I recently talked about how to get clean vocals in both the recording and mixing stages of your mix. One of the elements I touched on to help achieve clean vocals was the importance of using a pop filter when recording vocals, so let’s briefly identify what is a pop filter in the realm of recording and why you should use one.
What is a Pop Filter
A pop filter is essentially a netting material which slots right in between the microphone itself and the vocalist.
It’s typically made of a spongy, foamy kind of material to provide a thin buffer layer between the microphone and the vocalist. Other times a pop filter is made of a metallic or plastic mesh (sometimes with an additional layer of foam):
Why Use a Pop Filter
When a vocalist is recording their part, certain artifacts can come out as part of the vocal performance. You can get an issue like vocal sibilance where the “S” consonant sounds are exaggerated and can be distracting for the listener.
“P” consonant sounds, on the other hand, can create a completely different type of problem on a vocal recording known as plosives.
Plosives are small concentrated bursts of air which are a byproduct of pronouncing the “P” sound, bursts which get picked up by the microphone with the rest of the recording.
Plosives manifest on a recording as a low frequency pop which, like sibilance, is distracting for the listener and can detract from the performance.
The more aggressively a vocalist delivers a word which begins with or contains a hard “P”, the larger that burst of air which gets caught by the microphone. Likewise, the closer the vocalist is to the microphone, the more of the plosive which gets captured, as well.
Pop filters catch/prevent or at least attenuate the effect of plosives on the recording by filtering them out.
This creates a more natural sounding vocal without any or as much post production editing (like EQ) necessary after the recording in the mix.
Pop filters are very affordable with most running under $10. They typically come with a clip which clamps on to your microphone stand as well as an adjustable neck so that you can place the pop filter at an ideal position in front of your mic.
How to Use a Pop Filter
Typically the best spot for a pop filter is roughly 3 inches squarely in front of the microphone so that none of the microphone is left uncovered or unfiltered by that pop filter.
Make sure after you’ve got the pop filter properly adjusted that it’s locked in tight and won’t move from the force of plosives.
Note that this isn’t to be confused with a microphone cover – a foam cover which literally gets pulled over the microphone’s head:
While this can work to attenuate plosives, it’s more for dampening the effects of wind and filtering them out, typically for outdoor performances.
These can also be used when a pop filter is too distracting, like sometimes in the case of voice recording/podcasting/video performances.
Admittedly even with the use of a pop filter, you might still get small plosives on your recording. Very small plosives aren’t worth correcting in the mix as it’s a natural part of the “P” sound to some extent.
When the plosive is large enough to be distracting, refer to my guide on how to remove plosives from vocals to ensure your vocal is sounding its best in the mix.
