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Published on 07/14/11 at 08:05Yes. It is that remarkable. Pete's Place Audio has created a magical item that can't really be called a pop filter, that, after messing around in a friend's studio, makes my nylon filter look like a rotten tomato.
Before I get into anything else, as a singer, I have to say something absolutely shallow, but shared by all vocalists: the Blast Pad Filter doesn't intimidate me. This is extremely important. By itself, it has the sex appeal of a Blue microphone, and I think more importantly, is translucent (partially transparent). This means that you can see through it to the microphone you're singing into. With traditional nylon pop filters, I tend to feel a bit boxed out from the recording, so this is by itself, a time saver, if you own a studio. You'd not have to do as many takes.
Secondly, it works as one of the best pop filters around. I had a blind test done between this and a traditional pop filter, and believe it or not, I could tell a subtle difference between the two samples. And by difference, I meant that one sample actually had a superiority over the other. Lo and behold, the Blast Pad won. This is understandable; pop filters are a tool that no one likes for the psychological effect AND the fact that some of them do obscure the sound a bit.
OVERALL OPINION
Finally, I had a ribbon placed in front of it, and was told to blow as hard as I can. Then, the ribbon was put in front of a VERY loud guitar cabinet. All of a sudden, a Coles had captured the sound of a guitar cabinet. So. Yes. Even if you have to pay a relatively nutty amount of money for it, this seems to make your microphones pretty invincible toward SPL, so if you're a) bored and too rich, b) interested in different sonic possibilities, or c) an owner of a studio that sees a lot of business, you want a Blast Pad. Now.
Before I get into anything else, as a singer, I have to say something absolutely shallow, but shared by all vocalists: the Blast Pad Filter doesn't intimidate me. This is extremely important. By itself, it has the sex appeal of a Blue microphone, and I think more importantly, is translucent (partially transparent). This means that you can see through it to the microphone you're singing into. With traditional nylon pop filters, I tend to feel a bit boxed out from the recording, so this is by itself, a time saver, if you own a studio. You'd not have to do as many takes.
Secondly, it works as one of the best pop filters around. I had a blind test done between this and a traditional pop filter, and believe it or not, I could tell a subtle difference between the two samples. And by difference, I meant that one sample actually had a superiority over the other. Lo and behold, the Blast Pad won. This is understandable; pop filters are a tool that no one likes for the psychological effect AND the fact that some of them do obscure the sound a bit.
OVERALL OPINION
Finally, I had a ribbon placed in front of it, and was told to blow as hard as I can. Then, the ribbon was put in front of a VERY loud guitar cabinet. All of a sudden, a Coles had captured the sound of a guitar cabinet. So. Yes. Even if you have to pay a relatively nutty amount of money for it, this seems to make your microphones pretty invincible toward SPL, so if you're a) bored and too rich, b) interested in different sonic possibilities, or c) an owner of a studio that sees a lot of business, you want a Blast Pad. Now.