Always check the spec to see which part of the mic you should sing into. Most large diaphragm studio capacitor mics are so-called ‘side-fire’ designs, which means you sing into the side of them, whereas in contrast, most stage vocal mics are ‘end-fire’ mics where you sing directly into the end. (These side- and end-fire terms are nonsensical, of course: nothing comes out of them; sound only goes in, but they are widely used, nonetheless!). Usually the ‘hot’, or active side of a side-address microphone is designated by the manufacturer’s logo, or in the case of Røde, a gold spot – we mention the latter only because on one Studio SOS visit we noticed that the user had a ‘side-fire’ mic set up in an ‘end-fire’ configuration, with a pop shield over the end of it.
When we asked why, he said it was because he’d, “tried using the side, but it sounded very ‘roomy’... and that singing into the end seemed a lot better”.
Of course, what had happened was that he’d initially tried the back of the mic which, being a cardioid-pattern model, would indeed sound dull and very roomy indeed, but then rather than check the other side, he’d assumed that it was an ‘end-fire’ mic, and rigged it accordingly. Singing into the top of the mic meant he was actually using it 90 degrees off-axis, where the output level is only about 6dB lower than the on-axis level, and only slightly duller than it should have been! That was clearly a massive improvement on using it directly from the back in the cardioid null, but still not as good as it was capable of!
If in doubt about the polar pattern or the orientation, listen to the output of the mic while moving around it in a complete circle talking or singing as you go.
That will quickly reveal the polar pattern and intended main axis!
Position
Because of the acoustic anomalies that often occur in the exact centre of a square or rectangular room, it is best to avoid placing the singer and mic in the centre, but at the same time you don’t want them too close to walls either, and especially not in a corner, as the bass-end builds in intensity close to boundaries. Also, if there is a computer in the room, try to arrange things so your vocalist is set up as far away as possible, with the rear of the mic facing the computer, in order to minimise the amount of fan noise picked up.
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Pop shields should always be used, regardless of the type of microphone or any claims made by its manufacturer as to its inherent resistance to popping. An inexpensive mesh, foam, or perforated-metal pop screen, placed one to two inches in front of the mic capsule, will prevent unwanted pops or thumps whenever loud ‘plosives’ – ‘P’ and ‘B’ sounds – are sung.
What happens is that the very strong air blasts strike the mic capsule’s diaphragm with such energy that they cause it to ‘hit the end stops’ generating a huge and unwanted low-frequency output that is very hard to remove after the event. Of course, it’s best if the vocalist develops the technique of turning their head slightly when singing those plosives, in order to avoid sending strong blasts of air straight towards the mic in the first place, but few untrained singers have the ability to do that without it getting in the way of their performance. Engaging the low-cut switch on the mic or preamp, where available, will help
It’s always worth using a pop shield for vocal recording. It shouldn’t compromise the recorded sound at all, but a destructive ‘plosive’ in the recording can’t really be fixed by subsequent processing.
slightly, but you need to be sure that it doesn’t compromise the recorded vocal tonality.
If you find yourself desperately in need of a pop screen without having one to hand, you can always improvise one using a couple of layers of fine nylon stocking material stretched over an opened out wire coat hanger. We’ve also used the fine-wire mesh splashguards designed to fit over frying pans, with good results – you just need to improvise a means of fixing them in place. The inherent nature of a pop shield is that most tend to attenuate the very highest frequencies to some degree, with multi-layer nylon screens being the worst and open-cell foam being the best. However, any losses can be made up easily with a little ‘air EQ’ in the mix, and this minor drawback is far more acceptable than the huge plosive pops that would occur without a pop shield in place!
The distance between the mic and the singer should normally be about 200 to 300mm – or slightly further if the mic has a strong proximity effect – with the pop-shield about 100mm from the mic. It often helps to set the mic capsule around forehead height, so the singer has to project slightly up towards it. This sometimes achieves an improved posture that may help them sing more effectively, but it also helps to make sure plosive blasts go below the mic rather than straight into it, and also tends to pick up less sibilance.
T I P : Even a good vocal recording made with a pop shield will show some unwanted low-frequency information when you look at the recording using a spectrum analy-ser. That’s because some air blasts from the singer’s mouth still get through the pop shield, albeit heav-ily attenuated. Using a low-cut, 18dB/octave filter, set somewhere between 80 to 200Hz, will address this, but always listen to the audio as you’re adjusting the filter to ensure that you don’t unduly affect the intentional low end of the voice.