Pop Goes the Weasel, But Not the Microphone!

[Tidwells@aol.com]

Mike Halloran wrote: "I have a couple of AKG C535EBs where the rubber inside the grille is rotted away—the resulting crud blocks sound and makes these useless. Removing the foam and using cheapo SM58 windsocks over the grilles brought them back to life but I never intended that to be a permanent solution. So I special ordered a couple of (damned expensive) AKG rebuild kits for these and received them just last week. I have already found 1/2" thick sheets of this aqua filter media."

Not to brag, Mike, but AKG customer service was INCREDIBLY generous to me a couple of years ago: I had 2 AKG headset mics which I had rewired to plug into wireless transmitters for use in our live shows. After we retired from the road and I started recording at home again, I tried to solder new XLR plugs onto the cables to use them as I originally purchased them. I plugged each of them into my MOTU 828 interface with phantom power on and fried the mic capsules because I didn't know the original XLR plugs that came with the mics had a circuit to convert 48v phantom power to 9v.

I contacted AKG customer service to see if I could purchase just the original XLR plugs. They explained my mistake and why I needed a whole new capsule. They said they had them in their warehouse in Austria, but it might take them a month to figure out what to charge me since it wasn't in "the system". So, they just shipped me two complementary (free!) replacement capsules complete with gooseneck, cable and correct XLR connection. I was blown away when I received them as I didn't realize they were sending so much and I had no warrantee coverage! It only took me 5 minutes to remove the old components and put the new ones on the headsets, which hang from the ears.

The story gets better for me! My wife has early-onset dementia and I wanted to try to record her singing again. She has to sit in her rocking recliner in the living room and I knew keeping my regular studio mic positioned right could be a nightmare since it's a 30-second walk from my control room. I needed to close-mic to minimize room & neighborhood (& pet) noise, yet she fidgets. I ended up using the headset mic on her and found it worked incredibly well! Takes from all different recording session matched because of the ease of keeping a close, consistent mic position.

Then I decided to try it on my own vocals. I discovered I get better results than I did with my old AKG C414 because of the consistent mic positioning. I can even move around if I really feel the groove and the mic follows me! So I really want to thank AKG customer service for their incredible generosity and kindness! They really helped me move forward on recording my 3-year "labor of love"! Sorry, they must have used up all their generosity on me or they finally got "the system" working so they could charge you so much, Mike

Doug

[mikehalloran]

Good to read stories like this, Was this before or after Samsung bought Harmon International?

I had sent an email to AKG but never got a response. I found the rebuild kits at Full Compass.

[Tidwells@aol.com]

I'm not sure of the date, Mike. I think it was about 2 and a half years ago. And now that I think about it, I may have been talking to Tech Support, not Customer Service. And now it's coming back to me that they said the microphone components were in a warehouse in Hungary, not Austria.

Doug

[mikehalloran]

I got a text last night offering me a one minute voice over gig but I needed to put a rush on it. The copy was about 90% so no problem—except…

I had my favorite 87 clone set up for a guitar session that is going to finish tomorrow. Problem is that my voice sounds strident through anything resembling an 87. Those who have met me know that, since 2009, I don't get around so well with half my body paralyzed from a stroke. For me to tear down and set up my TLM193, then tear that down for the Saturday guitar session one handed sucks all the fun out of what should take less than 15 minutes from editing the copy to final delivery. So I decided to knock this out with the 87.

Unfortunately, my VO technique requires a pop stopper and all were in a cabinet were across the room. I had some of that aqua filter media in a desk drawer and figured I'd attach with a rubber band. I stuck a square in the suspension mount and when I went looking for the right sized band, it didn't fall out. I was done in 10 minutes or so and delivered the project about an hour and a half later.

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I'm a big fan of that polyester aqua "bio filter" media used in the $99 Hakan and the $20 version on Amazon. Not only does it stop my 'plosives completely but it's the most acoustically transparent media I've ever used for this purpose. That it doesn't rot with age and washes easily is icing on the cake.

I suppose that, had I given two seconds of thought to it, I would have done this instead.

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[HCMarkus]

Guerrilla Popper Stopper. Love it!

[ed belknap]

Doesn't anybody use the pencil trick for plosives anymore?

:shrugs:

[mikehalloran]

Doesn't anybody use the pencil trick for plosives anymore?

:shrugs:

There's a blast from the past (pardon the pun). I remember that from the 1960s but it didn't work that well to begin with.

Who's going to tell a client to hold a pencil in front of his/her mouth while concentrating on words/music/vocal delivery/phrasing and a half dozen other things?

As Bobby Zimmerman wrote, "It ain't me, Babe. I said, 'No, no, no, it ain't me, Babe…'"

[mhschmieder]

Would that be a number two pencil or a mechanical pencil?

[ed belknap]

Who's going to tell a client to hold a pencil in front of his/her mouth while concentrating on words/music/vocal delivery/phrasing and a half dozen other things?

"Hold"?!?!

We always just attached the pencil to the body of the mic with blue painter's tape.

[mikehalloran]

Who's going to tell a client to hold a pencil in front of his/her mouth while concentrating on words/music/vocal delivery/phrasing and a half dozen other things?

"Hold"?!?!

We always just attached the pencil to the body of the mic with blue painter's tape.

Knock yourself out. I'll pass.

[mikehalloran]

Rather than start a new thread...

I was looking for something else on Amazon when I found this bad boy for $14.95 and had to try it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1B33YJZ?re ... title&th=1

Yes! I'll be ordering more. Here are some pics. The filter is that same 7/8" thick biofilter used on the Hakan and the $20 clone. Stem is adjustable for height and the base for distance to the mic. The clamp can accommodate side-address bodies from 1"–3". You can see it on my TLM-193 (may be the only one with a nickel body) and one of my 47 clones. The clamp doesn't quite clear the yoke of the 47 but a file or sanding block can fix that in short order as it's plenty thick enough. Bending the stem 90° might get it to work with an end-address mic but I'll let someone else try that.

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[HCMarkus]

A concern: singer bumps filter, resulting in tremendous low frequency plosive-like "boom". Having the filter attach to the stand and not the shock-mounted mic directly, will avoid this potential recording pitfall.

I liked your guerrilla pop filter the best, Mike!

[stubbsonic]

I rarely track vocals of late, but when I was using a panty-hose-based pop filter, I noticed that it was more effective to put the pop filter closer to the face and further from the mic. I don't know if that's necessary with the aquarium filter approach.

[mikehalloran]

A concern: singer bumps filter, resulting in tremendous low frequency plosive-like "boom".

I get the point though it does not seem to be an issue with the mics in my pictures or other 47. Probably shouldn't attach it to my 87s, though. Thanks!

I rarely track vocals of late, but when I was using a panty-hose-based pop filter, I noticed that it was more effect to put the pop filter closer to the face and further from the mic. I don't know if that's necessary with the aquarium filter approach.

I like that I can control my distance to the mic—up to 4" with these and anywhere I want with the the gooseneck. Having a deep voice, proximity effect is a major problem area for me.

The aquarium filter is surprisingly effective. If it stops my 'plosives when working close, it will stop anything. Even though 7/8" thick, you can see through it. Holding one up to your ear and comparing with others is the best way I know to test sonic transparency. The thinnest foam filters are not as good nor are any of the nylon or metal filters I own. The biofilter is about on par with nylon hose draped over a coat hanger for transparency but much, much better when stopping the pop.

Because standing while singing or VO is no longer one of my options, this is my personal default setup with the Hakan clone and whichever mic I will be using for that session.

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