Has anyone made their own pole with boom mic? Dolly or other useful equipment?

[Lisa Bennett]

Hi,

Has anyone here made there own pole and attached boom mic? I located some information about making one and interested in knowing what mic you used, did it work out ok? how was the sound quality? etc. I have a project I'm putting together and need to cut some corners.

I also heard some ideas about making a dolly and lights. So, if you made some of your own equipment, I'd like some tips before getting started.

Thank you
Lisa

[Bennis Hahn]

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=49257

[Glenn Chan]

In my opinion...

I wouldn't bother with a DIY boom. You can buy premade ones from $200-300+ (with the Rode boom being about $100). For that price, you might as well buy it or rent (most audio gear doesn't cost that much to rent, other than the hassle factor).

You don't want a DIY boom that is too heavy or one with an insufficient shockmount (the mic will pick up handling noise; you won't be getting rid of this in post).

2- The DIY dolly might be workable, if you have image stabilization software. Programs with 1-point motion tracking should do a decent job (After Effects, Shake, etc.). There may be free stabilization software too (Virtualdub / Deshaker?).

Caveats:
A- After you stabilize, you need to zoom into the image / crop off the sides. This can cause a slight resolution hit.
B- What you *can't* get rid of in post is motion blur. If your dolly is bumpy, the short bump will cause motion blurring in the image which you can't get rid of. This is avoidable as long as you setup the dolly right.

[Lisa Shofner]

I did a boom pole, took me about 20 mins, cost $26 total. It is light, goes from 6' to 12'. I only had to buy two parts #1) telescopic lightbulb changer from home depot ($20); #2) clamp style microphone holder from Radio Shack ($6).

The lightbulb changer comes with removeable heads that screw on/off. One of them has a suction cup on it. I removed the suction cup and then cut down the plastic until I could screw on the 3/8" adapter from the microphone holder. (heated it up a bit first so that it is now semi permanent).

So now I have a boom pole that I can screw on any mic mount. I use a shockmount on mine and have notice absolutely no handleing noise. I also added some stick-on clips to hold the xlr cable on the pole so that it doesn't fly around or make a mess.

I don't have any photos with me right now, but perhaps I'll get a chance to post them later if you are interested.

[Lisa Bennett]

Hi,

Bennis, thank you for the info on the dolly you made. It looks really great.

Lisa, thanks for the tip on the boom you made. What mic do you use?

Glenn, that's a good price. I was thinking it would be alot more.

Now I have some options.

Thank you for the help. I have a project I am working on and trying to find ways to get it done with as least cost as possible but still keep the prod. quality. Tips on making my own lighting kit and accessories, dolly, boom poll, will be extra helpful.

Thank you again for the information you provided.

Best Regards,
Lisa

[John Hewat]

I use an extendable squeegie handle for my boom pole. $3.50 from some hardware store.

All I did was bust the squeegie off the end and I can attach a shock mount to the end and aim it anywhere I like.

[Travis Johnson]

I use a 10ft. painters pole with my Rode Videomic. Just have to make sure to zip tie the mic tight so that it doesn't rock around and make any ambient un-needed noise.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Also see this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=92109

[Joe Batt]

I made a boom pole similar to the others described but with a few differences that you may want to take into consideration. I used a painters pole from "Lowes" and sawed of the threaded end. I attached an "L" bracket to the end and mounted the shock mount to that. The Key is, every screw and bolt you put in... use a rubber washer in between. When the pole moves or if a bolt gets loose, there's no rattle. also, I use velcro ties to hold the XLR cable to the pole. their reusable, reliable and you don't have to cut them. hope this helps a little.

[Lisa Bennett]

Hi Joe,

Which shock mount and mic do you use?

Thanks for the info on making the pole.

Best,
Lisa

[Joe Batt]

Hi Lisa,

I'm using the Rode NTG-2. I don't know if it's still offered as a package but it came with its own shock mount, windscreen and case. I've been really happy with it. Any of the shock mounts you get can be bolted to the end of an "L" bracket pretty easy. There are more expensive mics out there but I havn't experienced any limitations with mine.

[Alex Amira]

I built the infamous 14$ steady cam and a shoulder mount. I also built an L bracket for my Samson UHF receiver.

As a side note I have a Rode Video Mic and every time I have the option to use my Giant Squid lav. I do. While the VideoMic is nice the GS lav. is out of this world for interviews.

[William W. Holcomb]

Justin Snodgrass has a few DIY projects posted on his sight...

http://snodart.com/hbe.php

[Lisa Bennett]

Hi William,

Great, thanks for the info on the site.

Best,
Lisa

[Russ Holland]

Noting the "Other Useful equipment" line in the post, thought I'd share this.

www.russthedutch.net/jibarm.htm

Its currently in the prototype stage when it's working well I'll build out of aluminum.

Quite proud of it actually, so far it has cost me £12GBP (approx $24)