Topic: Taping in the Rain

[piperedworm]

Hello my friends, I am looking for a really good clip on Umbrella if I need to tape in the rain.  Any thoughts?

[leehookem]

ask and you shall receive.

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,119618.0.html

[John Willett]

The problem with umbrellas is that you then record the plip-plop of the rain hitting the top of the umbrella.

You need material on top of the umbrella to take the energy out of the rain before it gets to the umbrella.

Hence the Rycote Duck.

[sparkey]

I think I rode on one of those at Wisconsin Dells as a child....

The problem with umbrellas is that you then record the plip-plop of the rain hitting the top of the umbrella.

You need material on top of the umbrella to take the energy out of the rain before it gets to the umbrella.

Hence the Rycote Duck.

[rsimms3]

Interesting.....very interesting.

[rastasean]

The problem with umbrellas is that you then record the plip-plop of the rain hitting the top of the umbrella.

You need material on top of the umbrella to take the energy out of the rain before it gets to the umbrella.

Hence the Rycote Duck.

     
Re: Mic Umbrella

Not a very favorable recording of the Duck.

[OFOTD]

A golf towel over you umbrella does the trick.  No need to spend money on the Duck.  Major overkill.

[travelinbeat]

Looks like you could easily make a duck by gluing some of those plasticy body-wash things to some sort of gully / gutter.  I've never used a towel, but it seems to me that once a towel gets wet, it may as well not be there at all.  Maybe sew some of those body-wash things onto a towel, and fasten the towel to some sort of drainage along the bottom.  The material on the Duck looks fairly similar to those body wash things, I'm guessing that you could fabricate one of these pretty simply.

[OFOTD]

I've never used a towel, but it seems to me that once a towel gets wet, it may as well not be there at all. 

I've used a towel many many times.  Golf towels work best in my experience or even the thicker hand towels at some hotels.  You'd be surprised at how much of the rain hitting the umbrella the towel cuts down on.  If you can hear rain hitting the towel then more than likely the band has already called it a day.   The towel flattens the sound out even when drenched as compared to the popping of rain hitting the umbrella itself.

[ArchivalAudio]

I've said this before
but back at a GD show  at Autzen stadium in like 94 we ran my TOA K1's spaced at about 20' in the rain where we tightly stretched a plastic bag over each mic - duct taped the end on, and duct taped the XLR connectors and it sounded fine
no real noticeable difference than w/o the bag
mind you the TOA K1's had a weird foam inside a metal darth vader looking metal housing

but I tried an umbrella at Red Rock PHISH in 96 and you could totally hear the rain  drops....
IMO a bad option- the towel over it might be better
but
may be some tight saran wrap
or other thin plastic  or large foam would be better...

but that's just my ideas...  everyone has there own thoughts and what works for them

I know I have only been taping sine I used actual tape in 1986 so I may not know what the hell I am talking about but I have a few shows undermy belt

peace out
-- Ian

[china_rider]

Last time I looked REI stores have a umbrella that clips on to golf bags that is perfect for recording.  When I picked up my last one it was somewhere around $10.  Like others said you need to bring a towel with you to put over the umbrella to avoid the sound of the rain hitting the it.

[digifish_music]

The problem with umbrellas is that you then record the plip-plop of the rain hitting the top of the umbrella.

You need material on top of the umbrella to take the energy out of the rain before it gets to the umbrella.

Hence the Rycote Duck.

A sheet of this clipped to the top of the umbrella is cheaper and works well...

http://www.moldingsbest.com/CharcoalEggcrate.html



digifish

[T.J.]

i sort of enjoy hearing the raindrops in between the music of my recordings 

it reminds me of the effort it took to tape and sometimes adds to the ambiance of the recording

[Gutbucket]

I've wrapped and gaff taped an entire LD bumlein rig in thin disposable poncho material (similar to food wrap) and it weathered rain fine without any obvious sonic drawbacks.  The shock baskets acted as hoops supporting the plastic over the foams.  My main concern was wind flapping loose plastic but I got it nice smooth and tensioned.  PITA to do though and of course you don't want to do it until you know it will rain.

For that reason I'm back to the umbrella with a towel or foam attached with a few clothes pins.

If anyone wanted to DIY a duck, the material appears to be exactly the same as the cheap closed cell foam 'pool noodles' sold as floats for kids in the pool or ocean.  Cut one to length, split it halfway & carve out the center a bit, open it like a hot dog bun and you'd have what looks just like the duck photo.

[wklitz]

windscreens and gaffers tape over all connections has always done the trick for me at least with the schoeps and sennheiser.  I only had a problem ONCE and that is because I forgot to tape over a cable connection.

...never attempted it with LD mics, probably not a good idea.