Foam vs Furry vs Flag: Which Mic Cover Do You Actually Need?

Foam, furry, flag. Three completely different products, all called "microphone covers", all confusingly cross-sold to people who only need one of them. This is a fast, practical guide to working out which one fits your situation.

Foam covers (indoor, podcasting, broadcast)

Also called: windscreens, pop killers, foam windscreens, capsule covers.

What they do: knock down plosives (the puff of air when you say "B" or "P"), absorb minor wind from HVAC, and protect the capsule from saliva.

What they don't do: protect against outdoor wind. If you're outdoors, you need furry.

Best for:

• Podcasting (indoor, controlled)
• YouTube videos shot in a treated room
• Voiceover work
• Singing performances
• Conference and broadcast setups

Avoid when:

• Outdoor anything (they're useless against real wind)
• High-SPL drum mic'ing (they don't survive it)

Typical cost: £15-30 for custom-branded. We make foam covers for most popular mics on this page.

Furry covers / dead cats / windshields (outdoor only)

Also called: dead cats, fur windjammers, blimp covers, wind-muffs.

What they do: kill outdoor wind. They're the only thing that actually works in 10+ mph wind. The dense long fur diffuses turbulent airflow before it hits the capsule.

What they don't do: kill plosives — they're actually pretty bad at this. The wind from your mouth still gets through to the diaphragm.

Best for:

• Outdoor interviews (street, location, vlogging outside)
• Field recording
• Sports broadcast
• Vlogging mics (Rode VideoMic Pro, GoPro mics, smartphone mics)

Avoid when:

• Recording indoors — they muffle the audio noticeably
• Studio podcasting — overkill and audio-darkening

Typical cost: £15-40 depending on size.

Mic flags (visual branding only, no acoustic role)

Also called: cube flags, station flags, broadcast flags, triangular flags.

What they do: nothing acoustically. They are a piece of branded plastic or foam that sits below the mic head to display a logo. Used by broadcasters since the 1960s.

What they don't do: knock down plosives, block wind, or improve audio in any way.

Best for:

• TV news interviews
• Press conferences
• Multi-camera broadcast setups where viewers need to know which channel
• Sponsorship visibility on roadshows / conferences

Avoid when:

• Single-channel podcast / YouTube — you've already got a logo overlay in post; the flag adds nothing
• Tight studio shots — they crowd the frame

Typical cost: £30-60 for custom-printed.

When to combine them

Real broadcast setups often use TWO of these simultaneously:

• Foam cover + mic flag: most common. The foam handles audio, the flag handles branding. Standard kit for any TV reporter on location.
• Furry cover + mic flag: outdoor broadcast. The furry handles wind, the flag handles branding.
• Foam cover + furry over the top: bad-weather day outdoor. The foam plus an over-fur knocks down both plosives AND wind.

Never use:

• Furry indoors (muffled audio)
• Flag alone without foam (no plosive protection at all)

Which one do you actually need?

Answer one question: where are you recording?

• Indoor, controlled room: foam cover. Done.
• Outdoor: furry. Done.
• Indoor but you want it to look branded on camera: foam cover with your logo printed on it. Skip the flag — it's overkill for single-channel content.
• Pro broadcast / multi-cam interview: foam + flag.

What we make

We're a foam-cover specialist. We make made-to-fit foam covers (windscreens) printed with custom logos and full-colour artwork for the SM7B, SM58, PodMic, RE20, Heil PR40, NT1, MV7, AT2020, and most other popular podcasting and broadcast mics. Made in London, 2-3 day turnaround.

We don't do furry covers (different manufacturing process, low overlap with our customer base) or rigid plastic mic flags (foam flags only). If you need either, Rycote (UK) is the standard for furry; Channel Letters (also UK) for hard plastic flags.

Quick recommendation

If you're reading this because you've never bought a mic cover and you're starting a podcast:

1. Skip the flag entirely
2. Skip the furry (you're indoors)
3. Get a single custom-branded foam cover for whichever mic you're using
4. That's it.

Total cost: £15-30. Total time: 3 days to your door if you order from a UK maker.