Shock mount from K-Tek

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

K-Tek showed a new mount at the DV Show today, very impressive for the price. This is sub 100.00, I think it's only 60.00, shock mount that will hold most shotgun/small diaphragm mics.Engineered a little differently, but very universal. In fact, it's called the Universal Mic suspension.
K-Tek also showed a new boom that fits into any suitcase or carry on. Impressive little bit of aluminum with internal cable or not.

I don't know if it's on their website or not, but for me, it was one of a very few impressive tools/new toys at the DV Expo show.

[Marco Leavitt]

They didn't introduce a longer boom in the Avalon series did they?

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Longer than 21'? No. You need a handheld boom longer than 21 feet??? (actually, it's 20' 7") That's pretty damn long.
They did introduce a shorter one though. Aluminum, not graphite. According to Mannfred, it would be too expensive to produce in graphite.

[Marco Leavitt]

They have a 20 foot Avalon series pole? The longest I've seen is about 9 feet.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Originally Posted by Marco Leavitt

They have a 20 foot Avalon series pole? The longest I've seen is about 9 feet.

http://www.mklemme.com/pole/k251.html

[Marco Leavitt]

Actually, that's graphite. The Avalons are the budget aluminum poles. Can't afford their top of the line stuff at the moment unfortunately. :(

[Marco Leavitt]

I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood your post. I don't know what the K-202 is made of. I just meant that the K-202 is part of their professional line. I wish they made an Avalon pole that was 12 feet or 14 feet.

[Ben Chiu]

Hi Douglas:

Thanks for the news. I just bit the bullet and picked up a CMC641. What shocked me (pardon the pun) about this microphone is how sensitive it is to handling noise. I was wondering if you might be able to recommend a shock mount for it (I dread having to buy a cut1).

I have an AT8514 (not good for this mic), and a K-Tek SM (it's OK if you're very careful). Can you tell me how the new K-Tek might compare to the SM? Or maybe I might be better off with the Scheops mount?

Thank you for any insights and recommendations.

Merry Merry!

Ben

[Marco Leavitt]

We just use the AT8415 and roll off the bass at the mixer. It works fine. We have two, one with K-Tek bands and one with the regular bands. I haven't noticed much difference in handling noise to tell you the truth.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

It's somewhat similar to the 8415, but a little more spread, but the way they've configured the rubber and arms, I'd think it would be slightly better than the 8415 for just a tad less cost. Be sure to order extra rubbers, and you can put a couple extra on the mic. They act as deadeners, and that way you've always got spares, too.

[Ben Chiu]

Originally Posted by Marco Leavitt

We just use the AT8415 and roll off the bass at the mixer. It works fine. We have two, one with K-Tek bands and one with the regular bands. I haven't noticed much difference in handling noise to tell you the truth.

Hi Marco:

Thanks for the insights. Unfortunately, my mixer (mixpre) doesn't have bass roll off capability. I wondered about those bands too. Now I know.

Thanks again!

Ben

[Ben Chiu]

Originally Posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle

It's somewhat similar to the 8415, but a little more spread, but the way they've configured the rubber and arms, I'd think it would be slightly better than the 8415 for just a tad less cost. Be sure to order extra rubbers, and you can put a couple extra on the mic. They act as deadeners, and that way you've always got spares, too.

Hi Douglas:

Better and cheaper is the right combination! :)

Good advice as always. Thank you!

Ben

[Marco Leavitt]

"Unfortunately, my mixer (mixpre) doesn't have bass roll off capability."

I'm pretty sure you do. This is from the features page for the Mixpre at B&H:
"Low-cut filter switches eliminate noise caused by rumble, wind and proximity effect at 80Hz or 160Hz (user switchable).

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Marco Leavitt

"Unfortunately, my mixer (mixpre) doesn't have bass roll off capability."

I'm pretty sure you do. ...

Yep - page 6 of the user's manual, in the input panel, labeled "High Pass Filter switch" and discussed in detail on page 9.

[Jim Feeley]

>CMC641. What shocked me (pardon the pun) about this microphone
>is how sensitive it is to handling noise....I dread having to buy a cut1.

The Cut1 is the way to go. But your MixPre can help a bit. The high-pass filters are on the side panel next to the Mic inputs and below the tape out. If you don't have it handy, you can download the MixPre manual here:

<http://www.sounddevices.com/products/mx2master.htm>

>Boom Poles:

The K-Tek low-cost Avalon line is still settling down. Right now, the Aluminum Avalon poles max out at 9 feet. The Avalon Graphite poles go to 12 feet. And K-Tek's full line goes to 20 feet (or so).

But what I liked at the K-Tek DV Expo booth (in addition to the new mount Douglas mentioned) was the new Avalon Traveler pole. This little guy is 20-inches collapsed and 6.5-feet (or so) extended. Not a long pole, but small enough to fit in carry-on luggage and in common Pelican cases (uh, the 1600 I think?). So it's cool for travelling (hence the name, I guess) and as a compact back-up on doc/ENG stuff.

Also note that PSC has their own new line of boom poles. PSC distributed VdB for years and these new poles, which I first saw at DV Expo, look decent. They vary from quite small (like the traveller) to 17 feet.

Hope this helps,

Jim