Rycote S-series at DVinfo.net

Darren Homme · July 13th, 2007, 07:49 AM

Has anyone used the new rycote s-series blimps?
http://www.rycote.com/products/winds...n/S_series.asp

and how do they stack up against other brands and models?

I have a dvx100a and an at897 shotgun mic and I am looking into a boom pole and wind protection.

Mike Peter Reed · July 13th, 2007, 08:38 AM

not used the new S-series but I'm pretty happy with my modular Rycote zep and dougal.

Marco Leavitt · July 13th, 2007, 09:47 AM

That sure likes like a cool setup. I love Rycote.

Phil Bambridge · May 30th, 2008, 08:55 PM

Giving this the ol' college bump, as I am looking to upgrade the Røde Deadcat (which in effect came "free" with a combo offer).

My main concern is that the long hair element is integral, rather than something that fits over a separate blimp. So it's a bit all-or-nothing. If I'm booming in very light wind, and not justifying the long hair, I'd rather not get my high freqs attenuated for no good reason. I also believe you can get a higher wind resistance, even longer hair cover, for situations that are frankly, "stay indoors weather", but I can see it being of theoretical help, should the climate turn against you. Oh- I just read about sliding over a quality foam cover onto the mic with the bare suspension, fluffy "pods" off. I guess that would take care of very very low wind, at least.

Anyone got a specific view on this? Also, if anyone's used the Duck rain cover, I'm all ears. Mainly ears. I have two ears to devote to...I'll come in again.

Brooks Harrington · June 1st, 2008, 09:59 AM

I bought one of the S-series..... And I like it....It's very lightweight...easy to change mics, the suspensions are the new Rycote invision... really good.
You can take the fluff's (pods) off and just use as shockmount. There might be enough room inside to add a foam windscreen on the mic itself in very windy conditions..... Unit is made of really tuff plastic, bendable and virtually unbreakable but.... here's the bad..

Unit balance borderline. I put mine together backwards to make it more front heavy. British always doing stuff backwards. Jolly-good!

I bought the size that said fit Senn MKH60... and it didn't fit! MKH60 hitting the front and back of the inside of Zeppelin. Not to worry....I cut off the straight
XLRF that came with it for the inside of Zep and soldered on a K-Tek light weight right angle XLRF, also improving the balance. Perfect now.

Fluffy stuff not that long. Short hair, and it's part of the unit.... can't take it off.

But, you could slip another one over it if you wanted more protection.
What if the thing gets wet? Unscrew the pod and dry with hair dryer I suppose. The older style zep you could have a backup windjammer that could be changed..... not so here. Not to worry, If I ever have to use it in the rain, I'm taking a beater senn 415T.

I've used it on a couple of jobs and I still like it. I bought a smaller "pod" giving me 3 different size pods making the unit usable with 416 and also CMC441 by changing them around.

Concerning the Rycote duck...... you could make one with air conditioning hogs hair from hardware store.
When it's wet out, nothing with stay dry anyway, just from the humidity in the air. That's my biggest complaint with products that say they are water proof.... no such thing. Better off just water resistant.

Nick Flowers · August 6th, 2008, 10:28 AM

...... Also, if anyone's used the Duck rain cover, I'm all ears. Mainly ears. I have two ears to devote to...I'll come in again.[/QUOTE]

Just bought a Rycote Duck. Waiting for it to rain! Rycote do say that it is designed for placed mics, but I'm hoping that it will work hand held, if not on a pole. I was on a job last month where it POURED and we had to shoot. The 416 in its Dougal was up my jacket for as long as possible, but even during the brief period it was out it got very bedraggled and sounded it, even with my arm over it to ward off the raindrops. About £55 + VAT, the Duck: hope it's worth it. I'll let you know.

Andy Wilkinson · August 6th, 2008, 01:30 PM

Don't know about the Duck rain cover (but the way this English summer's turning out I might get one soon!) but I recently bought a Rycote S series (the 330 kit) and used it for the first time in anger today.

Used it (albeit indoors) on the end of a boom pole with my new Rode NTG-3 inside - plenty of room in there for it (...I'd read on here about some mics being a tight squeeze but this specific kit's size works well with that mic).

Still looking/listening to the clips but I'm very pleased with the audio!

The S series is very well made/designed, a joy to use and seems to be a cost effective solution for me. I've (obviously) yet to try it in a challenging gusty/windy environment.... and pouring rainy....I've got plenty of chance looking at the weather forecast!

But so far so good.

Nick Flowers · August 7th, 2008, 08:59 AM

Very interested in your review of the S series, Andy. I'm dithering about getting one - all it takes is for a few people to actually PAY me for the work I've done for them! How quickly can you switch from indoors to outdoors mode, in other words to but the two halves of the windshield on? In the illustrations it looks like it would take only a couple of seconds, but I'd rather know from someone who's used it.

Nick F.

Andy Wilkinson · August 7th, 2008, 03:10 PM

Couple of seconds, 5 max. The two halves just twist off the central plastic loop that is attached to the adjustable handle (it's a latch system). I REALLY like the set-up and it's very cost effective. I will stress as pointed out above I've yet to use it in a seriously challenging environment. Tomorrow I've got a shoot on the roof of a cathedral so it might be windy up there/I'll know more then. It seems to be very well engineered and practically indestructable and worth what I spent on it. The adjustable handle/built in XLR plug holder and boom pole thread works well.

Things I don't like? Not much really but you have to use the 1 foot long (ish) Rycote mono XLR lead supplied as the "channel" it routes through the locking housing (the big central loop on top of the handle) is deliberately narrow/has a kink in it to "hold" this very narrow special cable in place. I guess that's to stop it flapping around/allow you to position it well - which it does. Nice idea but this means I can't use any other short XLR cable (or say a stereo cable for my AT825 for example) as I can't get the cable from the microphone out of the enclosed chamber ("Normal" XLR leads are typically much thicker than this special thin/lightweight cable). This rules out me using the furry covers (or at least the back half so as to allow cable exit) with my stereo mic. I guess I could try it with just the front half shielded and the back open ....but I'm sure this would not be perfect!

I'm no audio expert (yet!) but this one seems to be pretty good so far overall. Certainly, at 195 quid I was prepared to buy it/give it a go and I'm very happy. The other (more traditional) Rycote systems I looked at were coming in at twice that price at least. Hope this helps Nick but if there is anything specific you still need to know I'll try and explain.

Nick Flowers · August 7th, 2008, 11:45 PM

That's a great help, Andy, thanks. I hadn't twigged that the channel in the handle was narrower than normal cable. Maybe some searching will reveal some thin four core + screen cable that will fit and be of use for stereo mics. I suspect I'll buy an S series soon. The full component Rycote mount and gag + windjammer take a little while to put on or take off and that can be a pain when the cameraman decides to dart off outside for that apparently essential exterior shot. I follow in his wake, fumbling with bits of plastic and fur, towed along by the umbilical cable, cursing violently! In situations like this a 5 second conversion would be a great help.
Nick F.

July 13th, 2007, 07:49 AM	#1
Darren Homme Tourist Join Date: May 2007 Location: Crystal, MN Posts: 3	Rycote S-series Has anyone used the new rycote s-series blimps? http://www.rycote.com/products/winds...n/S_series.asp and how do they stack up against other brands and models? I have a dvx100a and an at897 shotgun mic and I am looking into a boom pole and wind protection.

May 30th, 2008, 08:55 PM	#4
Phil Bambridge Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bristol, England Posts: 78	Giving this the ol' college bump, as I am looking to upgrade the Røde Deadcat (which in effect came "free" with a combo offer). My main concern is that the long hair element is integral, rather than something that fits over a separate blimp. So it's a bit all-or-nothing. If I'm booming in very light wind, and not justifying the long hair, I'd rather not get my high freqs attenuated for no good reason. I also believe you can get a higher wind resistance, even longer hair cover, for situations that are frankly, "stay indoors weather", but I can see it being of theoretical help, should the climate turn against you. Oh- I just read about sliding over a quality foam cover onto the mic with the bare suspension, fluffy "pods" off. I guess that would take care of very very low wind, at least. Anyone got a specific view on this? Also, if anyone's used the Duck rain cover, I'm all ears. Mainly ears. I have two ears to devote to...I'll come in again. Last edited by Phil Bambridge; May 30th, 2008 at 09:08 PM. Reason: Pffft, read some chaps blog mentioning foam.

August 6th, 2008, 10:28 AM	#6
Nick Flowers Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chichester UK Posts: 167	Rycote Duck ...... Also, if anyone's used the Duck rain cover, I'm all ears. Mainly ears. I have two ears to devote to...I'll come in again.[/QUOTE] Just bought a Rycote Duck. Waiting for it to rain! Rycote do say that it is designed for placed mics, but I'm hoping that it will work hand held, if not on a pole. I was on a job last month where it POURED and we had to shoot. The 416 in its Dougal was up my jacket for as long as possible, but even during the brief period it was out it got very bedraggled and sounded it, even with my arm over it to ward off the raindrops. About £55 + VAT, the Duck: hope it's worth it. I'll let you know.

August 6th, 2008, 01:30 PM	#7
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Don't know about the Duck rain cover (but the way this English summer's turning out I might get one soon!) but I recently bought a Rycote S series (the 330 kit) and used it for the first time in anger today. Used it (albeit indoors) on the end of a boom pole with my new Rode NTG-3 inside - plenty of room in there for it (...I'd read on here about some mics being a tight squeeze but this specific kit's size works well with that mic). Still looking/listening to the clips but I'm very pleased with the audio! The S series is very well made/designed, a joy to use and seems to be a cost effective solution for me. I've (obviously) yet to try it in a challenging gusty/windy environment.... and pouring rainy....I've got plenty of chance looking at the weather forecast! But so far so good. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production Last edited by Andy Wilkinson; August 6th, 2008 at 02:36 PM.

August 7th, 2008, 08:59 AM	#8
Nick Flowers Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chichester UK Posts: 167	S Series Very interested in your review of the S series, Andy. I'm dithering about getting one - all it takes is for a few people to actually PAY me for the work I've done for them! How quickly can you switch from indoors to outdoors mode, in other words to but the two halves of the windshield on? In the illustrations it looks like it would take only a couple of seconds, but I'd rather know from someone who's used it. Nick F.

July 13th, 2007, 08:38 AM	#2
Mike Peter Reed Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Hants, UK Posts: 185	not used the new S-series but I'm pretty happy with my modular Rycote zep and dougal.

July 13th, 2007, 09:47 AM	#3
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	That sure likes like a cool setup. I love Rycote.

June 1st, 2008, 09:59 AM	#5
Brooks Harrington Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pasadena, CA Posts: 152	I bought one of the S-series..... And I like it....It's very lightweight...easy to change mics, the suspensions are the new Rycote invision... really good. You can take the fluff's (pods) off and just use as shockmount. There might be enough room inside to add a foam windscreen on the mic itself in very windy conditions..... Unit is made of really tuff plastic, bendable and virtually unbreakable but.... here's the bad.. Unit balance borderline. I put mine together backwards to make it more front heavy. British always doing stuff backwards. Jolly-good! I bought the size that said fit Senn MKH60... and it didn't fit! MKH60 hitting the front and back of the inside of Zeppelin. Not to worry....I cut off the straight XLRF that came with it for the inside of Zep and soldered on a K-Tek light weight right angle XLRF, also improving the balance. Perfect now. Fluffy stuff not that long. Short hair, and it's part of the unit.... can't take it off. But, you could slip another one over it if you wanted more protection. What if the thing gets wet? Unscrew the pod and dry with hair dryer I suppose. The older style zep you could have a backup windjammer that could be changed..... not so here. Not to worry, If I ever have to use it in the rain, I'm taking a beater senn 415T. I've used it on a couple of jobs and I still like it. I bought a smaller "pod" giving me 3 different size pods making the unit usable with 416 and also CMC441 by changing them around. Concerning the Rycote duck...... you could make one with air conditioning hogs hair from hardware store. When it's wet out, nothing with stay dry anyway, just from the humidity in the air. That's my biggest complaint with products that say they are water proof.... no such thing. Better off just water resistant.

August 7th, 2008, 03:10 PM	#9
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Rycote S Series Couple of seconds, 5 max. The two halves just twist off the central plastic loop that is attached to the adjustable handle (it's a latch system). I REALLY like the set-up and it's very cost effective. I will stress as pointed out above I've yet to use it in a seriously challenging environment. Tomorrow I've got a shoot on the roof of a cathedral so it might be windy up there/I'll know more then. It seems to be very well engineered and practically indestructable and worth what I spent on it. The adjustable handle/built in XLR plug holder and boom pole thread works well. Things I don't like? Not much really but you have to use the 1 foot long (ish) Rycote mono XLR lead supplied as the "channel" it routes through the locking housing (the big central loop on top of the handle) is deliberately narrow/has a kink in it to "hold" this very narrow special cable in place. I guess that's to stop it flapping around/allow you to position it well - which it does. Nice idea but this means I can't use any other short XLR cable (or say a stereo cable for my AT825 for example) as I can't get the cable from the microphone out of the enclosed chamber ("Normal" XLR leads are typically much thicker than this special thin/lightweight cable). This rules out me using the furry covers (or at least the back half so as to allow cable exit) with my stereo mic. I guess I could try it with just the front half shielded and the back open ....but I'm sure this would not be perfect! I'm no audio expert (yet!) but this one seems to be pretty good so far overall. Certainly, at 195 quid I was prepared to buy it/give it a go and I'm very happy. The other (more traditional) Rycote systems I looked at were coming in at twice that price at least. Hope this helps Nick but if there is anything specific you still need to know I'll try and explain. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production Last edited by Andy Wilkinson; August 7th, 2008 at 03:53 PM.

August 7th, 2008, 11:45 PM	#10
Nick Flowers Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chichester UK Posts: 167	S Series That's a great help, Andy, thanks. I hadn't twigged that the channel in the handle was narrower than normal cable. Maybe some searching will reveal some thin four core + screen cable that will fit and be of use for stereo mics. I suspect I'll buy an S series soon. The full component Rycote mount and gag + windjammer take a little while to put on or take off and that can be a pain when the cameraman decides to dart off outside for that apparently essential exterior shot. I follow in his wake, fumbling with bits of plastic and fur, towed along by the umbilical cable, cursing violently! In situations like this a 5 second conversion would be a great help. Nick F.