Shock mounts for mics at DVinfo.net

Bryan Beasleigh · January 9th, 2004, 02:15 PM

We've got wind and pop prevention underway so lets share some info on cost effective shock mounts.

There's gotta be a better mousetrap and we all stand to learn something new.

My old standby, the AT8415 is still my on camera and boom mount for my shotgun. It's $50 at B&H.

http://www.audio-technica.com/prodpr...o/8410a-15.pdf

The best deal for Canadians right now is the Sabra Som. It's $50 at most US outlets, yet for some reason it's $40 canadian at Long and McQuade (that's $32 US) What I like about the Sabra, apart from price is it's versatilety and adjustability.

http://www.sabrasom.com.br/ing/SSM1.htm

Jay Massengill · January 9th, 2004, 02:34 PM

Here's a link to a few more:

http://www.trewaudio.com/catalog/subcat119.htm

The two from PSC seem to be reasonable but I haven't used them.

I've used the 8415 extensively, but I haven't tried the hot-rod version of the bands that are offered elsewhere. It's supposedly a marked improvement.

The Shure ring-type suppension squeaks under heavy movement, I think it's more for stationary use.

I have a couple of the lightwave mounts for specific mics. You can also cheat these as needed for slightly different diameters.
They are quiet and very stable since the rubber pillars are relatively short.

Matt Gettemeier · January 9th, 2004, 04:43 PM

For a compact solution at a reasonable cost I think the PSC small at $55 (B&H) is probably hard to beat.

The Beyer ea86 is only $30, but you can't vary the angle of the mic so if you want to shoot level and mic a sound that's up or down you're out of luck... of course you shouldn't have your mic on-cam anyway you bad boy!

I was going to MAKE a shock mount utilizing a raquet ball! Hee-hee! Laugh it up! The only reason I bailed on that is 'cause all I can think to call it is the "Blue Ball Mount"... and that don't sound good.

The other thing about the BBM, as we'll call it, is that you still need a moveable yet solid, anchor point.

B&H has what's called a mini-ball-head that can be mounted on camera and it's only $20... you could then use a washer to screw the ball down into the mount through a nice big 1" hole you made in TOP of that ball. What holds the mic? The appropriate diameter hole at either END of the ball. Voila'... cheap rubber isolation shock mount.

Why not do this? 'Cause a PSC is only $55... or a fixed ea86 is only $30 and you WON'T get laughed out of the shoot.

My plan is to get the Rycote rubber ($48 at B&H) and use that to support the mic while I engineer a mount to the camera... It'll look good, you'll see.

Isn't it funny how some of the stuff for our little hobby is such a blatant AR? Make your own presumptions of what "AR" is... but think "prison".

Sometimes things are pricey 'cause they're worth it... sometimes they're REDICULOUSLY high 'cause where else are you going to get it?

Bryan Beasleigh · January 9th, 2004, 05:52 PM

The Sabra Som is more adjustable than the others and two can be ganged for longer and heavier mics. For my purposes it's cheaper and gives very good isolation. The shock mount can only do so much and then we are troubled by the mic cable. To go the whole 9 yards with the mounts, cable isolator, gag and cover we are well over $300 and that's just for a pencil.

The K-tech and light wave are very well put together, they're also very expensive.
http://www.mklemme.com/pole/ksm.html

http://www.lightwavesystems.com/prod...nt/default.htm

Matt Gettemeier · January 9th, 2004, 06:41 PM

So what do you think is the best shockmount of this type?

1) K-Tek
2) LightWave
3) Rycote

In the cheaper ranges we have:

1) AT
2) PSC
3) LTM
4) Beyerdynamic

I'm leaning towards the Rycote only 'cause I already have Rycote gear and I can get just the "boot" for under $50.

In the past I always imagined that the K-Tek would be the best, but I have no basis for believing that.

Martin Garrison · January 9th, 2004, 10:17 PM

For the on the cheap considerations: I just ordered this little number.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=298919&is=REG

Windtech makes it. Lots of rubber, for $10USD I figured it was worth a shot.

Martin Garrison · January 14th, 2004, 08:34 PM

He shoots... he misses. The windtech SP-20, probably has its uses; shock mount for a boom pole is not one of them. At least not without some modification.

The unit would probably work well to isolate a mic from the vibrations of a nearby kick drum. It does not eliminate mild handling noise. In fact the clip portion can slide on its rubber mounting, creating a noise of its own. I'm playing with shims that might eliminate this movement and keep vibrations isolated in the rubber.

All in all my crossed rubber band style mount works better. It is designed for longer mics and won't work with the 012 and wind protection, so I'll look into the others listed here.

Frank Granovski · January 14th, 2004, 09:09 PM

Bryan, what would be a good shock-unit that slides into a hot-shoe for the Apex 191?

Bryan Beasleigh · January 14th, 2004, 10:55 PM

I didn'tforget about it Frank. I was trying to find the most cost effective that would fit on a camera.

They're both $40 at B&H but I was wondering if they'd be too long

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=108256&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=194397&is=REG

the AT 8415 would be better but it's bigger , $50 and it needs a $10 adapter to fit a camera shoe.

The Sabra Som is only $40 canadian at Long & McQuade and it would do the best job. It's a tad large and it would need the AT adapter $14 can $10 US.

http://www.sabrasom.com.br/ing/SSM1.htm

Matt Gettemeier · January 14th, 2004, 11:10 PM

Martin, I ordered a K-SSM (K-Tek) from Trew Audio. John was an excellent guy to talk shock-mounts with... He actually wanted to push me to the larger K-Tek, but finally decided that maybe I should try the smaller one first. I'm glad he did. This thing rocks!

Realize that it's a small, milled-out bit of aluminum with a minimalist design for $109... Compared to other companies I'd actually deem this a pretty damn good value! With an AT hot-shoe adapter and a 3/8" bolt (about 1" long) it also becomes an excellent on-cam shockmount. The little adapter is only about $14 or $10 from B&H...

I'm gonna' have to send one of you guys a picture of my cam with this thing on it. The design of it made it possible to STILL use my Rycote parts so that I can now do on-cam audio with: 1) single hyper or cardioid perched over the center of camera 2) dual mics with cardioid caps in standard stereo configuration OR in ORTF configuration 3) one mic hyper, one omni or cardioid for "double system" approach within the camera... mean having a choice of mics AFTER the shoot 4) one mic pointing forward and one pointing REAR for run n' gun perfect narration of events...

Ok so the above paragraph is a little corney and many of those uses won't happen too often AND we ALL know you should never use mics ON-CAM... whatever... the pictures are still funny as hell.

You'll look at them and think, "Hmm, maybe that COULD work..."

Ok, the point is... the K-Tek is sweet... and it's the cheapest of the pricey mounts.

Frank Granovski · January 14th, 2004, 11:22 PM

Thanks, Bryan. I copied and posted your last post on the other audio thread at the MX forum, since a few of use there are interested in this---a good mic solution of MX/PV/ Pana cams.

Martin Garrison · January 15th, 2004, 12:05 AM

Matt,

Thanks for the info. I actually just emailed Trewaudio, right before I read your post, asking if the SSM would be appropriate for my microphone.(012)

So does the mount come with the swivel arm in the picture?

I'd love to see your setup, if you want to send me a pic.

Martin

Matt Gettemeier · January 15th, 2004, 10:16 AM

Yes, it does... like I said, this thing is tiny, but awesome...

I'll email you right away.

Michael Wisniewski · January 15th, 2004, 11:17 PM

Hey great thread, just what I needed since Matt just gave me a rockin' great deal on a Rode NT3 :-) and I need something to show it off with.

Bryan Beasleigh · January 16th, 2004, 12:00 AM

For the NT3 i'd suggest the AT 8415 or the sabra Som. It's too heavy for the KSSM.

It's a nice mic.

January 9th, 2004, 02:15 PM	#1
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	Shck mounts for mics We've got wind and pop prevention underway so lets share some info on cost effective shock mounts. There's gotta be a better mousetrap and we all stand to learn something new. My old standby, the AT8415 is still my on camera and boom mount for my shotgun. It's $50 at B&H. http://www.audio-technica.com/prodpr...o/8410a-15.pdf The best deal for Canadians right now is the Sabra Som. It's $50 at most US outlets, yet for some reason it's $40 canadian at Long and McQuade (that's $32 US) What I like about the Sabra, apart from price is it's versatilety and adjustability. http://www.sabrasom.com.br/ing/SSM1.htm

January 14th, 2004, 08:34 PM	#7
Martin Garrison Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 173	Too good to be true... He shoots... he misses. The windtech SP-20, probably has its uses; shock mount for a boom pole is not one of them. At least not without some modification. The unit would probably work well to isolate a mic from the vibrations of a nearby kick drum. It does not eliminate mild handling noise. In fact the clip portion can slide on its rubber mounting, creating a noise of its own. I'm playing with shims that might eliminate this movement and keep vibrations isolated in the rubber. All in all my crossed rubber band style mount works better. It is designed for longer mics and won't work with the 012 and wind protection, so I'll look into the others listed here.

January 9th, 2004, 02:34 PM	#2
Jay Massengill Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Burlington Posts: 1,976	Here's a link to a few more: http://www.trewaudio.com/catalog/subcat119.htm The two from PSC seem to be reasonable but I haven't used them. I've used the 8415 extensively, but I haven't tried the hot-rod version of the bands that are offered elsewhere. It's supposedly a marked improvement. The Shure ring-type suppension squeaks under heavy movement, I think it's more for stationary use. I have a couple of the lightwave mounts for specific mics. You can also cheat these as needed for slightly different diameters. They are quiet and very stable since the rubber pillars are relatively short.

January 9th, 2004, 04:43 PM	#3
Matt Gettemeier Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 936	For a compact solution at a reasonable cost I think the PSC small at $55 (B&H) is probably hard to beat. The Beyer ea86 is only $30, but you can't vary the angle of the mic so if you want to shoot level and mic a sound that's up or down you're out of luck... of course you shouldn't have your mic on-cam anyway you bad boy! I was going to MAKE a shock mount utilizing a raquet ball! Hee-hee! Laugh it up! The only reason I bailed on that is 'cause all I can think to call it is the "Blue Ball Mount"... and that don't sound good. The other thing about the BBM, as we'll call it, is that you still need a moveable yet solid, anchor point. B&H has what's called a mini-ball-head that can be mounted on camera and it's only $20... you could then use a washer to screw the ball down into the mount through a nice big 1" hole you made in TOP of that ball. What holds the mic? The appropriate diameter hole at either END of the ball. Voila'... cheap rubber isolation shock mount. Why not do this? 'Cause a PSC is only $55... or a fixed ea86 is only $30 and you WON'T get laughed out of the shoot. My plan is to get the Rycote rubber ($48 at B&H) and use that to support the mic while I engineer a mount to the camera... It'll look good, you'll see. Isn't it funny how some of the stuff for our little hobby is such a blatant AR? Make your own presumptions of what "AR" is... but think "prison". Sometimes things are pricey 'cause they're worth it... sometimes they're REDICULOUSLY high 'cause where else are you going to get it?

January 9th, 2004, 05:52 PM	#4
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	The Sabra Som is more adjustable than the others and two can be ganged for longer and heavier mics. For my purposes it's cheaper and gives very good isolation. The shock mount can only do so much and then we are troubled by the mic cable. To go the whole 9 yards with the mounts, cable isolator, gag and cover we are well over $300 and that's just for a pencil. The K-tech and light wave are very well put together, they're also very expensive. http://www.mklemme.com/pole/ksm.html http://www.lightwavesystems.com/prod...nt/default.htm

January 9th, 2004, 06:41 PM	#5
Matt Gettemeier Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 936	So what do you think is the best shockmount of this type? 1) K-Tek 2) LightWave 3) Rycote In the cheaper ranges we have: 1) AT 2) PSC 3) LTM 4) Beyerdynamic I'm leaning towards the Rycote only 'cause I already have Rycote gear and I can get just the "boot" for under $50. In the past I always imagined that the K-Tek would be the best, but I have no basis for believing that.

January 9th, 2004, 10:17 PM	#6
Martin Garrison Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 173	For the on the cheap considerations: I just ordered this little number. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=298919&is=REG Windtech makes it. Lots of rubber, for $10USD I figured it was worth a shot.

January 14th, 2004, 09:09 PM	#8
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Bryan, what would be a good shock-unit that slides into a hot-shoe for the Apex 191?

January 14th, 2004, 10:55 PM	#9
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	I didn'tforget about it Frank. I was trying to find the most cost effective that would fit on a camera. They're both $40 at B&H but I was wondering if they'd be too long http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=108256&is=REG http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=194397&is=REG the AT 8415 would be better but it's bigger , $50 and it needs a $10 adapter to fit a camera shoe. The Sabra Som is only $40 canadian at Long & McQuade and it would do the best job. It's a tad large and it would need the AT adapter $14 can $10 US. http://www.sabrasom.com.br/ing/SSM1.htm

January 14th, 2004, 11:10 PM	#10
Matt Gettemeier Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 936	Martin, I ordered a K-SSM (K-Tek) from Trew Audio. John was an excellent guy to talk shock-mounts with... He actually wanted to push me to the larger K-Tek, but finally decided that maybe I should try the smaller one first. I'm glad he did. This thing rocks! Realize that it's a small, milled-out bit of aluminum with a minimalist design for $109... Compared to other companies I'd actually deem this a pretty damn good value! With an AT hot-shoe adapter and a 3/8" bolt (about 1" long) it also becomes an excellent on-cam shockmount. The little adapter is only about $14 or $10 from B&H... I'm gonna' have to send one of you guys a picture of my cam with this thing on it. The design of it made it possible to STILL use my Rycote parts so that I can now do on-cam audio with: 1) single hyper or cardioid perched over the center of camera 2) dual mics with cardioid caps in standard stereo configuration OR in ORTF configuration 3) one mic hyper, one omni or cardioid for "double system" approach within the camera... mean having a choice of mics AFTER the shoot 4) one mic pointing forward and one pointing REAR for run n' gun perfect narration of events... Ok so the above paragraph is a little corney and many of those uses won't happen too often AND we ALL know you should never use mics ON-CAM... whatever... the pictures are still funny as hell. You'll look at them and think, "Hmm, maybe that COULD work..." Ok, the point is... the K-Tek is sweet... and it's the cheapest of the pricey mounts.

January 14th, 2004, 11:22 PM	#11
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Thanks, Bryan. I copied and posted your last post on the other audio thread at the MX forum, since a few of use there are interested in this---a good mic solution of MX/PV/ Pana cams.

January 15th, 2004, 12:05 AM	#12
Martin Garrison Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 173	Matt, Thanks for the info. I actually just emailed Trewaudio, right before I read your post, asking if the SSM would be appropriate for my microphone.(012) So does the mount come with the swivel arm in the picture? I'd love to see your setup, if you want to send me a pic. Martin

January 15th, 2004, 10:16 AM	#13
Matt Gettemeier Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 936	Yes, it does... like I said, this thing is tiny, but awesome... I'll email you right away.

January 15th, 2004, 11:17 PM	#14
Michael Wisniewski Wrangler Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Makati, Metro Manila Posts: 2,706 Images: 32	Hey great thread, just what I needed since Matt just gave me a rockin' great deal on a Rode NT3 :-) and I need something to show it off with.

January 16th, 2004, 12:00 AM	#15
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	For the NT3 i'd suggest the AT 8415 or the sabra Som. It's too heavy for the KSSM. It's a nice mic.