After reading a few articles on the subject on Instructables.com, I put
together a homemade pop filter today for recording, using a pair of
pantyhose and a needlepoint hoop. A pop filter is designed to take the
worst of the plosives out of one's speech when recording voice -- the
plosives being the puff of air associated with "B's", "P's", and "D's".
This one does seem to make a big difference, though it doesn't eliminate
them entirely. The price was right anyway (free), so who am I to
complain? They want $25 USD or more for these things, if you go to buy
them online. I'm sure they'd work better than this one does, and they
do come with brackets and such for mounting the thing, but, c'mon,
that's robbery!
The way most of these things work (this one included), is that you clamp
it about two inches away from your mic, and you speak through it when
recording. The exact clamp method I'll use will likewise need to be
makeshift, and I haven't figured out the how of that yet, but it will
require some trial and error. The clamp needs to be at least somewhat
adjustable, as I'll be experimenting to see if placing it at an angle
makes a difference; secondly, I'll need to ascertain the optimum
distance from the mic.
I used two layers of nylon from the pantyhose, locked between the hoops.
That was a little tricky, actually. I really needed four hands, since
the nylon is so stretchy and didn't want to stay put. I ended up
holding it mostly in place with some clothespins until I could get the
inner hoop in place, but there are probably better methods. After the
inner hoop was clamped tight, I simply trimmed away the excess with a
pair of scissors. Simple, cheap, and effective. Hey, that could be my
new mantra.
