I want a GOOD mic stand for video use. I have an Audio Technica 4703A shotgun mic. The stand should have a telescoping boom. It should fold up for transport, be somewhat light weight, and preferably come with its own carry bag. It should also be very quick to adjust height and boom. Any suggestions? I don't care about price right now - I need to know what's good first.

Potentially, you have plenty of choices, and these are probably easy to pick up at your nearest Guitar Center or what have you.

Things to consider:

- Maximum and minimum height needed?
- Maximum reach of the boom arm needed?
- Max overall weight?
- Any other needs?

Most mic stands are made for vocalists & band use, so if your needs stray too far out of these norms, then you're probably going to need a specialty tool that doesn't have nearly the economies of scale that a GC mic stand will have. In other words, prepare to spend some money.

Note also that there are stands made specifically for holding video/film-type boom arms (that are normally held in the hands of a boom operator). You won't find these at GC, but you'll find them at www.bhphotovideo.com and other video houses.

-Troy

I went to Guitar Center today and consider their stands to be too cheaply made. I want something better.

Well I found one I hope is good - the Ultimate MCL-98 plus a separate boom. This one is a new model with "umbrella" legs and a one-hand clutch. $55 discounted + $20 for the boom.