Figure 1 - They may resemble tennis rackets, but pop filters can mean the difference between a professional sound, and just another home-made recording.

A pop filter serves as the sole purpose to clean up vocals. It will eliminate the “pop” sound that vocalists make while pronounced words that start with a ldquo;p” or “b”. Words that give this undesired popping sound are called aspirated plosives.  Words that make a hissing sound, such as the word “seashell”, are called fricatives. Essentially, pop filters attenuate these undesired sounds before getting to the microphone. Small vocal blemishes must be removed to get a professional recording- but not everyone can afford to buy a professional pop filter.

Basically, a pop filter is just a piece of nylon stretched over a frame that goes between the vocalist and the microphone. The problem with most cheap pop filters is the simplicity- the attachment that aligns the pop filter with the microphone almost always breaks or becomes unreliable. Professional pop filters also seek to mask frequencies in which the microphone is not designed to pickup- which would otherwise lead to clipping.

Figure 2 - Here is another cheap home-made pop filter. They may not look the best, but they’ll often get the job done.

There are two solutions for avoiding the hassle of a cheap pop filter. The first is to fashion one by spare parts. Putting nylon over a tennis racket, for instance, is one of the more popular makeshift pop filters. Coat hangers work well, since they are bendable. Coat hangers also work well for attaching the pop filter to the microphone stand- although a little work might be required to get it perfect. While this is a cheap solution, it isn’t professional- but it depends on what the individual needs the pop filter for.

For professional pop filters, the price can go from $40 to $60. This may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind that a piece of nylon and a frame is being bought here. With this kind f price, the options are much more convenient than the average $15 pop filter. The gooseneck and clamp are one of the main problem areas that are fixed with professional pop filters. Some professional pop filters also accustom to special needs, such as double filters or a wider radius of coverage. The more expensive pop filters will even have metal filters- not nylon.

Figure 3 - This is a metal pop filter- it costs more money, but the results are much more favorable than that of nylon materials.

Not every cheap pop filter will fail- but on average, they don’t last as long as the more expensive ones. The most faulty part is the gooseneck and clamp, so be sure to either test one out at the local music store or get a good review of a pop filter before buying one. If all else fails, and a sense of professionalism isn’t needed, grab some spare parts from the garage or closet and see what you can come up with.

• Recording Options for Guitarists 

There are several ways to g about recording. For guitar players with 1-2 band members, or soloists, the easiest and cheapest way is to go through a computer or laptop. A cheap connector can be bought at most tech stores, such as Radio Shack- that lets the guitar player plug in right into the audio-in line on a laptop or computer. This method usually requires software that allows the player to distort, mix, or alter the incoming signal. This is by far the cheapest method, but only suitable for extremely small bands and soloists.

A less economical yet more efficient wy of recording for small bands is via recording interfaces. These interfaces often will cost anywhere from $100-$400, depending on the quality and options. They are usually fairly small boxes that enable input of microphones, instrument lines, and offer volume/distortion controls. This usually eliminates the need for buying extra guitar recording software, as it is included with most interfaces. This method is far more stable than simply hooking into an audio-in line, as it allows for more control and will support smaller bands easier.

Multi-track ecorders are usually needed for larger bands. These recorders often come in packages that include microphones, monitors, and the necessary cables and accessories. Most multi-track recorders will have a feature to burn the music onto a CD or cassette, or otherwise will let a user port data onto a computer for further editing. Multi-track recorders are a step above recording interfaces, since they offer even more control over tones, volumes, and sound effects of instruments or vocals that are being recorded. Most multi-track recorders will cost $400-$2,000, and usually are the only choice for larger bands looking to record music. They also make very portable solutions, since they do not require a computer to function.

For capturing live sound, a separate device is usually needed. These are called field recorders, and are usually fairly advanced- as the price tag shows. These devices can easily reach a thousand or couple of thousand dollars. Field recorders usually incorporate condenser microphones into a very small package, of which is very sensitive to sound, but won’t capture background noise. There are of course field recorders that are somewhat cheap, but it isn’t recommended to invest in them. The cheaper versions will almost always offer poor quality sound, and will heavily lack features necessary to get CD quality sound.

Choosing the recording method for the correct situation is ideal. Of course, setting up a cheap microphone next to an amplifier will give the worst loss of sound quality- as most guitar players will find out. Investing in a cheap connector and a software package should be the absolute least that any serious guitar player should do. When things start to get more serious, there are a lot of areas to improve before moving onto the next piece of recording hardware- microphones, monitors, stands, mixers, compressors, and much more should all be considered before taking the next step to buying a more expensive recording interface.

• Are Pop Filters Necessary for Recording?