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Re: Hummingbird recording

Subject: Re: Hummingbird recording
From: "James Shatto" wwwshadow7
Date: Tue Aug 10, 2010 10:23 pm ((PDT))
I don't know if you'd want the mics to be red.=A0 Unless you're out and abo=
ut during hunting season.=A0 Yellow tends to be the first color that insect=
s see / gravitate towards.=A0 Or so I've heard.=A0 The hummingbirds at the =
house love the red juice.=A0 I just don't think you should be encouraging t=
hem to land ON the mics with red mic covers.=A0 Or worse try to feed on you=
r mics.=A0 You can accessorize I suppose, but let the mics be mics.

What I did do was take the center flex joints from several OSP stereo bars =
and that allowed me to basically hang the stereo bar upside down like the t=
op of those telephone / electrical poles.=A0 Just in case any felt inclined=
 to perch, I didn't want them perching on the mics proper.

As far as the fur.=A0 Mines leopard print.=A0 But my mics are small.=A0 Tot=
al girth of the foams and fur is about the thickness of three human thumbs,=
 per mic.=A0 I bought a square yard of the fake fur and still have 75% of i=
t left over.=A0 Even after making 3x layers of fake fur socks for the reall=
y windy days.=A0 Although mainly because I loathe wind noise and my fake fu=
r is only 1/2" at best.=A0 You want something in the 1"+ and fine + soft IM=
O.=A0 1/2" was the longest at hobby lobby at the time that I got mine.=A0 T=
he stress test of sorts is to hold it over your ears and take note of how m=
uch if any difference you notice.=A0 I also tend to use a lot of the velcro=
 cord ties for computer cords and such to cinch up the back side and otherw=
ise pretty up the cable on the stand.=A0 Keeps the cable from smacking the =
stand and otherwise out of the shot if I'm using the camcorder.

Todays test of sorts was because it was a rare day when there was hardly an=
y wind.=A0 Otherwise I would never fly my mics that high outside for that l=
ong unattended.=A0 I probably could have gotten away with just the foams to=
day.=A0 But kept my usual foam + rycote wind jammer + 1x layer of fake fur =
in place.=A0 No takers in the evening, I guess they're more of a morning bi=
rd.=A0 After fully converting the morning tracks, it looks like that one ch=
annel was fine for 9+ minutes, so I guess the batteries had drained lower t=
han I had thought.=A0 They were charged almost a month ago and used for abo=
ut an hour on location.=A0 And NiMH don't normally hold a charge when store=
d.=A0 Especially if left in the device like mine were.=A0 So now I know wha=
t happens when the batteries get too low I guess.

- James


--- On Tue, 8/10/10, hartogj <> wrote:

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