17/04/2024
Pop filters are very useful to minimize basic speech sounds such as harsh sibilance, mouth clicks, and popping consonants. However, when they are not specifically needed for sonic improvement, they can alter the resulting quality of your audio in a bad way, and SHOULD NOT BE USED.
The mid range of your audio can drop significantly between 2 and 4 KHz. That’s your vocal presence and well, vocal presence is pretty darn important for an audition. Furthermore, the high end of a recording can disappear completely, and that’s where clarity usually resides. To compensate for such frequency loss, we resort to audio processing such as EQ. We bump up certain frequencies but all that does is add more noise to the recording.
90% of a good recording can be achieved during the recording, with ideal mic placements and proper mic techniques. I have a very simple rule about audio processing: less is more. Don’t use a pop filter if you don’t have to, and adjust your microphone accordingly. This will save you a ton of time during the mixing and exporting of your audition.
