1926

I have one of the Movo WST50 windscreens that I bough to use with a DIY’d Stickless MS mic. Based on some preliminary testing it seems to be highly effective (I’ve not tried it in gale force winds). Well worth the $15 or so that it costs. I can’t compare it directly with a Rycote product. I’ve not tried putting the mic in my Sony blimp but I can find some time this week to do a quick comparison.

1 Like
1927

It’s worth saying, Rycote have been around for a very long time. I recently helped a retired local sound recordist sell a pair of MKH416 and an MKH816, all three had Rycotes with fluffys. I’d guess they were 30+ years old and all three Rycotes were still in great condition. The two points I am making is that (1) they are a purchase for a lifetime of use and (2) they are available secondhand…

I actually prefer the older generation of Rycotes as the old ones used
a small zip on each side to seal the fluffy, whereas now they use a ripcord with tags which if you do not carefully stuff the tags under the fluffy & retighten, they can flap in the wind (= very boring RX work to fix from a recording)

The latest generation of Rycote Nano cages also seem like they were designed with CAD software to be as intricate as possible. Lose one tiny piece of the mount/handle and you won’t have a functioning Rycote at all. They seem like they have prioritised ease of mass production over longevity. YMMV.

5 Likes
1928

how do you find the Stickless mics? I’ve only found a couple examples of them compared against LOM mics and the difference in favor of the LOM to my ears, at least initially for having more presence/richness especially in the low. But to be fair though the Stickless did have a wider/open feel to it, more air, and this still seemed a pretty near field ambience recording and has totally different capsules. Maybe in different situations or for post-processing it would actually work better. In fact maybe this particular example was your video you put up?

The Stickless did sound kind of harsh in the studio examples I heard, but at the price it is by far the cheapest way I’ve seen to get to try out mid/side with field friendly mics. Also am I totally mis-understanding these mics - does the cable they come with split the channels then so you have the sides running to one channel of the recorder and the two mid capsules to another? Or is this not mid side in the conventional way where you can actually mix for balance and width adjustment later?

1929

I’ve not really had a chance to use it much beyond making sure it works (def haven’t posted a video). I’ve been on several trips where I wanted a small single point stereo mic I could drop into a crevice or set close to a blow hole and not worry if it got destroyed. So, the Stickless is going to be that mic; sonic perfection isn’t a prerequisite.

The two capsules are wired directly to the mini-XLR connector, so it outputs the capsules signals as undecoded mid and side. The cable is mini-XLR to TRS; the mid signal is routed to the tip of the TRS plug and the side signal to its ring. These need to be decoded either in post or in the recorder/mixer. The two capsules also don’t output the same level. So, monitoring is fun if your small recorder doesn’t decode M/S, which most don’t. Oh, and its sensitive to the slightest of air currents as well as handling noise. It’s a fun DIY project, but it has all the downsides you’d expect at its price point.

1 Like
1930

ok while I’ll probably still have to get a pair of these just because… if these were patches :fire:

1931

Maybe interesting new stereo parabolic mic rig:
Dodotronic Hi-Sound DR:
https://www.dodotronic.com/product/hi-sound-dr/

6 Likes
1932

interesting

been having a good time using the wildtronics one - Wildtronics LLC | Pro Mono-Stereo Parabolic Microphone

not 100% sure what we’re looking at in the dodotronic link - almost like two parabolic shapes in stereo…

1 Like
1934

I saw they had a kickstarter going for a compact version targeted at the video market.
Kind of tempting
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dodotronic/hi-sound-compact-a-new-sound-to-your-video

8 Likes
1935

I picked this up last year. Such an inspiring read. Made me want to drop everything and become a full-time field-recordist

1 Like
1937

Received my Geofon today, any users here that can share tips on best practices and general use?

1 Like
1938

the Geofón can output a good amount of energy in the lows, so be careful if monitoring unfiltered.
Also on my copy the cable is on the stiffer side and can be a source of microphonic interferences (it picks up wind easily), so take that into account when setting up. It is kind of specialized and i tend to use it in planned contexts with subsequent DSP manipulation in mind. Can also be a good source of control signals.

Anyways, i guess the main rule is to experiment.

3 Likes
1939

Thanks! That’s all very helpful.
First tests have been feedbacking with the subwoofer and heartbeat monitoring.
I’ll test attaching a resonator to different surfaces and capture with Geofón. Fun times ahead!

1940

I went poking around for an H5 shock mount and stumbled upon this incredible demo lol

3 Likes
1941

I just bought a Geofon and recorded rain drops falling on a metal surface. I like how busy the background sounds.

4 Likes
1942

Is there an auto pan in there? I was expecting dead mono. Nice!

1943

Yeah, there is a basic lfo on panning whose speed is modulated by an envelope follower. Reaper is quite good for this kind of stuff.

2 Likes
1944

How can you make an envelopefollower in reaper? Pls halp.
Thats the one function i always want better never know how to achieve

1 Like
1945

“JS Loudness Meter” has an option “Output loudness values as automation” when you click the ? in its GUI.

2 Likes
1946

It is quite simple. Open the parameter modulation window by clicking on the “param” button. Check the “Audio control signal (sidechain)”. Then you can choose the input channel, adjust attack, release…etc.

3 Likes
1947

I was just looking through the Sony Design Gallery, which got me thinking about the Sony DC-T5 and how it’s a beautiful piece of gear that makes me want to buy it, go out into the field, and start recording with it.

I have a Zoom H6, but don’t feel the same urge to go out and record with it. To me it looks and feels too utilitarian. I was wondering if there was a modern equivalent of the Sony field recorder that wasn’t just a functional tool, but also had a beautiful and compelling design that makes you want capture sound.

5 Likes