My old pop filter—a beat-up Shure “Popper Stopper”—was long past its prime. With runs in the fabric and a less-than-fresh smell, there was no way I could use it in good conscience with client singers.
I decided to design and build a custom pop filter using scrap wood left over from guitar builds and a piece of perforated metal I had in the shop. After machining a custom wood-and-aluminum clamp, I ran some test recordings. The initial single-stage design worked surprisingly well and was remarkably transparent, but it wasn’t completely foolproof against heavy plosives or close-mic work.
To solve this, I added a magnetic, removable second stage. I stretched a 150-micron mesh over a custom wooden ring embedded with neodymium magnets, allowing it to snap effortlessly onto the powder-coated steel first stage.
Beyond taming harsh plosives, the second stage ever so slightly softens the upper midrange—adding a silky top-end sheen that helps mid-priced mics (like the Shure SM7) punch well above their weight, evoking classic 1950s German condensers.
I’ve built about ten of these so far, and the feedback has been fantastic. Check out the build video and gallery below.
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