Putting Pro in the name of a cheapshit microphone doesn’t make it so. Specs don’t mean a thing with these—those who know what they’re doing can make anything look good on a bench. Likewise, YouTube reviews are useless. The algorithms make great sound impossible and those armchair experts hiding behind huge microphones don’t know what they’re doing—where are any real tests that measure real world performance? I’ve not seen one yet.

The fact is that the state of the art is pretty good except at the bottom end where cheap components, feedback circuits and zero quality control still rules. This Rockville is a bottom end mic and way overpriced at that.

You want cheap? Go to the source.Wish, TEMU and cheap microphones on. Alibaba will get mics just as good for half or quarter the price (depending on import duties—getting really weird here in the US). You might get lucky and many of those are better built. A lot of the $300–$900 mics start out as one of these and are tweaked by importers with a few components replaced, custom transformers etc.

Pop Filters

As for that lousy pop-stop screen… I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret. You’re going to love this—cheap, highly effective and nearly acoustically transparent. Between my deep voice and occasional need to work close, I am every pop filter designer’s worst nightmare—I’ve spent hundred$ over the decades until I discovered 7/8” Aquarium polyester biofilter media . On a side address mic, a couple rubber bands will secure it nicely. Wash it occasionally; have a few pieces for different singers to ensure good hygiene.

There are some commercial makers using this stuff Hakan Pop Filter

It’s available pre-made. This is exactly the same thing OE version of $103.50 pop filter and my favorite version Clamp-on pop filter. These are also available on the Chinese sites but usually have a minimum order of 2–500 pieces—cheaper on Amazon if you need only one.

Quote
Mike.

you know your stuff

Yeah, I know a thing or two about a thing or two… I sometimes went to my dad’s workplace, AMPEX, as a teenager and hung out in the lab where the cool stuff was happening. During the 1970s,I learned how to build a broadcast station from scratch studying for my FCC Class 1 License.

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