Topic: Mic stand advice

[jbosco]

I've been out of the taping scene for about 15 or so years while I was busy with life, raising a family and finally getting divorced.  So I'm getting back in, I'm looking for stand options.  I'm an old retired sound engineer, so I use to just grab a mic stand out of the warehouse and use that, you know a vocal mic boom type, hell I think I even have a few lying around.  However I'm starting to wonder about going the light stand route, I was never a big fan of those to tell the truth, I always thought they took up too much floor space and were hard to use in a theater setting. 

I was wondering what your thoughts were regarding:
http://www.manfrotto.us/4-black-aluminum-mini-kit-stand-015-top Manfrotto Mini Stand (4 foot)
http://www.manfrotto.us/3-section-black-extension-pole-for-light-stands-35-92 Manfrotto Extension

I believe that fully extended I would get to 11 feet, which should be good for me.  So I'm wondering, what is the footprint of the mini stand as compared to a vocal mic, and how stable would this be at that height, being two pieces and all.  I'm only considering all this because at under 3 lbs this would certainly be lighter to lug around.

[hoppedup]

I have a mini-stand and extension that I only use at house concerts because I know it won't get bumped and I don't run above 5-6' high. The footprint is small but the stability sucks even at that height.

I have two Impact stands I use for stand taping.

13' - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/253066-REG/Impact_LS_13HB_Heavy_Duty_Light_Stand.html

9.5' air cushioned: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/253069-REG/Impact_LS_96HAB_Air_Cushioned_Heavy_Duty_Light.html

[colinw]

I use one of those 9.5 foot Impact stands and love it. I have used it for multiple years with my full size mics, and smaller mics, often both to the stand. I have also had other tapers clamp to the stand and there were no issues running at about 9 feet with 3 rigs on it.

The taller 13 foot one looks good too and is a steal for the price, but it isn't air cushioned if that is something you're looking for. The 9.5' one is cushioned.

[DigiGal]

B&H also carries the Air Cushioned 13 ft Impact stand for slightly more.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/253065-REG/Impact_LS_13HAB_Air_Cushioned_Heavy_Duty.html/prm/alsVwDtl

[jbosco]

Thanks for all the input!  I guess what I'm worried about is the footprint of the larger stands, I'm sure I'll tape a few outdoors open taping shows, but I'm really thinking more about taping bands like Wilco that play mostly in theaters where you tape from your seat.  I'm sure there are ways to clamp onto armrests and stuff (like with the Manfrotto 099B), I've just never done that before and in my mind I can't visualize how to make that stable.

[bombdiggity]

^ I doubt there are any 13 foot stands made that work as "tape from your seat" unless you buy an empty one next to you and hope no patrons want to roam the aisle during the show...  though I could be wrong... 

A clamp seems a better approach for that though probably doesn't get you stable much over head height. 

I'm liking those Impacts but almost never record back of room or in a section so I'm not sure I'd ever use one.  Still at $39 the smaller one is tempting as it would work for the summer fest I do (which I may have to record somewhat unattended a lot of the time this year). 

My solution is a very compact one to keep it as small as possible for public transit but it really only gives me a stage lip (or tape from your seat at head height) extension.  That said it goes at the bottom of a standard backpack so I can bring everything in a single bag. 

[flipp]

I also have one of the 9.5' Impacts. It gets used almost exclusively outdoors. Yes the footprint is fairly large so I usually use either a Manfrotto 649 table clamp (with a ball head if I want true vertical) and custom extension or the same custom extension mounted on a desktop base when recording indoors. The desktop base is smaller/lighter than I would like so one day I'll buy a standard mic stand cast iron base but in the interim I use the smaller base and gaff tape the extension to the arm rest when in a venue with permanent seating. For other ideas of how to use an extension see the following two threads:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=151303.0
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=110425.0

[hoppedup]

I use the 649 clamp and 099B extension in many venues. Here it is on a theater seat arm: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=150670.msg1918531#msg1918531

I also have the impact superclamp knock-off and have used it with the 099B in a few places as well

[dnsacks]

back in the day, the manfrotto 3373 was the stand of choice for this kinda stuff, it's compact (folds to under 2') and extends to a little over 6' and provides SOME stability leg-wise -- it can also be taped to chair arms/etc. to provide a small footprint/etc.  Looks to have been replaced by the 5001b -- see http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5602-REG/Manfrotto_3373_3373_Retractable_Black_Light.html

I get along great with this as my only stand, and generally end up using my rowi clamp to hook my actives setup onto others' stands (thanks again) whenever available.

[down2earthlandscaper]

I had the exact same problem - trying to get height without a large footprint… I found the perfect solution. Not sure how many people have heard of these stands, but I bought one from the guys who invented it, and it is AWESOME! The "Surefoot" and the "Longfoot". Cast iron base, but instead of being a solid round base, it actually has 3 legs that fold up for transport/storage. I'll try to post some pictures here so you can see - I have over 8' of height with a footprint that is, well , not much bigger than a foot! For perspective, I have one shot with my Manfrotto 1004BAC which goes to 12' high. But the footprint is huge in comparison. Here is a link. http://3rd-st.com/micstand.htm Greg is a great guy and was fantastic to work with.

[down2earthlandscaper]

Sorry about the sideways pictures - this is the first time I've attached photos to a post. not sure how to correct that...

[bombdiggity]

The "Surefoot" and the "Longfoot". Cast iron base, but instead of being a solid round base, it actually has 3 legs that fold up for transport/storage. I'll try to post some pictures here so you can see - I have over 8' of height with a footprint that is, well , not much bigger than a foot! For perspective, I have one shot with my Manfrotto 1004BAC which goes to 12' high. But the footprint is huge in comparison. Here is a link. http://3rd-st.com/micstand.htm Greg is a great guy and was fantastic to work with.

Cool.  How heavy is that thing? 

[adrianf74]

You'd have to rotate the pictures prior to posting but the pictures are a great help none-the-less.

How much did it set you back -- if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks.

[flipp]

Did that pole come with the base? I couldn't tell from viewing the website and if it didn't come with the base, what pole is that?

How much did it set you back -- if you don't mind me asking?

from http://www.surefootstands.com/  Surefoot $48 retail; Longfoot $54 retail

Cool.  How heavy is that thing? 

from http://3rd-st.com/micstand.htm "The Surefoot weight is a little less than a quality round base, and the Longfoot is a little more."

[thunderbolt]

I'm assuming the thrust of your needs are something to be used in a theater/tight space, and something with a small footprint.

As I noted in an old thread, I bought this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/284734-REG/Lowel_UN_55_Uni_TO_Light_Stand.html

and chopped about a foot off the legs, so the legs still sit flat on the floor but the footprint is about a foot total.  You lose about a foot of height, to 7' down from 8'.  But folded, it's still only 21 inches long.  So this works great for tight theater seats and FOB.  I used it the another night in a theater with really tight seat space.  I have also taken this (all metal) stand to outdoor concerts.  I just bring along a compact extension (a Manfrotto 099 or the smaller Impact and can go to 10-12 feet.  That's only useful if you want a very compact kit (put in a backpack) and are willing to sacrifice a bit of stability.  I either gaff it, stake it, or use an ankle weight (10#).  I never use it un-anchored, although in the theater the other night it stood up fine by itself and I just kept it between my legs.