DIY zeppelin demonstration at DVinfo.net

Brian McKenna · February 10th, 2011, 03:19 PM

DIY zeppelin demonstration
just thought i'd share some test footage of my "home-made" zeppelin windscreen:

http://www.recordingmedium.com/video...ppelin-web.mov

location is stormy north-sea in october.
the kind of wind gusts that can push you off your feet.
so yeah, it's not like it took out ALL the wind-blast,
but i think it did really well.
...actually the built in low-cut switches for mics and recorder were not in use for this recording,
so i've rolled it off at 80Hz.

the zeppelin is made of 2 steel-plates, various conduit holder type things (mostly pvc), some plastic netting, 2 types of cheesecloth, sewing-machine belts, some bolts, some washers, some grommets. the handle is from an old 8mm camera.

i wanted something BIG to hold 2 mics for M+S recording, and since i couldn't find anything decent (for less than €700), i decided to try the hardware store route.
in the end it turned out to be relatively heavy, you could never use this on a boom, at least not in the conventional way, but it's perfectly comfortable as a handheld device.

Bruce Foreman · February 11th, 2011, 09:27 PM

I could see that the wind was "shoving" the guy holding the Zeppelin around. Thanks for showing this test.

It seemed to do wonders with the gal's voice.

John Nantz · February 21st, 2011, 08:57 PM

That was a very impressive demonstration. I'm in the market for something that can be used on my mics when taking pictures on a sailboat and this could be a cheap way to go.

I've got a shotgun mic and a Rode stereo mic that could both use something like this. A zeppelin or blimp for my Sennheiser ME66 will run $200 to $400, even used, and the Rode doesn't even have anything. So rigging something up would take some effort but it could be cost effective.

What did you use for the "fur"?

Brian McKenna · February 21st, 2011, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Foreman

It seemed to do wonders with the gal's voice.

thanks : )

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Nantz

That was a very impressive demonstration.

thanks John.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Nantz

I'm in the market for something that can be used on my mics when taking pictures on a sailboat and this could be a cheap way to go.

yeah, go for it!
i guess i'd add that this was a real back-burner project, stumbling upon materials i thought would fit with limited alterations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Nantz

I've got a shotgun mic and a Rode stereo mic that could both use something like this. A zeppelin or blimp for my Sennheiser ME66 will run $200 to $400, even used, and the Rode doesn't even have anything. So rigging something up would take some effort but it could be cost effective.

yes, i do plan to pick up a pro suspension/blimp one of these days myself. for boom work i've just borrowed or rented.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Nantz

What did you use for the "fur"?

just something cheap i picked up from the market. i was looking for something with long hairs attached to quite a course weave: large holes so to speak. i selected something with a bit of stretchiness an in a not-neon-pink kind of colour scheme.

i posted some details here:
rcrds | DIY MS-stereo microphone blimp

it's a bit outdated... the crappy square 'post-elastic' rubber-bands are long gone (they are loud and they disintegrate quite quickly)... round sewing machine belts (probably silicone) have held up for years now, haven't deformed and are quiet... oh, and the mini-disc recorder has also been phased out.

good luck!

Wayne Avanson · February 22nd, 2011, 12:51 PM

Some BBC sound guys were telling us the other week that Rycote modelled their furry covers on the hair in polar bears' ears. Apparently the fur is thicker towards the base but finer at the ends to ket the wind flow through easier and thus less noisily. Not sure if it's true, but they swear it is. ( and they seem like decent guys!)

John Nantz · February 22nd, 2011, 01:48 PM

That's a good story and there could be some truth to it because it can blow a lot up north.

Does anyone have a good idea of what can a person use for trying to make their own home-brewed fir cover and, better yet, where could one buy it?

First guess would be to try a large fabric store and see what they have. Besides the long "hair" the material should have a somewhat porous backing and this might be hard to find.

Jonathan Jones · February 22nd, 2011, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne Avanson

Some BBC sound guys were telling us the other week that Rycote modelled their furry covers on the hair in polar bears' ears.

Well, I guess that explains why some of this gear can get to be so expensive. It must be that such industry research has cost more than its fair share of lives just in getting enough viable samples of polar bear inner ear hair.

-Jon

February 10th, 2011, 03:19 PM	#1
Brian McKenna Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: canada Posts: 57	DIY zeppelin demonstration DIY zeppelin demonstration just thought i'd share some test footage of my "home-made" zeppelin windscreen: http://www.recordingmedium.com/video...ppelin-web.mov location is stormy north-sea in october. the kind of wind gusts that can push you off your feet. so yeah, it's not like it took out ALL the wind-blast, but i think it did really well. ...actually the built in low-cut switches for mics and recorder were not in use for this recording, so i've rolled it off at 80Hz. the zeppelin is made of 2 steel-plates, various conduit holder type things (mostly pvc), some plastic netting, 2 types of cheesecloth, sewing-machine belts, some bolts, some washers, some grommets. the handle is from an old 8mm camera. i wanted something BIG to hold 2 mics for M+S recording, and since i couldn't find anything decent (for less than €700), i decided to try the hardware store route. in the end it turned out to be relatively heavy, you could never use this on a boom, at least not in the conventional way, but it's perfectly comfortable as a handheld device.

February 21st, 2011, 08:57 PM	#3
John Nantz Trustee Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 1,254	Zeppelin for use on Sailboat That was a very impressive demonstration. I'm in the market for something that can be used on my mics when taking pictures on a sailboat and this could be a cheap way to go. I've got a shotgun mic and a Rode stereo mic that could both use something like this. A zeppelin or blimp for my Sennheiser ME66 will run $200 to $400, even used, and the Rode doesn't even have anything. So rigging something up would take some effort but it could be cost effective. What did you use for the "fur"?

February 22nd, 2011, 12:51 PM	#5
Wayne Avanson Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lancashire UK Posts: 496	Re: DIY zeppelin demonstration Some BBC sound guys were telling us the other week that Rycote modelled their furry covers on the hair in polar bears' ears. Apparently the fur is thicker towards the base but finer at the ends to ket the wind flow through easier and thus less noisily. Not sure if it's true, but they swear it is. ( and they seem like decent guys!) __________________ Avey theactionhouse.com

February 22nd, 2011, 01:48 PM	#6
John Nantz Trustee Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 1,254	Polar Bear ear hair??? That's a good story and there could be some truth to it because it can blow a lot up north. Does anyone have a good idea of what can a person use for trying to make their own home-brewed fir cover and, better yet, where could one buy it? First guess would be to try a large fabric store and see what they have. Besides the long "hair" the material should have a somewhat porous backing and this might be hard to find.

February 11th, 2011, 09:27 PM	#2
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	I could see that the wind was "shoving" the guy holding the Zeppelin around. Thanks for showing this test. It seemed to do wonders with the gal's voice.