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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