Attaching the XL1 mike to a broom pole

Hi,

I need to detach the mike from my xl1 and fix it to a broom pole for a shot that I need.

One end of this gizzmo needs to slot over the end of a standard broom pole and the other end needs to clamp over the mike and hold it nice and steady (without damaging it).

We in the UK have what we call jubilee clips and these are thin strips of metal which when drawn together with a screwdriver holds very tight. Mostly used in cars. This will scratch my mike and dont really want to go down that route.
I need the mike to be easily attachable and detachable.
I dont want to use gaffa tape.
Oh yes, I nearly forgot, I want do this on the cheap!

Has any gone down this route?
Can any one suggest anything?

I have got radio mikes but these arent suitable for this shot.

Thanx for your help

Pryce

If you have what we call spring clips, which come in 3 sizes, you can use a small bit of electrical tape or cable ties to attach mike to a No1 or small spring clip. then you simply attach that to the pole like you would a clothespin. There is enough strength in the spring that you can even angle the mike. Email me directly I can send you a pic if you like.
Scott

For those of you who are interested in a cheap BOOM option, this is as far as I have got so far. Once upon a time I worked in a catering supplies company and I was sure I remembered seeing something similar to what I want. Today I surfed some cleaning equipment companies and found the thing I was after. It is a two OR three extensions alluminium pole. Variations are 2x1m or 2x1.5m or 3x1.5m or 3x2m ranging from 20ukp to 35 ukp. There are also some attachments that can come with it to help put your "COBWEB DUSTER" on the end (!).

I have a hand-held radio mike that I use sometimes; the fact there are no cables will help (however the sound man needs to be plugged into the cam' of course) and I fancy either buying a rycote mike case or making something myself as rycote mike cases are expensive and I cant justify that sort of price for this project.

Watch this space.

P.S. If you are interested could reply to this thread - just incase I am talking to a brick wall

G'luck
Regards
Pryce

[Don Palomaki]

A couple thing to keep in mind. The XL1 mic output is unbalanced, so long leads may be prone to picking up interference in electrically noisy environments. Also, the XL1 mic needs both a stereo audio cable and power leads. The power cable has 2.5mm mini-phone connectors, and the ground return for the +5 VDC power is via the audio signal ground, not the sleeve of the 2.5mm connector.

[Jennifer Marine]

Ooops, sorry, hadn't seen this!

I'm going to look into the lovely "cobweb duster" pole idea, and try to figure out what all the method of attachment and "ground return" info. means.

Good to know it's possible!

Thanks,
Jennifer

Wow, I had forgotten all about this thread I think it is about 3 years old aarrgghh!!

I had an enquiry from another member So I thought I would post the end result to this project.

I found that the wizzo-dizzo Cobweb Pole was a bit flimsy and a bit unsafe (all it was designed to do was to remove cobwebs). I didnt want to trust this thin-ish pole to my trusty mike.

Also I couldnt find anything safe & strong enough to attach the mike to.

So, I scrubbed that idea.

Instead I went out and bought a 2nd hand gun mike with a pistol grip.

Then I bought a DIY Decorating Paint-Roller extension Pole . This was nice and strong and very light. Unextended it is about 5foot - extended it is about 10-11 foot.

I then covered it in a non slip sleve (you know, the plastic sleve that if you pore hot water over it shrinks and tightens) (I got this from a fishing tackle shop)

I then mounted a large bolt at the end of the pole which attached vey nicely to the pistol grip.

Finally I put some velcro (male&female) strips around it to keep the cables tidy & safe.

Hey Presto!

Hope this helps
Pryce

[Christopher Reynolds]

Wow, three years ago, and you still have 11 posts, you must be sickly busy!!! Good idea for the Mic Mount. I've always found it interesting all the ways you can save money on making your own boom equipment. Thanks for the info Pryce!

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

Hey, I was interested in this option to, and I mailed b&H about it, I asked about the cables etcetera needed to extend the XL1s mic, and this is their answer:

"Hi there

You will need the following two cables,

Model # HOSMMSMF25 $6.95 (out of stock)
Stereo Mini Male to Stereo Mini Female Cable - 25 ft

Model # VAVZEXTL20 $23.50 (in stock)
VZ-EXTL20 20' Extension Cable - for Control-L
(Lanc) Controllers

The only problem you may have is with space, since
they are very tight on the camera."

If someone has suggestions about the whole thing, or has experience or opinions about it, I would love to hear it.
BTW: I don't have the budget, really, to buy another mic, as they are most times at least 400 dollars.
Thank you for all the feedback

EDIT: if someone has an eye on a cheap microphone, that would be better than the standard mic, you may always give me a link. I have just a question (okay, I admit I have alot :-p) but is a shotgun mic always better than the standard mic, on a boom? Is even a cheap shotgun mic better than the standard mic on the XL1S? And is it realistic to attach the XL1S mic on a boom and get good results?

Thanks for all the feedback.

[Lorinda Norton]

Hi Mathieu,

I just shot a piano recital yesterday. The AT822 mic I planned to use went nuts on me (maybe a bad cable) so I had to rig up an old SM58. With my other camera I extended my XL1s mic on a stand using fifteen feet of cable I had made last year. The audio from the camera mic wasn't as "boomy" as the SM58 (not as much bass), but it's clear as a bell and I'm really happy with it--well, except for some occasional snapping problems.

The cables were made by some guys in an electronic supply store. Cost me about $20. I just took my camera in and showed them what I needed.

EDIT: Good grief! I just saw how old this thread is! You probably don't care anymore. : )

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

Yes I do, I'm still adicted to these boards, thank you for the information ;-)
It's still valuable information for me :-)

[David Crisp]

Old thread but I had this problem the other day.
I had an old 3 leg tripod. Pulled off one of the legs and the plastic part at the top. Then grabbed one of those tiny bendy-legged tabletop tripods for still cameras and jammed the legs in the top of the tripod leg. That gave me a telescopic boom with a pucker tripod thread at the top. Then put 12 inches of the foam 15mm pipe insulation at the bottom and it looks the business and does the job. Total cost. NOTHING. All made from bits I had lying around.

[Marco Wagner]

Quote: The cables were made by some guys in an electronic supply store. Cost me about $20. I just took my camera in and showed them what I needed.


I too wish to extend my XL1s mic to a boom. Is there anything I can tell the cable people in advance, or is there some sort of schematic you can send me to give to them?

[Lorinda Norton]

Hi Marco,

How about I e-mail a couple of pictures to you?

[Marco Wagner]

I'll try that, thank you. admin@timelake.com