My Audio Kit Wish List

[Selim Abdullai]

Here is what I would like to get within the next couple of months.

Shotgun Microphone - Audio-Technica AT897

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Boompole - K-Tek KE110CC

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Shockmount - Audio-Technica AT8415 w/ K-Tek Mounts

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Audio Adapter - Beachtek DXA-8

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search


So what do you think? I'll try to find some deals on eBay here and there, so it'll be around $1000. The Beachtek DXA-8 adapter will be going onto my Sony HDR-HC1.


1. How's the boompole? What does it mean when it says "coiled cable?"

2. Is the shockmount any good? Is there a better one for around that price? ($65)

[Jim Feeley]

Originally Posted by Selim Abdullai

1. How's the boompole? What does it mean when it says "coiled cable?"

2. Is the shockmount any good? Is there a better one for around that price? ($65)

The boompole's probably fine. I've owned and used several K-Tek poles and like them. Coiled cable means there's an curly cable (like on a telephone handset) inside the boom pole. So you don't have to hassle with an external cable, but you do have to take (a little) care to keep the cable from slapping around in the pole and making noise...not difficult to avoid the noise, though.

The mount's OK. Check the new K-Tek mounts for competitors...and maybe the old-school PSC shock mount...I'd prefer either of those.

Don't forget some sort of windscreen for the mic if you expect to use it outside. Maybe a Rycote Softie, K-Tek Zep, or Windtech windscreen...

And consider buying from a good location audio dealer. They can often match B&H prices and offer way superior service and advice. That's worth something to me.

My two favorite audio dealers:

Nashville:
http://www.trewaudio.com

LA:
http://www.coffeysound.com


There are other good dealers, of course. But the key thing is for audio, a specialty dealer can be worthwhile...

Good luck,

Jim

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Bear in mind that if you get a pole with an internal cable, you'll need to use the pole at full extension at all times. Otherwise, you run a high risk of noise, since a coiled, compacted cable is just a big antenna waiting to receive something.
I don't find any noise with the KTek's when expanded, unless you're really bouncing the pole.

[Jim Feeley]

Originally Posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle

Bear in mind that if you get a pole with an internal cable, you'll need to use the pole at full extension at all times. Otherwise, you run a high risk of noise, since a coiled, compacted cable is just a big antenna waiting to receive something.

That's a concern, but a minor one in my experience. I use my poles at all sorts of extensions. So long as I'm half-way attentive, I don't have any slap or RF problems...It's not like banging on the top of an old Fender amp <G>. But I keep my cables and poles in decent shape...Oh, and I don't use a pole longer than 12 feet. This may be an issue beyond that length, but I see most really long poles used with external cables...

Maybe I've been lucky, but I spend a fair amount of time with a pole in my hands... I guess if I had a pole mostly collapsed and was literally running after something...

Jim

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

I'd guess you were lucky. Mannfred uses high quality cable inside his booms, but he'll tell you the same thing with his poles; extend them to full length.
I've only experienced this once, but that's all it takes. Once.
I'm not sure how half length and running would induce more or less RF noise?
Maybe I missed the old Fender analogy. There's a difference between a spring reverb gone crazy and a cable inside a boom pole.

[Jim Feeley]

Originally Posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle

I'd guess you were lucky.

Well then I've been lucky for years of mixing...I'm not a full-time mixer, but I get in 15-50 hours/month with a pole...

And at news events, I often see other folks with partially-extended poles...and those are often situations with more RF than we know what to do with.

Originally Posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle

I'm not sure how half length and running would induce more or less RF noise?

Not RF, but cable slap.

Sure, an extended pole is better. But in my work, that's not always an option. So I live with it and haven't really had problems.

Jim

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

One trick I employ to help minimize cable slap or other cable noise movement is to keep a bag of "hair-balls" handy. They're the little balls that young girls wear in their hair so they don't need a rubber band. Perfectly sized for most booms, much easier than velcro, cheap as heck, and when you lay the boom down, they keep the boom off the ground, wall, or object that you might lay the boom against. Very handy for tying off coiled up cables for storage, too.

[Marco Leavitt]

Ah man, I didn't realize how dangerously I've been living. I had seen Mannfred's comment about using internally cabled poles at full extension, but I thought he was talking about cable slap, which has never been a problem. I didn't know he was talking about RF interference. Having to use the pole at full extension would seriously detract from the convenience of an internally coiled boom.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Originally Posted by Marco Leavitt

Ah man, I didn't realize how dangerously I've been living. I had seen Mannfred's comment about using internally cabled poles at full extension, but I thought he was talking about cable slap, which has never been a problem. I didn't know he was talking about RF interference. Having to use the pole at full extension would seriously detract from the convenience of an internally coiled boom.

It's both. Frankly, I've only seen one instance in my life where a cable induced RF, and that was when the cable was fairly tightly wound around an aluminum pole so that the full 25' of the cable could be on the pole, then the XLR taped like a butt plug would more or less be. Therefore, IMO, cable slap is a bigger issue for most users. It's good cable inside, and rather than being the cheapo Quad cable, it's solid, heavy stuff. I'm going on past a year with one of the KTek graphite poles, and it's seen a lot of hard, heavy use, and has been literally flown around the world twice. No troubles at all, and the cable is still tight enough in there to bite your hand when you retract it. It'll last. Never had a bit of cable noise, nor a bit of any other issue. If the ground and pairs inside don't ever break apart, having RF intererence is a very slim issue.