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anonymous 18 October 2004

I didnt want to put this post in the buget forum because, cost is not the option. Only quality.
With that said...What are some of the best mic stands out there?
Mine keep falling apart. :evil:

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sdevino Mon, 10/18/2004 - 19:49

For what kind of application?

The German made stands that sell for about $60 ea under the names AKG, Beyer and other are great for general purpose use.

For big overhead stands you will get into debates. I recently purchased an Air stand by clicking on the ad that's always popping up on RO for this app. Its been very good so far. Its actually a video stand adapted for audio.

There are others but I haven't tried them yet.

Steve

anonymous Mon, 10/18/2004 - 20:16

I have a few that have the Sennheiser logo on them and are stamped that they were made in Germany. Very sturdy and stable. Steve's correct, they retail for around $60.00 bucks and include the booms (or at least mine did). I'll probably be getting a few more in the near future. I've never seen them at any of the usual online gear pimps, but then I haven't really looked very hard either since I typically buy mine from a local authorized dealer.

Guest Tue, 10/19/2004 - 06:46

There is a company called "Latchlake Music" that has designed a stand that has the "doesn't move for love or money" aspects of a Starbird, for like $750 USD. They also have boom arms that when clamped down might as well be welded into place.

They are fucking awesome!!

I don't know how much the booms are going to go for, but we have several at our joint and couldn't imagine doing a session without them. We only have one of the big ones... but that will indeed change before the end of the year.

FifthCircle Tue, 10/19/2004 - 11:39

I'll second Fletcher's recommendation... The Latchlake stands are the first stands to come along in a long time that are a new concept and works... The amount of weight that could be hung off of them and still maintain their stability is pretty unreal. Add to that the fact that the base is indestructible and you have a hell of a product.

I don't use them here because I do location work and I would hate to carry those any distance but if I had a studio, they would certainly be in there.

--Ben

FifthCircle Tue, 10/19/2004 - 15:41

Bogen 3076, aka the "highboy" goes up 17 feet weighs roughly 5 lbs.

Basically any photographic light stand will work. I have 2 of the bogens here and 4 talon stands with airshocks which go up about 13 or 14 feet. They are a bit heavier- perhaps 8 lbs or so.

You'll need to adapt the threads to make the work with standard mic mounts, but that is easy enough to do.

--Ben

anonymous Wed, 10/20/2004 - 10:58

750$$?????!!!!!
I mean I've heard of expensive mics, expensive pre's, etc....But a stand for 750$ is crazy!! Why do they even cost that much. And who has the budget to have mic stands that good. That'S an 8000$ budget if you want 10 stands!!!!! Buy good preamps or mics with that money!! I'm stunned :shock:

John Stafford Wed, 10/20/2004 - 23:13

Thank you Zemlin and Ben for your suggestions.

I'm not too sure yet about the height I need. I'll be recording a choir in a church, and they'll be standing on the altar steps. If 13' isn't high enough I could probably put the stands on a table.

The Bogen sounds cool, and the weight is good too. I intend to put a Decca-Tree mount on top so I need stability with Three heavy mics up at full height. I suppose there are some trade-offs to be considered.

Thank you both again very much for my suggestions, and I'll look into both.

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply.
John Stafford

FifthCircle Wed, 10/20/2004 - 23:24

If you're going with a decca tree on top of any of these stands, I would suggest bringing 3 stands out and doing it that way. It isn't worth having mics fall 10 or 15 feet to a floor.

The Bogen stands are great, but I've never put more than a couple UM 57's on a stereo bar on a single stand. With the 3076, I only put small-diaphragm mics on top. By the time you get that high, just about any stand is going to be unstable.

I would also consider bringing sand bags with any tall stand to keep people from knocking them over by accidentally tripping on them or a cable.

--Ben

John Stafford Fri, 10/22/2004 - 22:24

Thanks Ben for the advice, and I'd feel more secure with three stands as you suggest, as I know some idiot (probably me!) is going to knock the lot over. I hadn't thought about sand-bags, but it's a great idea. Now, I'm going to get even more grief about blocking the view of the audience! --but if they want it to sound good...

Thanks again,
John Stafford

FifthCircle Fri, 10/22/2004 - 22:43

I tell my clients that they can have a recording that looks good or sounds good. If they choose looks, I get a check up front and I don't take responsibility for how it sounds. If they are hiring me to get the best sound possible, they need to work with me.

Obviously, I do everything I can to make it sound good, but there are limits. The diva that bitches about the mic stand and wants the mic at the edge of the stage (because then people can't see her dress) isn't alowed to complain.

In auditoriums where possible, the client also has the option of paying me to hang the mics. If they want that, though, it is extra as it can be a royal pain in the arse...

--Ben

John Stafford Sat, 10/23/2004 - 23:57

It's their money, so I'll obey their command and hand them a crappy recording if necessary. When they realise that the coughs of the audience are as loud as the choir they'll know better next time!

BTW is there a way to hang mics in a church where there's nothing overheard to hang them from? I did consider high stands with very long booms, but I'd be afraid the whole thing would come crashing down, and they'd probably sway as well.

Sorry for bombarding you with these questions!

Thanks!
John Stafford

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