I was searching for a replacement part for a microphone — a foam windscreen — but I couldn’t identify the specific mic model. More accurately, I couldn’t find a photo of a microphone that matched what I had.

The manufacturer, Shure, is among the most recognizable in the industry. Surely I could find the exact model so I could order the right part. Right?

What I later discovered is that the microphone in question had the remnants of a bracket for the old, missing windscreen.

Once I removed the old bracket, the mic looked just like all the manufacturer’s images.

* * *

Sometimes we have to remove what’s broken before we can begin to make repairs. The remnants of what’s damaged can fool us. We can look at old bits and pieces and mistake them for being part of the whole.

At times, what’s broken can be healed. But there are other times when we have to shed the debris to even see what we have.