Replacing Mic Holder with a Shock Mount

[Jim Nogueira]

If you are like me and hate hearing every handling noise coming from your mic holder mounted shotgun mic, the good new is that it's not too difficult to replace the mic holder with a shock mount. All you need is a shim or bushing (which I found in my junk draw), preferably rubber, approximately 1.5" long by 1" wide, and no more than 1/8" thick. There's just two screws holding the mic holder and it's easily removed. The best news which I discovered too late after making multiple holes in my shim, is that there is a small metal piece under the mic holder that can be used as a template for drilling holes in the shim.

To attach the shock mount to the shim, you will also need to remove the shoe attachment from your shock mount (mine is a Rode) by unscrewing it from the shock mount. You will then need a new screw that's a bit longer (but not too long) for mounting the shock mount to the shim. Once you've done that, mount the whole thing to your camera using the same screws that held the mic holder. The whole process took about an hour. The difference in audio quality is night and day. The only downside is that your camera might not fit in it's case as easily, since the shock mount sits up higher than the mic holder. Mine just makes it in the case, although I can't zip the case up all the way. IMHO, a small price to pay for better sound.

Hope this helps someone. Photos attached.

[Jim Nogueira]

Here is one more photo which shows my Sennheiser EK 100 G3 receiver attached to the shoe mount. The receiver is right up against the shock mount, so this may not work for you if have a larger receiver.

I am able to use the rear screw hole on the handle to mount a Sony HVL LED light, which sits up high enough to not cause shadows from the receiver and shock mount. With everything attached, the camera does become quite heavy, so a tripod is best, handheld not so much.