User:Hyekyunglee/Pop filter

Lead (background)
Popping sounds occur particularly in the pronunciation of aspirated plosives (such as the first 'p' in the English word "popping"). Other plosives can be 't', 'k', 'd', 'b', and 'g' sounds. The popping sound recorded by a microphone has two components: High-frequency components are from air moving past the grille or other parts of the microphone body. The low-frequency component is from air impacting the diaphragm. Mechanical and electrical saturation (e.g. clipping) can also play a role depending on the amount of headroom designed into these systems.

Article body (construction)
A typical pop filter is composed of one or more layers of acoustically semi-transparent material such as woven nylon stretched over a circular frame, and often includes a clamp and a flexible mounting bracket. Metal pop filters use a fine mesh metal screen in place of the nylon. Some studio condenser microphones have an integral pop filter built into their design.

An improvised pop shield, functionally identical to the professional units, can be made with material from tights or stockings stretched over a kitchen sieve, embroidery hoop or a loop of wire such as a bent clothes hanger. It is important that the pop shield not be attached directly to the microphone as vibrations will be transmitted from the shield to the microphone.

'''Their are a few things that should be taken into consideration while looking for a pop filter. The first one is the size of the pop filter, which should depend on the size of the microphone. The second thing to take into consideration is the shape. Their are many different shapes when it comes to pop filters. Some are a flat filet while overs have a curve filter. Lastly, the mount of the filter is important as well. You want to make sure that the gooseneck of the filter is long enough so that the filter will sit comfortably in front of the microphone .'''

Function
Pop filters are designed to attenuate the energy of the plosive, which otherwise might exceed the design input capacity of the microphone, leading to clipping. In effect, the plosive's discrete envelope of sound energy is intercepted and broken up by the strands of the filter material before it can impinge on, and momentarily distort, the sensitive diaphragm of the microphone. Pop filters do not appreciably affect hissing sounds or sibilance, for which de-essing is used.

Additionally, a pop filter can protect against the accumulation of saliva on the microphone element. Salts in human saliva are corrosive, so the use of a pop filter may improve the lifespan of the microphone.

A pop filter differs from a microphone windscreen. Pop filters are generally used in a studio environment to help improve the sound quality of the recorded voice, while windscreens are typically used outdoors and get rid of any low distortion. Windscreens are also used by vocalists on stage to reduce plosives and saliva, though they may not be as acoustically transparent as a studio pop filter.