> Re: mic windscreen tests from Army Research Lab( is now hogs hair)
> Posted by: "J. Young"
>
> I just "googled" hogs hair and was served up several products that are
> available under that name. There are air conditioning filters, brushes, e=
tc.
> The most promising was a product used to polish floors. One of the Ebay
> stores has a picture of this particular item, and it says that it is a so=
ft
> item, looks interesting and may be the same item Martyn describes.
It might be well to consider what you are trying to do.
First, and most important, you want the material to soundlessly be hit
by the rain. This is it's critical function. Making no sound is critical
that close to the mic. The hogs hair (for the movie people it's the air
conditioning filter material) does this by breaking the larger drops
into smaller and smaller drops, absorbing the energy they are carrying
but not generating sound. Rain goes right on through hog's hair, but
emerges out the bottom as much smaller droplets.
Secondarily you need to protect the mic itself from the water the rain
produces. The Hollywood folks may just put a condom on the mic to do
this. Or a layer of waterproof coated material may be included under the
hog's hair to divert the water.
Finally, if you also are using a windscreen it needs to stay pretty
water free. If it's material is wet it will change it's acoustic
properties and not for the better. Again a coated material under the
hogs hair above the windscreening can do this.
My own experience using hogs hair is that it does work. The biggest
problem is that after recording you have this bulky bunch of wet
material to deal with. The filter material does not compress.
As much as I can I avoid this sort of thing by trying to find overhangs
and so on to provide rain protection. The liftgate of a SUV makes a good
protected spot, or you can record from a window. Under trees may take
some time to let the rain through. Porches and overhangs on buildings
usually can work fairly well.
Walt
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