Why should you not cup the mic?

When a mic is cupped such that it becomes more omnidirectional, the established equilibrium is upset. The existing solution is invalidated, because the effective gain of the microphone itself suddenly increases.

What is the black round thing in front of a microphone?

Pop Filter
Ever seen footage of your favorite artist recording their vocals in a studio? Most likely, you saw a strange black circle standing in between them and the microphone. A pop filter is a circle of nylon mesh or thin metal that’s positioned a few inches in front of the mic.

Why do metal vocalists cup the mic?

And in a heavy metal band, that is a problem. Cupping the mic is the vocalist equivalent of scooping out the mids of a guitar sound and turning the distortion and gain to 10. All it serves to do is to crush your sound, not give you a crushing sound.

Should your lips touch the mic?

If the other sounds can’t be reduced, singers need to separate their voice from them. This is done by singing into the mic as closely as possible in order to be loud enough so your voice isn’t drowned out. Placing their lips this way reduces distortion.

Can I use a sock as a pop filter?

A sock can work as a pop filter and save you some money because you can use one that you already have around the house. The trick is that you need a thin sock that won’t drown out your voice. If you use one that is too thick, you may find that you need to speak louder to get the microphone to pick up on your voice.

What does a windscreen do?

The main purpose of a windscreen, you guessed it, is to protect the capsule from windblasts. Such foam windscreens, thus, are mainly designed for (open air) stage use and field recording.

Can blowing into your mic damage it?

In most cases, blowing a stream of air into a microphone will not damage the microphone, but in the rare case, might damage the loudspeaker. We suggest saying “Test 1,2,3” as a safer alternative. However, never test a ribbon microphone by blowing into it as the stream of air might stretch or rip the fragile ribbon.