Recording - June 2012 - 36

Because of this, my personal preference is toward a metallic screen-based filter, which lets high frequencies through, but still breaks up low-frequency wavefronts. Metal pop filters are also easier to clean. Pop filters tend to get dirty from singer spit, and usually smell gross after a couple of sessions. While nylon is easily washed, doing it last-minute before a session is a bad idea, as a wet pop filter seriously kills frequency response. I’ve even microwaved a few wet nylon filters once or twice while singers patiently waited!

Of course, proximity effect offers more than just largerthan-life radio DJ vocals. The effect also grants close-miked drums outrageous impact. Legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick discovered this in the mid-1960s when he broke EMI studio policy and placed a mic only inches from Ringo Starr’s bass-drum head. The extreme low end of today’s drum sounds can be largely attributed to the proximity effect inherent to cardioid microphones. Proximity effect can also have a downside. Many instruments are best recorded with a directional mic, but a bass boost is not welcome. Excess low-frequency energy in guitars, pianos, and background vocals tends to muddy up mixes, and thus proximity effect must be compensated for to achieve maximum clarity. While this often can be done with equalization, many microphones include a built-in rolloff filter to electrically reduce low-frequency energy at the mic itself—see the photo below. Some mics even offer an adjustable filter with various degrees of reduction. While convenient, these roll-off filters don’t suit every engineer’s preference. I typically avoid on-mic filtering, unless I am in a situation in which multiple microphones need to be mixed together and console eq is limited.

The Stedman PS101 is a typical metal screen-type pop filter. You can’t see it in the photo, but the mesh is actually angled to direct air blasts away from the mic, eliminating pops.

The AKG Perception 120 USB has backlit switches for a bass rolloff filter (left) and 20 dB pad (right). Another caveat to proximity effect is the problem of plosives. While bass-rich vocal sounds are sexy, problems incur when a vocalist emphasizes “B” and “P” syllables. Known as plosives, these bass-heavy sounds tend to explode on directional mics, wreaking havoc in both recording and live sound scenarios. Unfortunately, while eq and mic roll-off filters can eliminate these nasty gremlins, they also thin out the vocal sound on normal, non-plosive words. A better solution is usually a pop filter, a mechanical device placed between the vocalist and microphone. Snap, crackle, & no pop Pop filters are great for reducing plosives, and no studio is complete without one. Commercial models are inexpensive, and are usually constructed with nylon mesh. In a pinch, you can even make one yourself with a nylon stocking stretched over a coat hanger. I avoid nylon pop filters, as they tend to filter not just the low plosives but also highfrequency energy, making for a slightly darker vocal sound.
36
RECORDING JUNE 2012

Windscreens come in all shapes and sizes. Left to right: a fuzzy windscreen from Royer Labs; the A2WS, a foam windscreen from Shure that’s designed for the ubiquitous SM57; and the tiny Bubblebee Windjammers from Denmark (available through Plus24) for miniature mics. Similar to the issue with plosives, proximity effect can ruin outdoor recordings by emphasizing low-frequency wind noise. Pop filters are often useless in these situations, as they are large and block audience sight lines, and they do not reduce wind from the rear of the mic. The better solution is a foam windscreen, which encircles the microphone capsule and greatly reduces its sensitivity to any sort of low-frequency air movement. I’ve even used them in indoor situations in which rappers

Recording - June 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - June 2012