DIY Dead rats

[stevetoney]

I always put them right over the foam windscreen.  As an engineer I've puzzled and puzzled until my puzzler was sore, and so far I can't see a valid reason why an airgap would be beneficial.  There is an airgap between the capsule and the mic housing so the capsule an move... but putting other gaps between the layers doesn't seem like it would slow down the wind.  I mean theoretically each boundary layer might have some benefit, but you have a hundred boundaries in the foam windscreens and a hundred more in the dead rat fur, so adding one more won't buy you much in comparison the the hassle of devising this dead air space.

...not to mention that there's an air gap inside the capsule. 

[Neilyboy]

Thanks for the pics of your 414 rats Ted! I am planning on running to the fabric store this weekend to get some faux fur myself and make me some rats haha.. I wish the place I linked to was a bit cheaper their fur is amazing but shit 100 bucks a yard.. damn..
Neil

[stevetoney]

their fur is amazing but shit 100 bucks a yard.. damn..

Hey man...they gotta catch lotsa rats to make a whole yard.   

[Neilyboy]

hahahaha  /me thinks ted should start selling gakratz

Neil

[travelinbeat]

How are you folks cutting and sewing exactly?  I've been wondering about how to sew it so that it won't have a seam over the mics (assuming the seam may affect the sound), but I can't really think of much.  Any way someone might be willing and able to draft up a little sketch of your pattern?  Especially aimed at people who use DIY rats over A81WS's. Thanks in advance

[stevetoney]

How are you folks cutting and sewing exactly?  I've been wondering about how to sew it so that it won't have a seam over the mics (assuming the seam may affect the sound), but I can't really think of much.  Any way someone might be willing and able to draft up a little sketch of your pattern?  Especially aimed at people who use DIY rats over A81WS's. Thanks in advance

My first thought is that I never heard anyone needing rats on top of Big Ass Shure's, but I've never used BAS's so you know better'n'me.  Regardless, even the commercially available rats that I use have a seam although there are probably some out there that don't.  For example, in my Windtech micmuffs, there is one seam that runs along the length of the inside and another seam at the closed end.  There's really no way that a seam isn't gonna be in the path of sound, but since the rats are on the outside of the screens, my thoughts are that the sound hitting the capsules won't be heavily influenced by a seam.  Nevertheless, when it comes to recording in windy conditions, the matra is that even though we have to might sacrifice a little bit of sound quality by putting wind protection on, it's better than the alternative. 

[Neilyboy]

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I was just planning on cutting mine out like that and folding on the center line then stitching it up with the hair on the inside while stitching then turning it inside out like a sock so the seam is on the inside. is this how you did it ted?

Neil

[John Willett]

I always put them right over the foam windscreen.  As an engineer I've puzzled and puzzled until my puzzler was sore, and so far I can't see a valid reason why an airgap would be beneficial.  There is an airgap between the capsule and the mic housing so the capsule an move... but putting other gaps between the layers doesn't seem like it would slow down the wind.  I mean theoretically each boundary layer might have some benefit, but you have a hundred boundaries in the foam windscreens and a hundred more in the dead rat fur, so adding one more won't buy you much in comparison the the hassle of devising this dead air space.

What wind protection is - is the volume of still air trapped round the microphone - not an "air gap".

A foam windshield works because it traps air in the bubbles in the foam - but the sound is deflected as it goes through the foam and you tend to get some treble loss.

A basket windshield is best as it traps a large volume of air - putting a foam windshield inside a basket reduces its effectiveness as it reduces the volume of still air.

A windjammer works because still air is trapped in the hair and the movement of the hair takes energy from the wind before it gets to the basket/foam underneath.

The hairy fabric used to make windjammers is very special in construction and is not just "off the shelf" stuff.  There is a lot of science behind all of this, most of which I had never even thought of until I talked to an expert who designs such things.  But I'm certainly not going to talk about trade secrets on a public forum.

[fotoralf.be]

I always put them right over the foam windscreen.  As an engineer I've puzzled and puzzled until my puzzler was sore, and so far I can't see a valid reason why an airgap would be beneficial. 

It depends on the kind of microphone whether or not an airgap around the capsule will make sense. Pressure transducers are fine with just some foam and maybe a fur on the outside but no air gap.

With pressure gradient transducers (directional mics), an enclosed volume of air around the capsule helps to correlate the low-frequency components of the wind noise so that they'll cancel out.

Most LDCs have enough free space inside their grilles to achieve this with just a combination of foam and fur. With SDCs, this is not the case and you'll want to create some air volume around the capsule, i.e. between the capsule and any kind of wind-abating device, not between foam and fur. Neumann make foams with some kind of coarser foam on the inside, but they tend to make rustling noises which are loud enough to become audible when you're recording very faint sounds, e.g. in nature recordings.

So, the only solution I've found are those baskets* made by Schoeps. Unfortunately, they're almost as expensive as my Rode NT5s.

Ralf

*) http://www.schoeps.de/en/products/categories/bascet_screen

[John Willett]

So, the only solution I've found are those baskets* made by Schoeps. Unfortunately, they're almost as expensive as my Rode NT5s.


*) http://www.schoeps.de/en/products/categories/bascet_screen

You will probably find the Rycote version just as effective and cheaper 

[Shadow_7]

I got mine at hobby lobby.  But I had to get 1/2" fake fur because that's the longest they had.  I cut a long string fold it in half and stitch it up like a sock.  Invert it so the fur is on the outside.  To increase the gap and because the fur is so short, I've had to do 3 layers using this method.  But it's very windy here during a fair portion of the year.  Mine are shotgun style mics so I keep the seems on top or beneath.  I figure that there's no desired sounds coming from those directions in the first place.  I always keep the foams as a base, at a minimum it keeps the fur which will likely shed a bit from getting on the important parts of the mic.  I use velcro cord ties (for computer cables) to cinch up the back end.  And to wrap around the mic clip so they don't inadvertently slide off.

Ideally I'd like a basket style rig.  If it rains, it keeps wet cloth that much further from your mic.  And the sound source of the pitter patter of rain further away to dampen it's balance in the mix.  Which is my main motivation for DIY fake fur as once they've been spoiled, they're mostly disposable.  I bought a full yard for $20-ish and only used about 1/4th of it.  If I ever get around to the basket / shockmount DIY version I'll need most of the rest, if not more.  Plus it's a stylish leopard print.

[easyed]

I wonder if a toupe could be made out of this material and you could mount mini mikes in it.  Might work better than a hat for steathing...    Couldn't look any worse than Bob Costas'

[Shadow_7]

I wonder if a toupe could be made out of this material and you could mount mini mikes in it.  Might work better than a hat for steathing...    Couldn't look any worse than Bob Costas'

I've seen a guy who did nature recording stuff put a couple of velcro flaps of fake fur on the shoulders of his jacket to cover his mics.  I prefer having my mics a bit higher.  The difference between chest high and 1' above the heads of the audience is pretty huge for quality of sound.  But I'm pretty average height.