Best Pop Filters for Vocal Recordings

You may be an aspiring musician, a professional vocalist, a YouTuber or podcaster, or just a music enthusiast; that is why you have landed on this article. The first question in your mind would be, what do the pop filters do?

The answer lies in their name. They decrease or remove popping sounds. There are some specific letters that when you say them, your mouth and breath generate fast-moving air. These letters include P, T, and K.

Let’s do an exercise. Clasp your hand in front of your mouth and then say ‘people.’ You will notice the air. This air overload the microphone creating warp and clipping. You can’t afford this distortion because it will ruin your performance.

That’s why you need a pop filter. But there are many different companies manufacturing pop filters, so you must look for the best for yourself.

What Is a Pop Filter?

A pop filter is used in microphones to shield against noise. You will mostly find it in recording studios. During the recording of speech and singing, the speedy air from plosives has a mechanical influence on the microphone. As a result, popping sounds are generated. A pop filter decreases or removes these popping sounds.

We can divide these popping sounds into two components: High-frequency components are generated when air rides past the grille or other segments of the microphone frame. The low-frequency component is generated when air collides with the diaphragm.

Moreover, motorized and electric saturation can also generate popping sounds. It is subject to the quantity of headroom created into these systems.

The best pop filters make a greater clear sound. They don’t subtly decrease high frequencies as it can cause a little tedious recording. The best pop filters use good quality equipment like clamps and goosenecks. Good quality equipment makes it easy to install the pop filter on the microphone.

If you are in search of the best pop filter, you should go through our pop filter reviews. In this article, we will discuss the five best buy pop filters for you.

>> You can read more Microphone Frequency here

Best Pop Filter Reviews

Here are the top 5 selections of the best microphone pop filters. Let dive it further now!

Product	Name	TRR Ratings	Find Out More
	Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Microphone Pop Filter	(4.8 / 5)	Check on Amazon
	Stedman Corporation Proscreen XL	(4.5 / 5)	Check on Amazon
	Auphonix Pop Filter Screen	(4.5 / 5)	Check on Amazon
	Neewer Professional Microphone Pop Filter	(4.4 / 5)	Check on Amazon
	PEMOTECH Pop Filter	(4.4 / 5)	Check on Amazon

1. Nady MPF-6 6-Inch Clamp-On Microphone Pop Filter

If you’re looking for a top-ranking executive pop filter for vocal microphones, this product is for you. It comes with a metal stabilizing arm. It also features an outstretching bracket, boom, gooseneck, and a microphone stand clamp. Moreover, it comes with a very long and pliable gooseneck holder. You can easily fit its clamp on any stand having a diameter of up to 1 inch.

Many pop filters don’t perform well because they have a single mesh pop screen. Here, Nady MP-6 stands out because of its double mesh screen that provides more efficient pop filtering. What’s more, it easily reaches even the hardest spots thanks to its extending bracket.

Pros and Cons

Verdict:

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2. Stedman Corporation Proscreen XL

Stedman is a renowned brand in the music equipment industry. This pop filter they have manufactured has a screen diameter of 6 inches, 26.5 inches in length, 39 inches clamp range, and 10 oz weight. It’s a state-of-the-art pop filter designed for professional vocalists.

It’s manufactured from a unique patented material that eradicates pops significantly more successfully than fabric filters. High frequencies pass easily through this pop filter, which helps to sustain the essential detail in recordings.

Pros and Cons

Verdict:

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3. Auphonix Pop Filter Screen

This pop filter is manufactured by Auphonix. It supports blue yeti snowball microphones and comes with a gooseneck clamp.

Moreover, it consists of extremely robust polyester mesh that prevents that twang and s phase sound that you hear while using a metal pop filter. It lets all high-frequency tones proceed through easily, making sure that the listeners don’t mishear any tone or word.

It also places every hole at the perfect surface that lets you record your voice without any bursts. Additionally, its 6 inches microphone masks swiftly clip to every round mic mounting. You can then flex it in front of a smaller microphone and perfectly place it to all 360-degree angles.

Pros and Cons

Verdict

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4. Neewer Professional Microphone Pop Filter

This pop filter by Neewer supports blue yeti and other microphones. It’s a pop filter designed for music professionals, and it features a double-layer windscreen with an adaptable 360-degree gooseneck clamp stabilizing arm.

Its power source is AC, and it weighs 8.29 ounces. It’s the best buy pop filter for those people who want a pop filter for home or studio vocal recordings. Moreover, it features a dual-layer. The first layer obstructs air blasts like regular pop filters. The space between the two layers then disperses any persisting air pressure. It then goes through the second layer, where it is easily held to create high-quality recordings.

Pros and Cons

Verdict

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5. PEMOTech Pop Filter

PEMOTech is known for manufacturing great music equipment. This pop filter they have made is another great product. It has three layers that are made up of foam, metal net, and basic etamine. These three layers provide the best vocalizing experience by mitigating unwanted noise like plosives, snaps, and hissings.

You can use it with microphones having a diameter of 5 mm to 63 mm. Its metal mesh complements the plastic mount in an exceptional aspect design. Furthermore, it averts saliva and keeps your microphone clean. It features a mixed style of elastic bands and internal rubber loops that allow it to firmly fix on your mic.

Pros and Cons

Verdict

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Purpose of Pop Filters

A pop filter has two purposes.

Its major purpose is to eradicate popping sounds when someone sings into the microphone. There are some words known as “plosives.” They have ‘p’ in them, such as in people and pets. When someone utters these words, the microphone overloads due to the sudden air pressure. It also happens if you laugh into the microphone. The sudden air pressure would produce popping sounds from the microphone.

Therefore, we place pop filters in front of the microphone to eradicate the rapidly moving air. Pop filters normally come with an attached microphone stand. It means that you will also require a microphone stand. Because if you have a table microphone designed for podcasts, you can’t attach it to a pop filter.

Its second purpose is to block the saliva from going into the microphone from the singer’s mouth. Our saliva contains corrosive salts, and if our saliva enters the microphone, it can damage it. A pop filter makes your microphone long-lasting. It also prevents your microphone from smelling bad.

A pop filter knocks off the problems on both the high and low ends. You can easily edit the recordings, and as a result, you will get a good-sounding presentation, auditions, and polished work.

Benefits of Having Pop Filters

Here are some benefits of having a pop filter.

• Pop filters aids in reducing plosives, crackles, and pops. It reduces the hissing noise that results from extra apparent S sounds.

• They eradicate the popping sounds produced by the motorized effect of swiftly moving air on the microphone.

• They help in editing out any unwanted sounds and frequencies.

• You can easily use them while you are recording indoors.

• They keep your microphone moisture-free, which prolongs the life of your gear.

• They are very convenient to clean. All you need is to soak them in hot water containing a little nonabrasive cleaning product.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Are pop filters necessary, and do they affect vocal quality?

Yes, they are crucial for advanced studio production. They are necessary for usual studio recordings where the vocalist is at a distance of a few inches from the mic.

They affect the vocal quality for sure and improve them. Moreover, they assist in reducing the impact of plosives.

2. What’s the difference between a pop filter and a mic screen?

Mic screens and pop filters are employed in partnership with microphones to help in decreasing exorbitant pressures on a microphone’s element.

3. Do microphones already have pop filters?

A majority of condenser microphones don’t come with a pop filter but need one. At the same time, a majority of vocal dynamic microphones come with built-in pop filters.

4. How far should the pop filter be from the microphone?

A pop filter should be two to six inches away from the microphone.

Conclusion

We have given you enough information about what pop filters are and all their technical details, their purpose and benefits and have answered some of the most common FAQs. We have also reviewed the five best pop filters for vocal recording.

Now your job starts. Because everybody has different needs and circumstances, you will have to choose the pop filter you want to buy by yourself. We recommend that you consider your budget. Go for a cheap pop filter if you are just starting your professional career and are therefore on a low budget.

If you choose even an inexpensive pop filter from our list, you will still have equipment that will decrease plosives and assist you in producing high-quality recordings.

But if you can afford it, we recommend buying a pop filter that offers transparent sound, extraordinary build quality, and a high-quality gooseneck even if you have to spend more money.