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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: jmerin on September 24, 2014, 08:51:22 AM
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I am curious what people are using today besides the A20S. I am looking to pick up a spare and not break the bank.
Thanks
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I like the HM30 a lot. They are one of the smallest and lightest mounts around and they are only about $9 each. Superlux and others sell them.
http://avlex.com/products/hm-30-stand-mount/
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I haven't used this one, but it looks like a a20 clone..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microphone-Holder-Shock-Mount-Suspension-Shotgun-Pencil-A20-Elastic-Swivel-Clip-/291232267858
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Thanks!
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Link to Rycote InVision INV series shock mounts. (http://www.rycote.com/products/shock-mounts-suspension/invision-broadcast-film/)
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X2 on these. The INV-7 is nice because it's adjustable for different lengths of mics.
Link to Rycote InVision INV series shock mounts. (http://www.rycote.com/products/shock-mounts-suspension/invision-broadcast-film/)
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I been using four of those chinese a20 knock offs for a few years now without any issues. They're 2mm too big for schoeps mics, but I stuck a small strip of the soft loop half of a piece of velcro on the ID of the cradle and solved the diameter problem forever since that stuff sticks great. They ship from China, but they were in my mailbox just over a week after I paid for them.
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I prefer the Rycote InVision as well.
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Everything I have seen or used is inferior to the Rycote. If you use Kwon bars, using that plus the INV-HG saves you a little money on Rycotes and that thing is a tank.
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I been using four of those chinese a20 knock offs for a few years now without any issues. They're 2mm too big for schoeps mics, but I stuck a small strip of the soft loop half of a piece of velcro on the ID of the cradle and solved the diameter problem forever since that stuff sticks great. They ship from China, but they were in my mailbox just over a week after I paid for them.
I use one of these linked by Jesse to hold my DIY mount and it works just fine for me: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=169881.0 (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=169881.0)
Having used the real Schoeps A20 when I borrowed some Schoeps mics from a friend, I can't say that the real thing is any higher quality construction than the knockoff version. I know others may disagree, but I can't wrap my head around how Schoeps can charge such high prices for some of their plastic accessories. Rycote on the other hand - that is a noticeable quality difference.
Regarding the cradle size - I have used adhesive-backed felt when I ran a 19mm bar. You could also order a Schoeps 20mm cradle from Posthorn or Redding, but I think they're around $22 each which is more than the entire shockmount costs.
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Everything I have seen or used is inferior to the Rycote. If you use Kwon bars, using that plus the INV-HG saves you a little money on Rycotes and that thing is a tank.
I have been using the chinese knock offs and they are shit, it takes me an extra ten minutes to adjust the rubber bands and get them perfectly straight.
The INV-HG looks like the ticket to me, thanks for the info.
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I would use a Rycote INV-3 for studio use - it's better than the Schoeps original, IMHO.
I now use Rycote mounts instead of manufacturer originals on all my mics now.
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The first two links in this thread point to stand adapters that don't isolate the cable from the stand. That defeats much of the purpose of having a shock mount. I give those items a hearty "boo" (unfortunately this applies also to the otherwise very appealing Shure rubber donuts).
--Are people here aware that the sensitivity of a microphone to solid-borne noise and vibration is a function of the capsule type? Since Schoeps mikes are all single-diaphragm, you can relate this directly to directional pattern, with omni capsules being about 20 dB less sensitive than figure-8s, just as they are less sensitive to wind and (for close miking of speech and vocals) breath noise and popping on consonants. If you have MK 5 or MK 6 switchable-pattern capsules, the sensitivity to solid-borne noise corresponds to the pattern setting.
That all said (sigh), Schoeps has a long tradition of manufacturing their own mounting accessories, as well as accessories for other manufacturers--for example I have some older "Neumann" wind screens and desk stands that were made for them by Schoeps, odd though that may seem today. They also offer thin, lightweight microphone cables with Kevlar-clad insulation that are terminated with Neutrik EMC connectors--the kind that stops most RFI problems dead in their tracks. Those should be used by more people who do location recording. And I've always used their stand adapters, which I like especially now that they're using rubber instead of hard plastic for the parts that actually contact the microphone body.
These accessories end up with price tags to match, however. Schoeps has a significant number of customers who prefer to buy Schoeps accessories for their Schoeps microphones, so it makes sense from the company's perspective to keep manufacturing these items.
But (have I buried my lead enough?) as far as shock mounts are concerned, I find that Rycote has solved the basic engineering problem in a way that others have not. Their InVision shock mounts are distinctly more effective at doing what a shock mount exists to do, than any other type I've seen in 40+ years of recording. My only complaint is that when I use one to hold a stereo bar with two cables coming off of it, it's a little hard to get both cables fastened reliably. But as far as the suspension itself is concerned, as long as you're using the right type for the size and weight of microphone(s) that you're suspending, they're miles ahead of anything else around.
--best regards
P.S.: Any time John Willett and I agree 100% about something, y'all might want to pay close attention.
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The first two links in this thread point to stand adapters that don't isolate the cable from the stand. That defeats much of the purpose of having a shock mount. I give those items a hearty "boo" (unfortunately this applies also to the otherwise very appealing Shure rubber donuts).
The Ebay item linked (A20 clone) has a very similar assembly to isolate the cable as the A20. I have this mount and it does that job just fine. The clips on Rycote mounts do hold the cable more securely, it seems. Either way, I prefer to use a velcro wrap at the top of the stand to strain-relief and isolate the cable instead of relying on what is built into the mount itself. I agree that if you don't isolate the cable somehow then you're negating some of the effect of a shock mount, but I think how you choose to rig the cable is more important than the design of a cable clip on the shock mount itself. The fact that the donut-style mounts lack this clip doesn't mean they're not any good - you just have to remember to rig the cable appropriately.
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I agree that if you don't isolate the cable somehow then you're negating some of the effect of a shock mount, but I think how you choose to rig the cable is more important than the design of a cable clip on the shock mount itself. The fact that the donut-style mounts lack this clip doesn't mean they're not any good - you just have to remember to rig the cable appropriately.
Quite so.
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Fair enough, as long as the issue isn't ignored completely--which I see a lot of, especially in mike setups for live performers on stage.
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looking to grab a Shure A53M . It looks decent to me
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looking to grab a Shure A53M . It looks decent to me
The donut design is the next best anti-shock mount after teh Rycote Lyre and the Cinela Osix.
But it is important, as has been said, to properly decouple the cable. Personally, I use Rycote S-series XLR tails with a thin and flexible cable to do this and then attach these to the main cable.
If you use the Shure donut, make sure yo properly clamp the cable to the stand and alow a flexible tail from that point to the mic. In fact, this is more important than the mount in vibration isolation.
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I have been using the Schoeps a20s shocks for a few years now and I love them. Its the little things like the cable clip thing that holds your cables in place, that I love. Super useful for running active bars. But I really want to try out the Rycote shocks too
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I've been using Schoeps A20 and A20S mounts for well over 20 years now. Yes, they're expensive but for my money they're actually not bad value. Like most things Schoeps, the up front cost isn't cheap but unlike the vast majority of mic manufacturers the aftersales service is excellent and ongoing support is quick and very reasonably priced. The bits that wear out or break - the mic clip itself (especially if, like me you abuse them by fitting the larger diameter Neumann KM8x and KM100 mics in them) and the plastic bases which seem to crack after several years of quite heavy use (the current A20 mounts use metal bases so that won't happen any more) and the elastics which just wear out - are all available as spare parts and are cheap to replace, extending the life of the mount indefinitely. I keep packs of spare clips, bases and elastics in my mic mounts cases for any quick repairs when out and about. And of course, swapping an A20 to an A20S (or vice versa) is just a matter of spending a few pounds on a set of other elastics and five minutes to swap them over.
However, for all the reasons already mentioned, I'm now gradually changing over to the Rycote Invision series mounts. Some are a little less compact than the Schoeps mounts, which has raised comment a couple of times for in-picture work but they're extremely effective and so far seem to live up to their claim for being indestructible. I used to have over seventy A20/S mounts but I'm now down to around 30 and will gradually whittle it down to a handful or so. I still prefer the A20S for mounting the UMS stereo bar as none of my Rycotes seem to balance with that as well as an A20S and its double cable grip works better than the Rycote one when there are two cables going to the stereo bar.
Incidentally, I recently bought a Schoeps V4U and it came with a Schoeps branded Rycote USM shock mount so Schoeps seem to agree with the quality of the Rycote product.