At 5:10 PM +0100 6/30/09, Michael Oates wrote:
>I also agree with John,
>
>Cardioid mics (i.e. NT1a) are much more prone to wind noise than
>omnis, so as discussed
>already go for some small electret omnis like WL-183s.
Hi Michael & John--
This is a good principal to keep in mind but I'm not sure it applies,
without qualification, to all large diaphragm mics. I have a surround
rigs with mixed diaphragm sizes. The front, small-diaphragm pair (mkh
cardioid and mkh fig 8) is always more affected by wind than the rear
NT1-A's and they all have identical sized/covered baskets. The
simple, dead air zeppelin design described in the "Ultimate Wind
Screen" discussion prompted by Rob Nichols works very effectively
with my Rode NT2000's for some reason. Could be that the proximate
wood barriers are providing some helpful influence. But, for Bruce's
demanding need, Rich Peet's vacuum filter approach is the surest bet
I know of. I rode in Rich's van at 40 mph with his "Shop Vac" wind
screen on top monitoring it with headphones. There was no wind noise;
one could hear the engine, tire sounds and field sparrows 50 yards
away very clearly. If I was going to record the surf at a hard to
reach beach, I'd make-up one of these and try it out at home in front
of fans. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it but I'm sure Rich
would be happy to provide the needed info. The cartridges seem like
they would be suitably sized and shaped for NT1-A's. Instead of using
the supplied shock-mount, I'd try criss-crossing #64 rubber bands
inside the cartridges to support the mics. Two of these should
make-up well for ORTF with a baffle. Its likely Bruce is going to
have to take on a few extra ounces but it could be well worth it.
John's solution of placing the mics on the lee side of a wind break
can produce great results. If there's a rocky bluff at seaside, one
can aim the rig at the reflections from the bluff and tuck the rig
tight in behind a large rock. The cardioid polar patterns are
well-suited for this arrangement. Rob D.
>Then either spend some time making a good windshield or buy a
>Rycote. 30mph with higher gusts is going to be a real challenge. It
>has also been said that you need an air gap between the mics and the
>windshield, this is very important don't be tempted to use foam
>windshields and add a layer of fur on top of that, it just won't
>work, been there got the t-shirt.
>
>To be honest unless you are good at DIY, you should be looking at
>spending more money on
>the windshields than the mics, at least for your application anyway.
>DIY rigs are always
>heavier and larger than a commercial version like a Rycote. So if
>you intend to hike to
>your recording spot, bear the weight and size in mind, and remember
>you will also need a
>tripod or other stand, the recorder, cable, spares, batteries, food
>& drink etc, it all
>adds up.
>
>I am passing on some hard learned tips here having gone down the DIY
>route for a couple of
>years, only to realise that most of the rigs I have made are too
>large, heavy, or don't
>perform in wind like I hoped they would. So after spending ages on
>making DIY windshields,
>making every increasing smaller and lighter versions (after
>realising that I can't carry
>them very far), I ended up buying a Rycote windshield and I wish I
>had done that in the
>first place and saved myself lots of money and more importantly time
>and spoiled
>recordings.
>
>There are cheaper windshields about, try ebay, there are some that
>come from India, I have
>one and to be honest for the money they aren't bad. I can't vouch
>for 30mph winds though.
>
>Regards,
>
>Mike
>
>>Hi Bruce and Rob
>>
>>Honesty, with my current windscreen design for my NT1A rig,
>>recording in any breeze higher than 7 mph would likely produce
>>excessive wind rumble. This may be a consequence of my choice of
>>windscreen fabric. I can often record sounds of stronger winds as
>>long as they somehow miss my mics. Topography and ground cover
>>often buffer the wind to manageable levels at microphone level. One
>>solution is to find a spot where you can hear that wind without
>>feeling that wind. That could be very challenging for an open
>>coastline setting, and especially with the gale force winds that
>>Bruce is interested in recording. Perhaps building a larger wind
>>blind to record from within would help.
> >
>>My recording of wind in the desert sage I made last year by placing
>>WL-183s a few feet apart on the ground below a sage brush worked
>>well for the wind, though I'm not sure this approach would sound
>>good for surf also.
>><http://www.rockscallop.org/ear/jh-080425-1700_sage-wind.mp3>http://www.r=
ockscallop.org/ear/jh-080425-1700_sage-wind.mp3
>>
> >John Hartog
>>
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