RECORDING VOCALS: ADD ONS

The main reason for having a vocal filter, is to try and record a ‘dry’ signal. If your studio doesn’t have the best acoustic treatments it could have, you may find one of these filters invaluable. They are basically a curved composite wall, which sits behind any microphone by means of a variable position stand clamp assembly which ships with the product.

The Vocal Filter helps prevent any reflected sound reaching the back and sides of the mic. Its shape and size have been carefully tested to maximize absorption while keeping ‘coloration’ down to a minimum, and leaving the microphone’s polar pattern unaffected.

WHY SHOULD I BOTHER WITH A POP SCREEN?

Session singers are trained how to work with a microphone, so that when they are singing words that have plosives within them, they will turn their heads slightly away from the mic, or when singing a loud part, they will move slightly away from the mic to reduce the power of the vocal, but still, sometimes a ‘Pop’ will find its way through. Whats happening is that plosives are letters or parts of words that require a push of wind from the lips, (words beginning with ‘P’ are usually culprits). The Pop screen allows the voice to pass through the mesh, but the ‘Push’ of air on a plosive is broken up and as a result the ‘Pop’ disappears.

attached to the mic stand so it sits between the singers lips and the microphone. Back in the day, home studios used to make their own Pop shields with a wire coathanger and a pair of ladies tights, but the price of the professional product nowadays is so reasonable, there seems little point.