How to Stop Plosives When Recording Vocals at Home
To stop plosives when recording vocals, put a pop filter between your mouth and the microphone, leave space between the filter and mic, and adjust your position so bursts of air do not hit the capsule directly. Record a short test before the full take. If a loud P or B already sounds distorted, a new take can be more useful than another plugin.
Plosives are the low thumps or blasts you hear on certain consonants. They are different from the sharp S sounds covered in the vocal de-essing guide. Fixing one does not automatically fix the other.
1. Set up the filter before adjusting the vocal chain
Use a dedicated pop filter for a stand-mounted studio vocal. Leave a gap between it and the microphone instead of pressing it against the grille. Follow your microphone and filter instructions, then test the actual voice.
Neumann's pop-protection guide recommends placing the screen at least 10 cm, about 4 inches, from the mic. Treat that as its setup guidance, not a universal mouth-to-mic distance. A foam windscreen and a dedicated pop screen serve different purposes.
2. Find a position that keeps the tone you want
Record the same short line from two comfortable positions. Include a few strong P and B sounds, then listen to both clips at similar playback levels. Move slightly farther back if the close position produces thumps. Try a small change in angle so you deliver past the capsule rather than straight into it, and check whether the tone still suits the song.
Do not keep backing away until the vocal becomes distant. Check the room sound as well as the pops. Stay consistent with the position that works.
With a cardioid microphone, moving very close can also increase bass through proximity effect. That heavier tone is not necessarily a plosive. Shure's vocal-recording guidance explains how distance and angle affect tone. Listen for a brief thump on a consonant versus a bass-heavy sound across the whole phrase.
3. Test the real delivery
Use a line from the loudest part of your song, with the energy you intend to record. A quiet speaking test can miss problems that appear during the hook. Listen to the recorded file with heavy effects bypassed; a flattering monitoring chain can make it harder to judge the source.
For example, if a P at the start of a bar pops but the rest of the line sounds good, change the position and record that line again. Compare before rebuilding your whole vocal chain. Avoid softening every consonant so much that the words lose their feel.
4. Know when a recorded pop needs a new take
A mild low-frequency thump may improve with a local edit or a carefully chosen low cut. Listen through the complete word afterward. Removing too much can thin the vowel or make the edit obvious.
A severe air blast can distort the recorded signal. Filtering cannot reliably restore that damaged sound; Neumann warns about this limitation. Save the original recording and try an alternate take before committing to aggressive repair.
A quick check before recording
- Filter spaced from the mic, with a comfortable position behind it.
- One test line at full performance energy.
- No distracting P or B thumps in the recorded playback.
- Tone, room sound and distance consistent between takes.
Once the takes are ready, use the file-prep checklist for sending vocals to mix.
Want help with your home-recording setup?
Book a Mix Mentor 1-on-1 with MixedByEl for guidance on your recording process, vocal chain and workflow. The session runs through Discord; have your song or Pro Tools session ready and check the current booking details. A preset is useful for processing, but it cannot prevent air from hitting the microphone during recording.