of coverage and love in the industry.
Still, if you ignore audio, you’ll quickly regret it. So, if you’re looking to learn some helpful ways to improve your audio recording for your audio and video projects, let’s go over a basic device that is a necessity for many studio setups.
What is a microphone pop filter, and how does it work? Let’s explore this device and showcase how it can help your audio recording methodologies.
What is a Microphone Pop Filter?
A microphone pop filter is also often referred to as a pop shield or pop screen and can be found in most professional audio recording booths and studios. Usually made up of nylon or a metallic mesh, the pop filter is often a circle and is clipped around the microphone stand left a few inches away from the microphone.
What Does a Pop Filter Do?
This isn’t a huge mystery, a microphone pop filter is a device used in audio recording that simply reduces the popping sounds in said recordings. The mesh filter is an easy way to help eliminate the popping sounds heard in the human voice, also known as a “plosive.”
What is a “Plosive”?
What’s that? You aren’t familiar with plosives either? Well, you’re in luck. It’s a simple concept to master as well. Plosives are the naturally occurring sounds that we hear when speaking or singing harsh words. You hear them all the time, but you might not be aware of it.
To find out what a plosive is yourself, the best way is to place your hand in front of your mouth and say the very word “Plosive.” You’ll notice that a blast of air hits your hand on certain parts of the word. You know, the parts of the word that pop.
These plosives are most often caused by harsh letters like “P” and other parts of speaking, which are referred to as plosives. In audio recording, these plosive pops are quite detrimental to the audio quality of the recording as they can cause the microphone to struggle to handle the sudden increase in volume and air burst.
The Different Plosive Constants
Along with the “P” sound that goes with the term “plosive,” there are several other harsh constants that you might want to watch out for. These include: “b,” “t,” “d,” “k,” and “g”. All of these harsh constants can mess up your audio recording for your video and audio projects.
The solution, though, is either to avoid these letters altogether. Or, more easily, invest in a microphone pop filter to help with your audio recording sessions.
The Best Microphone Pop Filters
If you’re looking to invest in a microphone pop filter for your audio recording projects, including video production audio like ADR, voice-overs, or narration, then here are some microphone pop filters that we’d recommend:
- Auray PFNY-6 Nylon Pop Filter: $18.99
- Auray OMPF-33 On-Microphone Pop Screen: $20
- RODE WS14 Pop Filter for PodMic: $20
There are many more to choose from, and you can often find one specifically designed for your microphone of choice as well. You can browse more options here.
DIY Microphone Pop Filters
Furthermore, you can also see about crafting a microphone pop filter yourself. Oftentimes, you can do so with some materials that might even be easy to find at home. Here are some helpful tutorials and guides for building your own DIY microphone pop filters:
- DIY Mic Pop-Filter (Using Home Supplies)
- Make your own $99 Hakan Pop filter for $1.66
- Do Socks Work as Pop Filters? – The Ultimate Test!
Hopefully, these resources and insights will help you on your own audio recording journey. For more audio and filmmaking resources, check out the links below.
Author: Jourdan Aldredge
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
