Straighten a wire coat hanger. Bend a loop at one end so the coat hanger takes on the shape of a "6".
Cut a pair of pantyhose so you have two legs. Slot the pantyhose over the looped part of the hanger and fold it back on itself until there is no excess material. Repeat this process with the second leg.
Fasten the pantyhose legs in place with a piece of tape or a plastic clip to ensure that they don't unravel.
Coil the end of the "stem" part of the hanger around the microphone stand. Bend the looped part upward so that it sits directly in front of the microphone. The thin membrane created by the pantyhose acts as an improvised pop shield. This intercepts air flow travelling from the mouth toward the microphone. It is this air flow that causes the microphone diaphragm to flutter, causing an unpleasant "popping" sound.
Set the gain slider dial on the mixer or audio interface to zero. It always pays to mute the output device so any subsequent tweaks you make don't create any loud noises.
Set each equalizer dial to the center to neutralize the equalizer configuration.
Sing into the microphone or have the intended singer sing into it.
Gradually increase the gain to the loudest level you can before the volume unit meter begins to flash. The flashing is a warning of signal overload -- this creates an unwanted crackling or fuzziness on the recording. For the best sound, the signal should be as loud as possible without distorting.
Tweak the equalization dials to shape the tone of the microphone. Many unpleasant sounds are caused by improper equalization. For example, if there is too much "Mid" or "Hi" in the mix, tinny feedback can occur. If there is too much "Low" in the mix, the microphone can make a "booming" sound.