furry muff wipes out audio

[David Morgan]

using the Rode dead cat muff over the wind screen in high wind. Using this double method is what Rode seems to recommend. Hum, do u usually put a wind sock OVER a wind screen?

This unit really does a number on frequency response. The high end is gone and a lot of the middle is "muddled". Low end actually slightly boosted.
Any ideas on how this is treated in post? I'm sure post sound houses must deal with this all the time. I imagine using a zepplin instead of a wind sock + muff would have the same damaging effects.

Any comments?

[Petri Kaipiainen]

Zeppelin has less material between the mic and the sound, it creates a dead airspace around the mic, might affect the frequency range less.

Wind protection can not boost any frequency, by cutting highs and mids the lows seem to be boosteed if recording at same levels (raise the level a bit with protection on because highs are missing).

Some shotgun mics (DPA?) now have a built in swithcable high boost for windjammer use.

You just have to carefully amplify lost frequences in post.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Yep. Adjust the EQ in post.

Many shotguns (without switches) have boosted highs when naked to compensate (somewhat) for the windscreen. (Audiotechnicas come to mind. They can sound thin when used alone.)

[Chris Soucy]

Being a little bit circumspect here, as I'm not entirely sure I understand the "dead cat over the windscreen" description.

My understanding, and the basis for all my gear, is Rycote Softie - first line of defence.

If issues put that out of contention, then I resort to the zepp.

If the windspeed beats even that, then the "dead cat" cover goes over the Zepp.

That is one mean wind killing machine!

Yep, there is, most definately, a bit of top cut with the latter arrangement, but nothing that is out of the ordinary to fix later.

Mid? - not that I've noticed.

Bass boost - as Petri says.

I don't really understand your comment about Rycote recommending a "dead cat" over the top of a "Softie" (if, indeed, that was what you were saying), news to me, and not something I would even attempt.

As Petri says (er, implies), the Zepp is there to give that "still air" around the mic without interfering (or interfering as little as possible) with transmitted audio frequencies.

Two fury whatsits, one over the other (IF that's what you have been doing), must interfere substantally with the frequency response.

I suggest you don't do it.


CS

[Nick Flowers]

As I understand it, the long fibre coverings, such as Rycote's Windjammer and other manufacturers' dead cats, wombats etc, work by the fibres actually absorbing some of the wind's energy by bending and thus giving a smooth airflow, while the Zeppelins around which the coverings go provide the still air. Putting one long fibre cover over another would mean that the lower one isn't working, as the airflow is now being managed by the outer one: all the inner one would do is to attenuate mid and high frequencies. Rycote used to go as far as to say that even leaving on the foam shield that we use indoors while using Zepps etc outside was not recommended. Just have as little as is necessary between the mic and your sound source.

[John Willett]

Original Rycote windshields are well researched and the HF loss is minimal as the material is specially made for them to their design.

Other companies who copy Rycote products without understanding all the technology are likely to be worse.

[David Morgan]

Chris,
the Rode NTG-2 has a windscreen. However, the dead cat, which is a furry muff slip-on type is designed to actually slip over the windscreen. So u have 2 windscreens which screws up the sound.
U can't fix this in post because u can't create frequencies that aren't there to begin with.

I need this for run and gun so a zepplin is out. (no boom man)

[Richard Gooderick]

David
I had the opportunity to try a Rode deadcat against my Rycote softie. The softie was more effective ie there was no wind noise with the softie but there was with the deadcat. They were different mics so it was not an entirely fair comparison.
You may want to borrow/rent a softie and see if it does the job. They aren't cheap but may be what you need.
As you probably realise it's not going to do the job in high wind strengths.

[David Morgan]

thx to all for the replys