Monday, September 8, 2014

Create A Homemade Mic Filter

A pop filter, like the one seen here, helps reduce unwanted vocal sounds.


When we speak, we make noises with our mouth that we don't even notice. Certain noises, called percussive sounds, are created with certain letters, like "B" and "P". If you make the sound of each of these letters, you can see that your mouth is producing a popping noise. When recording music, these explosions of air are picked up by the microphone and make their way on to the recording as a distracting boom. To reduce these noises, you can use a homemade microphone filter, also called a pop filter.


Instructions


1. Sand down all the surfaces of the embroidery ring, in and out. The rough, unfinished wood can snag and rip the fabric you will be using, so it's important to make sure that any possible snag points are eliminated.


2. Cut off one leg of the black pantyhose directly below the thigh.


3. Insert the inner part of the embroidery ring into the leg of the pantyhose, working the ring down to the toe area until it is stretched tightly over the ring.


4. Clamp the other, outer ring of the embroidery ring on to the inner ring.


5. Cut off the remaining fabric for a neat, professional look.


6. Superglue the flat end of the gooseneck mic holder to the wood of the outer embroidery ring. Allow time for it to dry fully - usually 24 hours.


7. Attach the set-up using the microphone clamp on the gooseneck by clipping it to the mic stand directly below the microphone. Adjust the filter so that it's between the singer and the microphone, about 3 inches away from the vocalists mouth and an equal amount away from the microphone itself for maximum effectiveness.