Topic: Light / Mic pole choice ???????????

[cavernut]

Hi All,

I was browsing on the B&H Website at the light pole selection.
To say the least, there are a lot of em'.
I want a black pole and other than that i am at a loss.
I know Bogen name but do i need an 8', 9', 11'?
Do I want a Bogen or are other brands Recommendable?
I also see the prices go from $36 - $250 with very little difference in appearance or function.
What is air suspension?
Can any of you seasoned tapers help me make sense of all this.
I want something to put a couple of mics in the air....

Thanks again,
Michael Foy

[johnw]

It all comes down to where you record, how compact a stand do you want, how heavy duty you want the stand to be and how high do you want your mics to be. For most of the time in a club I'd try to get up to 7-9'. For me the Bogen 3373 or whatever it is called now is the go to stand as it goes up to about 7' and is compact enough to get inside a carry on bag for plane flights. For theater seating you might want to look into an extension pole and a heavy duty clamp. Good luck, it's not an easy decision and that's why I have 3 stands and an extension pole.

[su6oxone]

I would get an 11' stand, as it is only a bit longer when folded up, and has the same footprint size.  Therefore, you can go up to 11' if and when you want to, and won't need to get another stand later if you decide you want to go higher up sometimes (to decrease crowd noise, get closer to the speakers, etc.).  I have a 11' bogen stand and love it.

[johnw]

I would get an 11' stand, as it is only a bit longer when folded up, and has the same footprint size.  Therefore, you can go up to 11' if and when you want to, and won't need to get another stand later if you decide you want to go higher up sometimes (to decrease crowd noise, get closer to the speakers, etc.).  I have a 11' bogen stand and love it.

The Bogen 3373 (now 001B) is only 19" when folded compared to the 11' stands which range from 35-50+ inches when folded down. Since I fly more than drive to shows now, I'd rather have something a bit more portable, but that's why I have both types. When someone makes an 11' stand that folds down to less than 24" I would definitely buy it! It is definitely nice to hang towards the back and go high up to cut down on crowd noise...