Topic: Shockmounts, waste of money ?

[shaggy]

I think these are the best in-between solution.  they resemble non-shock mounts but they are shock mounts!  I am on the fence about shock mounts.  They help in some situations...

Can you say 'doughnuts'.....mmmmm, I thought so!




I think at the Crystal Ballroom, the frequency of the floor bouncing may be too low to pickup, but what the heck do I know?

[robertitrujillo]

Thanks for the note about the spring loaded floor at crystal ballroom. I heard that the wonder ballroom was the only floor in the portland area like that. They tend to mess with the cameras just a little as well.

[macdaddy]

Tell these guys.     Man that thing is spendy.   

http://www.lasvegasproaudio.com/m600.html

as one of you pointed out, this thing does not keep unwanted sound away. i was clamped to a table, and whenever people set down a beer, i heard it on the recording. after that i fixed the mount that came with the c422, and havent looked back. and i have had folks kick the stand, grab the stand, etc. but with the bands suspending the mic, i hear none of that garbage...

the enhanced audio mount is nice, and it would be great in a studio environment, where wookies and drunks are not an issue; in the field, the thing is worthless 'cos it doesnt get rid of the unwanted sounds caused by knocking/etc. the stand or clamp/pole...

if you are interested in buying the enhanced audio mount, drop me a line - it is for sale.

[DSatz]

As some people have noted, shock mounts may be needed more or needed less depending on the microphones you're using. The odd thing is that shock mounts are needed more often for the kinds of microphones that don't have the most extended low-frequency response as far as sound itself is concerned.

To be specific: Pure pressure transducers (for most folks here, single-diaphragm omni condensers) may well need no shock mounting at all, even though as a rule their low-frequency response goes the deepest of all. But they are relatively insensitive to physical vibration, in part because their diaphragm tension is relatively high. And pure pressure-gradient transducers (figure-8s), and highly directional microphones such as supercardioids which have mainly pressure-gradient sensitivity, generally have rolled-off low-frequency response--yet they're the most sensitive to picking up noise from external vibrations.

A few years ago I was recording a classical chamber ensemble with a pair of single diaphragm "wide cardioids"--mainly pressure transducers with a certain amount of pressure gradient response mixed in. Between two pieces there was some rearrangement of the players, so to keep the recording in good balance I picked up the entire mike stand, moved it and set it down while continuing to record. I was using only a fairly basic shock mount but on the recording there is no noise whatsoever. That definitely wouldn't have worked out as well if I'd been using my supercardioids (which are also more sensitive to the noise from any air motion, and thus tend to need wind screens or pop screens more).

--best regards

[su6oxone]

I personally never use shock mounts.  I just stick my kwon bar on a mic clip and stick that on my stand and it seems to work fine in all the shows I've taped.  Don't think you'll really notice anything in loud rock concert recordings. 

[kcmule]

I've used them and not used them with really no different results.
After using the standard akg clips for a while I don't really like the
wear and tear they can have on the mic bodies - sliding them in
and out all the time.  So I've gone to a pair of shock mounts for
no other reason than to keep the bodies cleaner.

[Chuck]

I've always used them and will continue to use them.
As DSatz pointed out, I find that they are more needed on my cardioids and hyper-cardioids. When I run omni's, I use the cheaper shocks.
 

[John Willett]

I always use shock-mounts and have now converted everything to the Rycote InVision series as these are technically the best (at any price) and also happen to be cheaper than just about any anything else. 

[chris319]

Tell these guys.     Man that thing is spendy.   

http://www.lasvegasproaudio.com/m600.html

For $240 it'll turn your Behringer into a Schoeps!

I said the "B" word; now I must wash my mouth out with soap

[taylordb]

I have AT853 and CA ST-11 mics with the alligator clips.  I just put a fat rubber band around my t-bar and then clip to the rubber surface.....figure that supplies some ghetto isolation 

[DSatz]

The "Enhanced Audio M 600" that people have mentioned here is NOT a shock mount, and the marketing materials for it make that quite clear. If anything it is an unusually rigid mount, which I would think would couple vibrations quite efficiently from a stand or boom arm into the body of a microphone.

On the "up side" it would probably damp the primary mechanical resonance of a microphone body's shell, if that was a problem--and I suppose that with some microphones it might be, given that so many companies are now making microphones by copying other microphones as cheaply as possible, without much knowledge of microphone design.

[taperj]

I think I paid 12$ each for these and I love 'em. They're exactly what I have found is needed. I bought them after a "stomper" show, these have insulated me well from stompers or anything else that might travel up the pole and these suckers are bulletproof, made of steel on the rings. They're quite compact for mounts as well.

[John Willett]

The best shockmounts (at any price) are definitely the Rycote InVision series.
Next is the Osix
Then the Shure donut
The rest come way down.

[taperj]

The best shockmounts (at any price) are definitely the Rycote InVision series.

They certainly look the part. 

[spyder9]

I just use SP20's.
Not sure how much shock absorption they have but, no issues.

Dirt cheap too.  Certainly better than plastic mic clips.  The SP20's go for $20.00/pair shipped on fleabay.  Can't beat that with a stick, IMO.