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Re: Nature recording 101

Subject: Re: Nature recording 101
From: Walter Knapp <>
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2005 13:10:58 -0500
From: "John Hartog" <>

> 
> Even if you can afford a good comercial wind screen, there are 
> plenty of reasons to learn to make your own wind screens: 
> perhaps the microphone arangement you are usng wont fit in the 
> comercial screens; maybe you are experimenting with new 
> tecniques; perhaps you own a comercial windscreen but it is not 
> adequate for the conditions you will be recording in.
> 
> One reason for taking the time to experiment is to learn what 
> useful materials are readily avialable in your area.  For nature 
> sound recordists, like us, the sooner we start experimenting, the 
> better prepared we will be for solving future wind noise 
> problems. 
> 
> Not all fake fur is the same.  Just because it looks just like the 
> stuff on the expensive comercial model, that does not mean it 
> will work well.  You might end up with a bunch of remnants that 
> did not work out - save these remnants for your sasquatch suit.
> -John Hartog

I would agree, with a extra bit. One can get too wrapped up in the idea 
that they can do better than the commercial gear. It's not near as 
likely as one might think, commercial gear is a result of use by a large 
number of expert recordists, designed by experts in that type of gear. 
You can learn a lot studying the design of commercial gear. If 
commercial gear can do the job well, and one can sort out a way to 
afford it then it makes little sense to spend the time reinventing it, 
life is too short. I've managed to afford some of that gear by investing 
time watching ebay and putting together bits and pieces of commercial 
gear to make whole setups. At greatly reduced prices over the usual price.

I figure I have maybe 20 years left to do what I want to do, and a few 
thousand years worth of stuff I want to do. And that's just the stuff 
out in the field. I make things where I need to, but if I can save time 
using something readymade, I'll do that. I want equipment that does not 
waste my precious time out in the field, and works well.

One can do both, use commercial gear and be expert at making their own. 
It's not either/or.

I have, over the years, pointed out numerous materials that can be 
useful for windscreens. Like plastic canvas, or latchhook material, or 
the molded plastic canvas sphere's and eggs. With suggestions as to how 
to work with the material. I've shared my methods of picking out fur in 
the fabric store. I have a piece of Rycote's fur material here, and it 
really is not different than some of the fur I can get locally in fabric 
stores. This is especially true if you also compare to the made up 
Rycote fur covers I have. I've also pointed out and commented on other 
fabrics. I've shared info on the construction techniques used in the 
commercial stuff I have. Why do I know about all these things? Because I 
have several windscreen design projects underway. Things that no 
commercial gear will do, like the XY mic setups for my MKH-816's. When I 
build the suspension for those it will be as easy to use and at least as 
durable as commercial gear. Yes I could slap something together, but I 
don't work that way. I construct things to last and work well for me.

Walt




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