proper mic placement within a blimp...
 

Hi again all,
I finally got a mkh416 (love it) and was wondering about the proper mounting in my Rycote windshield #4 kit (the #4 is the recommended length for the 416)...

Why I ask is - I can mount the mic so that the tip of the mic is near the coupling front end of the blimp (inch and a half from the blimp end), or I can back it up on the Rycote mount, so that there is a good 5-6 inches of airspace between the Rycote's end and the mic.

And, I can fathom there's probably an acoustic/airspace design to maximize the blimp's sound, and on the other hand, I can rationalize that getting the mic closest to the sound source is best...

I presently have the mic end at the front coulpling and it sounds fine, but figured I'd ask the pros...

Thanks all,
Lonnie

Hi Lonnie..........
 

Well, ain't no "pro" (stop laughing at the back there!) but think that if you can keep it (the front end of the mic) pretty close to the join on the front "dome" it's about right, tho' that has to be tempered with access to the power switch on the mic (if it has one - I'm not familiar with that mic).

Too far forward and turning the mic on/ off can be almost impossible (without totally dismanteling the blimp) with Senn ME66/ 67's in their blimps.

In fact, they have to be jammed as far back as possible on my setup to get at that switch.

At the end of the day, a couple of inches either way isn't going to make a huge difference.


CS

thanks Chris,
not only did i get your input, I got humor to boot - Love it!

Yeah, I figured inches may be negligible - but then with
acoustics - inches from the dome shape may mean a lot...

But, until someone tells me otherwise, I agree with you, and
the test in the 7506's (albeit to my untrained ears) sounded
fine.

thanks again,
Lonnie

Glad to be of service...............
 

and hey, why does it all have to be so serious?

CS

I think there's a lot of personal preference and balancing involved. I would agree that ideally the mic tip should be on the border with the front dome, not protruding from the main cylinder. I have a 416/415T with a P48 convertor which I keep on the mic meaning I need a cylinder extension which leads to all sorts of configuration tweaking. I like the fact that I don't have to put a mounting clip over the gills of the 415T, but it annoys me that I need a P48 conversion in the first place. (I have a 302 which can ouput T-power but I just don't trust others to not assume that everything is P48). I think I'd need a whole new zepp if I remove the convertor (must check out that Rycote S series when funds allow .....).

If it sounds good on good cans .... it must be good.