Should You Use a Wind Screen or Pop Filter With Your Mic?

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I'm Danny Brown,

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and you're listening to One Minute Podcast Tips,

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the show that helps you be a better podcaster

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in just a minute a week.

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at oneminutepodcasttips.com/support.

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And now, this week's episode.

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When it comes to using a screen for your microphone,

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there's generally two options.

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There's the windscreen that often comes with the mic itself

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and this is like the little foam sort of sock that goes over the top of the mic.

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Or you have a standalone pop filter.

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This is a standalone that usually clips onto the mic

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or clips onto the arm if you're using an arm

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and normally that's a plastic circle with foam in the middle

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and the foam sits between your mouth and the microphone.

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There's pros and cons to both.

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The windscreen looks better if you're on camera

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but the quality of the foam can be questionable

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depending on the manufacturer.

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If the foam's too thin

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then it won't really offer any protection against plosives

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so it's not really doing the job it's meant to be doing.

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With the stand-alone pop filter, these are usually better,

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but because they are quite big,

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they can look awkward if you're on screen or doing a video.

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In that case, if you do want to use a windscreen

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that goes onto the mic itself,

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a little trick is to have about an inch gap

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between the end of the microphone and the foam itself.

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This adds a bit more space between your mouth and microphone

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and this really helps to avoid the plosives.

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So really, the choice is yours,

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either the windscreen that goes on top of the mic

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or the stand-alone pop filter.

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But both are really good at helping reduce plosives

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and getting rid of that loud P or B noise

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that you can sometimes hear on podcasts.

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Until the next time, happy podcasting.

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Thanks for listening.

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Until the next time, happy podcasting.

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