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Other music forums => Musician's Corner => Topic started by: alexis on November 26, 2009, 06:36:19 PM

Title: Hey, anyone else notice - no pop shields in early Abbey Road pics?
Post by: alexis on November 26, 2009, 06:36:19 PM
You know those things in front of mics to tame the "plosives" ("p" sounds, "b" sounds, etc.)? They look like mesh stretched across a frame, they're everywhere in studios now, you can even make them at home by stretching a stocking across a coat hangar frame. Here's a reference to them ... http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may05/articles/popshields.htm (http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may05/articles/popshields.htm)

It seems by the pics that they didn't start using them until a few years into their Studio Two experience. One of many examples, check out at 3:12 into this video, singing into the Neumann Mic ( http://www.hestudiotechnik.de/image/microfones/2008/u47neumann.jpg (http://www.hestudiotechnik.de/image/microfones/2008/u47neumann.jpg) ) without a pop shield: The Beatles On Record (part 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKkbn-pdCMA#normal)

 They start showing up in pics within a year or so.  I guess maybe people didn't know they "needed" to use them back then?

But my real question is - I wonder why those earliest vocals sounded so good WITHOUT pop shields ... no horrible plosives (Please Please Me, for example, not PPPlease PPPlease Me). Could say maybe the mics were so good (those Neumann's are like gold!) they didn't need pop shields, but if that were the case, they wouldn't have started appearing in the photos in the next year or so.

Any thoughts?


Title: Re: Hey, anyone else notice - no pop shields in early Abbey Road pics?
Post by: An Apple Beatle on December 06, 2009, 08:34:08 AM
To get that raw early sound perhaps they just used 'side on' type techniques to prevent syllable pops. When the songwriting really came into play and more close miked singing was involved then the pop shield would have been absolutely necessary.
Title: Re: Hey, anyone else notice - no pop shields in early Abbey Road pics?
Post by: alexis on December 14, 2009, 03:41:27 AM
To get that raw early sound perhaps they just used 'side on' type techniques to prevent syllable pops. When the songwriting really came into play and more close miked singing was involved then the pop shield would have been absolutely necessary.

Wow, Apple, that really makes a lot of sense. Live sound - sing far from mic - no pop shield needed; good songwriting - sing close - use pop shields.

Gotta wonder - in the quieter songs in Please Please Me (like Anna) - was it close-mic'd/with a pop shield?



Title: Re: Hey, anyone else notice - no pop shields in early Abbey Road pics?
Post by: pc31 on April 21, 2010, 07:46:59 PM
nice....... ;D