Topic: Rycote Super Softie compared to their Classic Softie

[DigiGal]

VIDEO: Rycote Super Softie compared to their Classic Softie

I found this video interesting and decided to go with Rycote Classic Softie after watching.  There is an update in the notes though that Rycote admitted a manufacturing defect in some of the Super Softies as tested here that has apparently been corrected.

Has anyone here done any side by side comparisons between the two?

[Fried Chicken Boy]

A very revealing video clip.  I can't say I've used any of the Rycote Softies but have been considering and comparing the different wind suppressors to replace my current solution (it's come down to Softies vs Shure A81WS aka "the Big-Ass Shures").  Sorry I can't be of more help, DigiGal, but I'll be watching this thread hoping that someone else can.

[stevetoney]

I have a pair of Softies and a pair of Smoothies.  In order for a Smoothie to reach the performance of a Softie, you need to put a Windjammer over it.  I was considering having Tim make me a pair of hippie colored dead rats as an economical alternative for turbo-charging the Smoothie's. 

The Smoothie is rated for something like 25 db of wind noise reduction and the Softie is rated for 40db of wind noise reduction.  But by looks only, the Super Softie sure looks a lot more like a Smoothie than it does a Softie...which probably means nothing.  For that alone, sure seems like you made the right decision.  I can tell you that you won't be sorry for buying the classic Softies...those are awesome.

I don't know what is so complicated about the design of a windscreen that the manufacturing defect of a Super Softie would make such a huge difference in testing results.  Both the Smoothie and Softie are literally an outer layer of fur or foam surrounding an inner layer of acoustic material.  I'd bet it was less 'manufacturing defect' and more that they saw this test and realized that people aren't dead stupid and don't simply drink the marketing department's Kool-Aid, so they had to go back and change that IMHO really dumb looking (and probably functionally impractical) tear drop design.

[DigiGal]

Can't say I'm a fan of the new teardrop look of the Super Softie either and that too was a factor in not pursuing it further after seeing that comparison.  I purchased the Classic Softie for use on a video camera mounted short shotgun MC11 Ikegami/Audio Technica mic.  I do use big ass Shure's with T-Brown's on other mics and have Rycote Wind Jammer for my VP88

John Willet may have some insight or inside knowledge he could share with us.  I believe these Super Softies are relatively new.

[stevetoney]

It would seem to me that this teardrop design, where it necks down at the base, would shorten the overall life of the product.  How long will thin layers of foam last on the inside when that's the area you're gripping and/or the area that's stressed the most when pulling it on and off?

Regardless of the shape however, that video you linked to is really quite an indictment on the performance of the newer design, both in terms of wind resistance and especially its performance when it gets wet.  I think that's probably more a function of the materials than the shape, so IMHO this video really seems to shoot down pretty much everything about this new design.

[F.O.Bean]

Wowza, very interesting video! Thanks for that DigiGal I have been tossing up ideas for the screens that I want to run for this years festie season, and I'm thinking the classic softies are the winners so far

Anyone have any idea which ones would be the perfect fit for running my Schoeps mk4/mk41s on an active bar? When I say that, I mean which length would be ideal for that usage of just caps on an active bar? I would hate to order a pair and have them not be the right fit. I'm guessing that the smallest length in cm would do? The 5cm version Or the 10cm version? 5cm=2 inches, so I know that those would fit the capsule+collette of a kcy perfectly, but do they have that foam "stopper" inside of them like the bigass shures do? Because if so, then Id need the 10cm version!

Anyone run Rycote Classic Softies and run them with Schoeps actives, or any actives? If so, which cm version do I need?

http://www.rycote.com/products/windshield-solutions/classic-softie-windshield/

[DigiGal]

Bean I ordered 12 cm for the Ikegami MC11 Short Shotgun.  This is the length recommended by Rycote for this mic and the mic only measures 11 cm from the base of the camera mount to the tip of the mic, if that helps you out.

[John Willett]

John Willet may have some insight or inside knowledge he could share with us.  I believe these Super Softies are relatively new.

Rycote has certainly made some changes to the new SuperSoftie as there was a manufacturing problem with some on the first batch.

I did point Rycote at that review video (which they had seen) and they said:-

Thanks for sending this through. We saw it a couple of months back, and have dealt with the issue now.  I’m sending them a new one to review again, along with the Cyclone so it’ll be interesting to hear what they say then.

So - let's see what the reviewer says on the second testing.

On the first testing the SuperSoftie certainly sounded better than the original in the dry as it attenuated less of the high frequencies.

[stevetoney]

On the first testing the SuperSoftie certainly sounded better than the original in the dry as it attenuated less of the high frequencies.

But if the screen design sacrifices on its ability to cut wind noise in order to retain transparency, does that make it a 'super' screen?  I'd debate that point, though I'll withhold final judgment until I see a review of the updated design.

For my needs, wind reduction is the prime function of a screen since I can adjust for any frequency attenuation in post.  That said, I realize that my recording needs don't represent everyone's. 

Stated another way, what good is transparency on a recording that has wind rumble?

[John Willett]

On the first testing the SuperSoftie certainly sounded better than the original in the dry as it attenuated less of the high frequencies.

But if the screen design sacrifices on its ability to cut wind noise in order to retain transparency, does that make it a 'super' screen?  I'd debate that point, though I'll withhold final judgment until I see a review of the updated design.

I don't think the screen design does this - I understand that there were some manufacturing problems on some early units, which were discovered and corrected - hence Rucote being very fair and sending a proper sample for another unbiased review.

For my needs, wind reduction is the prime function of a screen since I can adjust for any frequency attenuation in post.

You can't really put back what isn't there and adjusting the frequency in post will add other problems. 

Stated another way, what good is transparency on a recording that has wind rumble?

Agreed, but the original sample does appear to be one of the faulty ones - it would be nice to see the revised review.

[DigiGal]

Original comparison was six months ago, the update note two months later WRT Rycote admitting a manufacturing defect but no new comparison on their youtube channel as yet.  At any rate I'm glad the Classic Softie is still available as it has been a time and field proven design so I'm happy with my choice of ordering the original.

John, thanks for joining the discussion, I was hoping you had some knowledge to share on this.

[F.O.Bean]

I wasn't aware of how "expensive" the classic softies are until I saw this thread and looked around for the cheapest place. I don't really have $400 to buy [4] of them, since I need them for [4] capsules Guess I'll just get another pair of Rode Dead Kittens to use over my DPA screens. I have been using the Dead Kittens on my mk41s and Tim Browns dead rats, and I must say, I didn't hear ANY wind noise during the music this past summer. Trust me, I would LOVE to have the classic softies for all of my capsules, but just cant afford that route

[DigiGal]

MAP Pricing stinks and anything Rycote is not cheap. For sure Rycote has the best shock mounts available at any price. It can easily be difficult to justify spending more for foam and fur. There is certainly a science to it though and until this manufacturing defect in the Super Softie I'd always believed Rycote was thorough in their research and testing of their products.

[John Willett]

I wasn't aware of how "expensive" the classic softies are until I saw this thread and looked around for the cheapest place. I don't really have $400 to buy [4] of them, since I need them for [4] capsules Guess I'll just get another pair of Rode Dead Kittens to use over my DPA screens. I have been using the Dead Kittens on my mk41s and Tim Browns dead rats, and I must say, I didn't hear ANY wind noise during the music this past summer. Trust me, I would LOVE to have the classic softies for all of my capsules, but just cant afford that route

The best cheap route is to use a Rycote Mini Windjammer over your standard foam windshields.

[John Willett]

There is certainly a science to it though and until this manufacturing defect in the Super Softie I'd always believed Rycote was thorough in their research and testing of their products.

It was a manufacturing problem, *not* a research and testing problem - that's why they could sort it pretty quickly.

I *do* admire Rycote for their continued commitment to R&D - they are innovators.

It was Rycote who invented the Windjammer - the original suspension with O-rings - the Baby Ball Gag - the Softie - the ConnBox and decoupling cables - the Lyre suspension and all the suspensions that use it - the SuperSoftie and now the Cyclone.

Then everyone else copies them, often without fully understanding the science behind it all.

Which is why Rycote now patent their stuff to prevent the blatant copying that happened in the past.

They continually talk to users, listen to them, and incorporate what they can.

It was me who, after talking with the designer of the Lyre and realising it, came up with the idea for the suspension in their stereo windshield - I just took existing Rycote parts and put them together in a different way to have a Lyre suspension in my existing stereo windshield - it worked so well, that Rycote now use what I did in their MS stereo windshields now (and it was cheaper than the old method).