Topic: Reasonably Priced Blimps, Zeppelins, Wind Shields, Rycote-copy

[digifish_music]

I stumbled upon the following source of reasonably priced blimps. Compared to Rycote they are a steal, but still expensive for a plastic basket with some fur on it 

Prices are in the USD $120-220 range rather than the $300-800 for Rycote.

eBay Shop...

http://stores.ebay.com.au/DV-Shop23_Microphone-Accessories_Windscreen-Plastic_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2065398QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Own site

http://www.thecinecity.com/home.php (if you visit this site their security certificate will scare your browser, I contacted them about this and they said they are working on it). It turns our about $10 cheaper to buy from their site rather than eBay, however eBay has PayPal protection etc, so I used eBay.

They are manufactured in India and according to a guy on freesound are well constructed. I have ordered one and will post back here with pics when it arrives. I plan to use it with a Rode NT4.

Some images of various blimp parts...







digifish

[wbrisette]

A few of the folks that have posted their reviews on DVI basically stated that they aren't a total waste of money, but ultimately you would be better served by saving and getting either a KTEK or Rycote model.

As far as expense for "a plastic basket with fur on it", if you're working outside in the wind on films/docs/interviews, zeppelins can be the best money you've ever spent. They will save your butt in the wind, while lavs will simply be the bain of the sound recordist.

Wayne

[digifish_music]

A few of the folks that have posted their reviews on DVI basically stated that they aren't a total waste of money, but ultimately you would be better served by saving and getting either a KTEK or Rycote model.

As far as expense for "a plastic basket with fur on it", if you're working outside in the wind on films/docs/interviews, zeppelins can be the best money you've ever spent. They will save your butt in the wind, while lavs will simply be the bain of the sound recordist.

Wayne

Thanks...

I realise the value of a blimp from a technical point of view, however I am noting that Rycotes are a complete rip off for what they are. We can buy a DVD player nowdays for $30, get a drill for $20 etc...but pay $500 for some injection moulded plastic? It's insane. I was very pleased to see this Indian company turning up the heat...

digifish

[wbrisette]

I realise the value of a blimp from a technical point of view, however I am noting that Rycotes are a complete rip off for what they are. We can buy a DVD player nowdays for $30, get a drill for $20 etc...but pay $500 for some injection moulded plastic? It's insane. I was very pleased to see this Indian company turning up the heat...

As a few have pointed out in the DVI forum though, in this case you're getting what you pay for. If they were turning up the heat, I think several would welcome that, but instead at least one person has had their unit break with a single use. Using your analogy, you can buy a Ryobi drill for $50, or a Milwaukee drill for $250. The difference is 5 years from now, the Milwaukee drill will still be going strong, but the Ryobi will be in a landfill somewhere. The price for a single use or limited use zeppelin is a bit high if indeed this unit is made as poorly across the board as others have reported.

Money doesn't always mean quality but there is a huge difference between the KTek model and the Ryote model (I own one of each). One thing I have noticed is Ryote does an awesome job of isolating the microphone from the boom. This means when you're doing run & gun or solo mixing and booming, you can be a bit more sloppy and not have to worry about hand noise. On the other hand, the Ktek model requires more attention to prevent hand noise. So far the people who have purchased this Indian-made zeppelin are videotographers and I don't think understand hand noise, or simply think it's OK (I can't tell you how many times the DP or director says "that sounds fine to me", when I think it sucks!).

It will be interesting to read your take on the zeppelin. BTW, have you owned a KTEK or Rycote previously?

Wayne

[George2]

Yes, others have reported they purchased the India copy, and the basket was broken on delivery.... were the endcap goes on.
I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on the Rycote S-Series, as it is less expensive than the full Zep... appears to decouple well with almost as much wind protection.

http://www.rycote.com/products/s_series/

[Petrus]

I am also waiting for a short Rycote S for my new Pearl MSH 10 (have to modify the holders a bit). Neat solution, but also Rycote admits it is not as effective as full zeppelin-windjammer.

I have also wondered why a cheap fleece jacket cost less than 10 euros, but a Rycote Windjammer (just the fur cover) over a hundred. Maybe it is the hi-tech?

The real reason of course is that by far the biggest buyers of Rycote gear are professional production companies where the owner is not going to spend the weekend sewing windjammers from fake fur picked up from discount stores for 0.50€. After all a 500€ investment for piece of gear which lasts possibly decades is peanuts. And in some countries like here in Finland the government operated radio&tv companies are engineer -driven; they have huge amounts of top gear sitting idle, as nobody can argue against the engineers as what is "broadcast quality" and all reporters and teams must have their own kits.

For us hobbyists and semi-amateurs 500€ is serious money, but there are not enough of us to keep alive a mic windprotection company selling stuff cheap, simply not enough volume for that.

[George2]

Hmmm. I would think you could get the S-series 300... the shortest one, and just push the mic in the mount..... no modification needed. Pearl is 28mm thick..... mount good  from 19mm to 25mm.. I hear it's unbreakable. Then make a 5pin XLR to plug it in. MSH10 looks very interesting and must sound good.

[Petrus]

I went and e-mailed Rycote about fitting the Pearl MSH 10 to S-300 and they said no go, S series mic holders can take only up to 25mm, not 28mm like the Pearl. I am going to try anyway, if the holders can not take it I am prepared to use some heat... If the thing does not close tight enough, a bit of thin wire or rubber bands to tie it into place. The holders have little notches on top just begging for this...

At the moment I am using a Rycote Zeppelin made for Sanken CS-3e (19mm). I taped and bluetacked a piece of electrician's plastic tubing to the underside of the Pearl and stuck that into the holders. It works.

The same tubing makes a good AB bar for pair of DPA 4060:s inside a long shotgun Rycote Zepp, it just looks funny going after the sounds with the Zeppelin pointing sideways...

[digifish_music]

I realise the value of a blimp from a technical point of view, however I am noting that Rycotes are a complete rip off for what they are. We can buy a DVD player nowdays for $30, get a drill for $20 etc...but pay $500 for some injection moulded plastic? It's insane. I was very pleased to see this Indian company turning up the heat...

As a few have pointed out in the DVI forum though, in this case you're getting what you pay for. If they were turning up the heat, I think several would welcome that, but instead at least one person has had their unit break with a single use. Using your analogy, you can buy a Ryobi drill for $50, or a Milwaukee drill for $250.

Look at it this way. How much do you pay for a K&N mic stand? $50. And it's a well engineered, quality piece of kit. Now how much do you pay for a boom pole $300?  Doesn't that strike you as odd?

I can't believe you are defending the prices Rycote and KTek charge. If I manufactured a standard blimp to the same Rycote quality in China the manufacturing costs would be in the order of $20-30 (or less), including packaging. How do I know? I am involved in the manufacture of spectacle frames in China and we are talking $5-15 per pair for product you are paying $150-$300 in the shop. Why? The distribution model is all messed up.

I have not owned a Rycote or KTek product but have used Rycotes on a number of occasions. There is nothing there that justifies the prices charged, except that in the past their market was mainly professional TV, Radio, Film and you know how the prices are inflated...same as spectacle frames...

Also let's be reasonable here, most of the people on this forum are recording onto things like R-09s and the like, not Sound Devices 722's. I bought the CiniCity blimp to check it out, I suspect from the pictures that for the hobbiest market in this forum (where people tend to treat their gear carefully, not have it bashed about by people who don't own it) that they will be more than good enough...however I will report all the gory details when it arrives.

BTW: Here's some DIY projects for the handy among you...

http://www.joelandkaren.com/mic-zeppelin/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Microphone-Blimp/?ALLSTEPS

http://www.microfilmmaker.com/tipstrick/Issue8/shotwind.html

http://www.mediumrecords.com/random/?page_id=24

http://www.ixi-software.net/content/diy/windshield/

digifish

[wbrisette]

Now how much do you pay for a boom pole $300?  Doesn't that strike you as odd?

I can't believe you are defending the prices Rycote and KTek charge.

Actually the carbon fiber KTEK boom I have is around $600. But, there aren't many options. Loon just introduced a new series of poles, and their prices almost match those of KTEK. I've heard others use PVC, painter's poles, etc. Those all have issues (weight, noise, breakdown space), so you really are stuck by what the industry charges.

I'm certainly not defending the pricing of either KTEK or Rycote, but both work extremely well (the Rycote more so than the KTEK). Is it worth the $500? Yes and no. No, I don't like paying that much, but at the same time, if I budget for it, it pays for itself after a couple of productions and it will last a long time.

If this copy-cat clone zeppelin was built better, then I think a lot of people would certainly welcome the price reduction (including myself). The problem is the quality seems to have gone amiss on this particular product according to those who have purchased it.

And, yes most people here on this board aren't all running around recording on a 744, Cantar, or Deva, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't care about quality, especially when the build reports have not been glowing on this particular zeppelin.

Wayne

[John Willett]

I can't believe you are defending the prices Rycote and KTek charge.

Because the Rycote is a properly researched and engineered product designed to do a professional job for years.

It's not an unresearched copy made by someone who does not understand the physics of the situation.

All the materials are chosen for durability and the ability to do the job - to attenuate wind noise without affecting the frequency response (or, at least, have an absolute minimum effect).

I have spoken many times to the designer and know how extensive the research and testing that goes on to find the best design and materials to do the job properly - it's not just a bit of plastic and fur, it's a fully engineered professional product.

Rycote also sell via competent local distributors and not direct from the factory, so you do have to allow for the distributor margin - but the distributor does give full back-up in his territory.

I have several Rycotes and would not use anything less - I have not found anything that equals the Rycote technically in how it isolates both wind and handling noise.