I know right I have always wondered why people don't use multiple pop filters like it would just mean more chances to diffuse the air but no one talks about if it would be a good idea or not to use multiple.
@@freedom4442 As in all things I suppose it comes down to balance, if you don't have enough diffusion your breath ruins the recording, but if you have too much your voice tone becomes muffled. It's probably a better outcome if you can find that balance, but it's also a pain to set up, adjust, or move around.
Lazlo T he has a point though, most likely if this was another youtuber this would of gone for 10+ mins while he did a short, simple and factual video which has actually helped me tons
I love how you tackle explaining a topic from different angles and in a short and effective video with actual demonstrations. I appreciate your advice and guidance. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I'm working on few projects and audio has been my worst area for awhile. Your channel has helped me IMMENSELY on choosing products that fit my budget and work. It sucks to see so many negative people come by to post rude comments, at least you've got a great sense of humor for comebacks. Thanks for all your vids! Don't let the haters get you down!
If you're using a microphone handheld, the foam windscreen is basically your only option (it's really hard to attach a pop filter to something as big as the microphone handle, and the foam screen works better when moved).
It's important to remember that mic placement and technique is a key part in how you record! There are a few things you can do to fix problems you might be having, instead of buying equipment or 'fixing it in post'.
As a side note, There's plenty of tutorials online on how to make your own pop filters, and at least around here, you can find folks selling them often on Letgo or the like. If you buy a used one, and if smell is important to you, find out whether it was used in a smoking household.
@@weetzybat One thing is to stay close to the mic but at an angle. You can talk a little "Across" the mic instead of right at it, and this will keep the air plosives from hitting the mic diaphragm, but still pick up your voice nicely. 👍
Mic placement has an enormous effect on plosive reduction. Note that many musical applications place the vocal mic just above the ‘wind’. Below is not as desirable, sonically.
When you tested the wind screens and pop filters all at the same time, it sounded way better. Try it with a box on your head. Might not sound good, but will be funny as hell to watch!!!!!!! Thanks for posting!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Stedman was an instantly obvious winner. Looks transparent, sounds transparent, no plosives. Thanks for the excellent comparo! These will replace my slightly disgusting stretched nylon pieces immediately. $40 at Amazon, and vastly superior to the $30 music store items in every way. Sturdier, washable, better mounting hardware. These will make for some happier singers.
Excellent test! (And with no extraneous BS about other subjects.) Thank you for posting this. A question, though: if (as you said) you prefer a windscreen, why did you record this video with a big rectangular pop filter on the mic?
this is one of those channels that at first, you're like....OK.... i don't get it, but after watching a few videos, telling you the truth, your videos are extremely well done, informative and thorough. The more videos i watch the more i look for the little inuendos like dobely-doo and throwing the boxes makes me laugh every time. you have a great sense of humor and great job on the videos! Thanks for all the info and helping those of us starting out and trying to follow our dreams make better and more informed decisions!
We have a SE dual pop filter, which side would u use? Plastic over soft fabric or opposite? Mia is pretty good with pops so we would only need one side & could probably get away with out any. Max clarity is the our goal as we’ve hardly ever had plosives. Sometimes we get a little sibilance
I am a subscriber because I like how organized he always is when talking about music tech. In each video I have seen with this host, I see plans written or at least mentally composed.
It is amazing how much better the Stedman was. I didn't expect myself to be able to hear a difference between the filters. But damn, the Stedman was clean! Thanks for doing this test!
I totally agree.I bought both the dual layer nylon pop filter and the windscreen but found that even though the pop filter does a great job it seemed to always get in the way and the windscreen did a fine job by its self.But a fantastic review.I will be sharing this with the rest of the clan.
Funny, after watching you tell us not to use the Steadman Pop Filter in videos, I saw two music videos, and the singers had it covering a majority of their faces. So much for looking cool at a recording session.
Ok let's actually help this guy, Bandrew has said multiple times that he does not use any post procesing. That means no effects, although he does boost the sound a bit if it's too quiet. Hope this helps.
The mics he use are amazing so there doesn't need to be much post processing. If you have a dynamic mic, it helps to come very close to it which accentuates the bass. Or you can do this in post. Bass/mid heavy voices sound better generally. Doing some Deessing to the voice is also important since you don't want sibilant sounds piercing everyones' ears.
I really like stedman's ps101. You can experiment its effectiveness while blowing to the pop filter your hand being placed over the filter. I also noticed there is a noticeable difference depending on the distance between the mic and the pop filter and the relative position/angle.
Pop Filter FTW! A Mini Pop Filter Would Be Perfect Though. I'm currently using a windscreen but also own a dual layer nylon filter but it's too freaking big!
My experience with the metal pop filter (and your test confirms this) is that it makes me sound like I'm singing into a telephone. Sure the highs are there, but something in the mid low frequency is missing and you ended up with the telephone effect.
Okay, serious question, if you have the opportunity, why not buy both? Get a windscreen to cover the mic, and get a pop filter over it (If we're talking about recording audio with no video). It seems like that would be much more effective, and windscreens are only like $5
Great video. Really interested in how some digital audio/voice recorders (like the ones available from Zoom, Olympus, Sony, etc.) compare to the other mic solutions you've shared.
I would like to add, There are different versions of the "Mudder pop filter" I am using one I got for 5 bucks that has (from mic to mouth): A 2mm foam layer A metal grid like the one shown here And a ultra-fine nilon grid, I can't say for sure what it is but it looks A LOT like the dust filters I use in my pc. And I love it. Sure, I the Neewer double-foam, it performs better, but not that much better than the one I use now, not to justify the inconvenience of having a fresbee in front of me
I'm using that metal grill one. It reduces P sounds but also turns them into F sounds. I see "sE Electronics Dual Pro Pop Filter" so I think it's a good idea to stack it with a nylon filter to get better results.
The nylon ones are annoying… they cause less detail and then create a harsh ratchet sounding sibilance in the vocal… can’t get around it. I don’t even use a pop filter anymore… I legit just look a tad bit off axis and I have no problems and then my vocals sound 100x times smoother and natural
Hey podcastage, you should do themed microphone shootouts similar to what you've done here. For example I'm very interested in finding a microphone for streaming and VOIP and whatnot. So General computer usage. What microphone would be best for streaming? You could also do price to Performance analysis or do price points type things. Vocal shootouts, instrumental recording shootouts and stuff like that too. I would also like to point out that I really love your reviews. They are very thorough and well done. I like when you do the keyboard tests and stuff on microphones something everybody thinks about but it makes a difference background noise can be a pain in the ass.
Great windscreen test and I appreciate the effort you put into all of this. I would like to know if having a windscreen on a headset that's made for dictation software (i.e Nuance DragonDictate) would have any significant affect if the windscreen was removed? In other words, would the accuracy suffer? Thank you for your time. :-)
I don't know what professional audiophile would say, but as someone who transcribes recorded dictation for a living, I can say that I definitely prefer when my clients use a windscreen on their headset mics. It significantly reduces the annoyance of all the breathing, lip smacking, sighs, tongue sounds, gum chewing, drinking etc., but most importantly, it makes plosives a lot less painful on my ears! Especially with words like plaintiff and petitioner :) Windscreens also help *somewhat* when someone is doing their dictation while on a bus, driving in a car, or walking around outside. As I don't work with speech-to-text transcription, I've no idea if it would hurt or help accuracy. \
It looks like you use a Hakan P110 in a lot of your more recent videos. Where would it have ranked in this shootout? Sorry if this question is somewhere below. I scrolled and scrolled and didn't see it. Thanks for all the cool content. UPDATE: I couldn't find a Hakan vs. Stedman shootout anywhere. Video opportunity?
Thanks for this... This is just what I'm looking for... I had both windscreen and nylon pop filter. Then I used them both together in the same time. Haha😂😂😂 now I know, I must just used the windscreen. Thanks a lot. New subscriber here.
Stick with the sm7b man the NT1 is a little harsh for your voice. Had to turn my speakers down. I guess it could have been post processing too though. Edit this is an older video so I'm sure you've made changes by now.
Nylon ones can muffle the sound just a little bit, but a lot less than windscreens and you can always eq that later, boosting some highs. They are also great at filtering the pops as you showed. I didn't like these metal ones because they diversely created some metallic harmonics to the sound, boosted sibilants etc. on (not only) my voice. Nylon ones can also make the sound's attack smoother and metal ones can reproduce transients better, so the attack is shorter. It always depends on what you want to do. If you're beatboxing, mostly recording outside, speach or singing you will always want to use something else. You should always make your own shootout on mics and accessories even though it can be hard to even borrow them from someone.
QUESTION I am an audio engineer on the go with a mixer interface (ZOOM R16) and 4 mics (Behringer XM8500'S) i would love a video with some suggestions on kit to put your kit on the go with - right now i use my laptop bag with some laptop pouches for padding and sleeves for microphones but just wondering what you would suggest or have some product recommendations - i've seen a few on amazon and hoping you already have some thoughts... even if they are more on the diy / ebay make it yourselve variety - love your videos!
Small pair of your wife or girlfriends black pantyhose works pretty well too. It also helps keep dirt out of your mics. I don't like moving my mics I have set on my cabinets so a pair of hose helps with dust a lot. Just wash them out about once a week. But hey, for this video? I liked all 4 at once.
Thanks! Quick question. If I was shooting a standard sit down interview indoors, with, say, a Rode NTG3 boomed close to the source, would you recommend using a normal foam windscreen to reduce plosives or just having the microphone bare to have slightly better audio quality?
With the Sennheiser 416, do you find the 416 wind screen cover that comes with it, or a pop filter, like the Hook Studios Octo 842s, is more effective at significantly reducing pops and plosives?
