What's a great Mic Blimp that's not the size of the Hindenburg?

[GaryNattrass]

Apart from sports sound effects I haven't used a blimp for many years as having a softie or a radio mic makes it far easier to argue with production that we need to find a better location.

Current kit includes a rode PG2 and a WS6 softie for my AT875r mics.

[DPStewart]

The Rode blimp isn't abnormally large. You need a good amount of dead air around the mic. That's why zeppelins are the way they are, and there are larger ones out there. If it's distracting to talent and/or crew, then those people aren't professional. Full on zeppelins get used all the time on all kinds of projects without being a distraction to professionals. If you are doing exteriors in moderate to high wind, then you definitely need a full zeppelin. A slip on furry windscreen will do ok in low to no wind situations.

Actually the RODE has a significantly larger diameter than both the Rycote and the Sennheiser.

I did some more asking around and I found out that IT IS the Sennheiser that I see so often. Not surprising I suppose when we consider how often one or two models of something in film audio can really dominate everywhere.

Now, of course I'm not saying that the RODE is so big that people can't work around it. I just am willing to spend a small amount of money to get a blimp like the Sennheiser that is less visually distracting...because there are already enough visual distractions on any kind of setting.

I think a "Softie" will be great for many instances. I really wasn't very aware of them before. I thought they were only a fur cover - but there's more happening inside there than just that.

I also found a cheap-o Chinese blimp that is closer to the Sennheiser in size and color, but the internal mic-mount sucks...but it's so cheap I might just get one and mod the blimp to fit on the Rycote mic mount that the RODE came with.
...or one of you guys could donate a Sennheiser blimp if you're in the mood. I totally wouldn't stand in your way if that's what you want to do.

[OzGizmo]

As a suggestion is get a Rycote 'softie', they are slightly better than the Rode 'softie', It won't cost you a fortune give it a try it may suits your needs rather than commit to a full blimp.

[GaryNattrass]

I had a cheap blimp from china and it was very poor quality with cheap plastic mounts etc, get a decent softie such as the Rycote as I think it may be a better investment.

[davefisk]

Actually the RODE has a significantly larger diameter than both the Rycote and the Sennheiser.

It is larger, but not so much so that it would make it unusable or distracting to any production professional. As was stated earlier, the more dead air around the mic the better off you are. I don't think significantly is the correct word. I have all three of the zeppelins you mention.

All manufacturers have their reasons for why they do what they do, and believe it or not, cost of making something a certain size definitely plays into things. As was also said, there are larger setups out there.

Avoid using cheap knock off products from China that don't go through the rigorous quality control standards that our usual manufacturers provide. In the production audio world, you really do get what you pay for, and it's when you cheap out on gear that you learn to appreciate what real professional manufacturers do and why things cost what they do.

If you can't afford to buy the proper zeppelin, you can always rent one for when you really need it (it isn't always needed) or you can hire an audio professional that already has the proper equipment. I've been at this long enough to know that no matter what, you'll be paying for it in the end in one way or another. It's just a matter of where you want your money to go.

[Rick R]

You coluld get a Rycote Softie with the optional Windjammer over-cover, but it's still only adequate for 'breezy' conditions. Olsen/Windtech also make the BigGun foam with a furry 'windjammer' type over-cover, but it's still no substitute for a quality Zeppelin.
Yes, stay away from the cheap sh_t.

[DPStewart]

It is larger, but not so much so that it would make it unusable or distracting to any production professional. As was stated earlier, the more dead air around the mic the better off you are. I don't think significantly is the correct word. I have all three of the zeppelins you mention.

All manufacturers have their reasons for why they do what they do, and believe it or not, cost of making something a certain size definitely plays into things. As was also said, there are larger setups out there.

Avoid using cheap knock off products from China that don't go through the rigorous quality control standards that our usual manufacturers provide. In the production audio world, you really do get what you pay for, and it's when you cheap out on gear that you learn to appreciate what real professional manufacturers do and why things cost what they do.

If you can't afford to buy the proper zeppelin, you can always rent one for when you really need it (it isn't always needed) or you can hire an audio professional that already has the proper equipment. I've been at this long enough to know that no matter what, you'll be paying for it in the end in one way or another. It's just a matter of where you want your money to go.

Well, as I said in the first post, I already have the RODE blimp.

I shoot everything from live events to documentary to corporate to the occasional short narrative. I'm not saying the RODE blimp like, scares people away or they freeze up or anything bizarre like that. I'm just saying the industry standard Sennheiser blimp "looks to the people's eye" to be much smaller and thus it draws their attention away less, it startles them less, and it distracts them less.
I was just hoping to not have to spend a thousand dollars on a new blimp.

The RODE has a bigger diameter and is lighter in color and has that honeycomb "high-techno" look to it. It's external visual appearance is the OPPOSITE of "inconspicuous" or "unobtrusive" or "low-key" or "subtle" or "not screaming for attention" or whatever adjectives one can use to describe the difference between something subtle and a Flash Gordon space ship.

Obviously the smaller diameter of the industry standard Sennheiser is good enough to perform the task it's designed for.
And I'm gonna go way out on a crazy-person limb here and take a wild guess that Sennheiser could make their blimps any color in the world they might choose to - yet they all come in black. I wonder why that is? Why on Earth would they not choose some awesome hi-tech J.J. Abrams external appearance? Maybe because it's freakin' distracting.

People seemed to misinterpret my use of the phrase "BTS" or "behind the scenes" footage.
I don't mean some promo commercial piece that the Film's P.R. company puts together to send to Entertainment Tonight or whatever... I mean any on-set pictures or video that has ever been made during the actual production of any movie. The blimps are all significantly smaller (narrower) than this RODE blimp and they are always black or near-black in color. I just want one of those. That's all I want. SO I guess I'll just be trolling the production companies waiting for them to sell off one or two.
This RODE blimp looks like it was intentionally designed to make shoppers at Guitar Center go: "Oooh bitchin'! Look at this big bad-ass futuristic hi-tech looking thing...it MUST be good 'cause it looks like it came out of a Star Trek movie!" Much like the clown-show Large Diaphragm Studio Vocal Mics that have proliferated in recent years. Big giant RIDICULOUS over-decorated housings for barely average mics. All designed to make the buyer go "Oooooh....".

If I could just detach the inner foam, spray paint the whole thing matte black, and re-attach the inner foam - even that would be better. But of course that's not possible.

Again - for anyone following along - the RODE blimp WORKS just fine. It does it's job admirably. I'm just saying it's appearance causes SMALL problems that shouldn't even be happening in the first place. It's the same reason you don't have your boom-operator person wearing paisley Prince outfits nor wearing their guns on their belt. It's frikkin' distracting and inappropriate.

[TheDingo]

Is there any chance that you're referring to the Rycote Universal Camera Kit "Mini Blimp" ?

rycote-universal-camera-kit-18cm_2.jpg

[OldCorpse]

TheDingo, that's the Miniscreen:

Rycote Miniscreen Push-On Windscreen

However, as you can see, it is no longer available - it was in the market for a relatively short time, so I doubt there are many out there (I personally have never seen one), and don't think anyone would have an impression that they're very common, bwdik.

[davefisk]

DPStewart,

You may want to check out the consignment pages of companies like Trew Audio, Location Sound Corporation, Professional Sound Services, Gotham Sound, and Second City Sound. Here's something I found on Pro-Sound's site:
http://www.pro-sound.com/p/used-zepp...4-250each.html

From my time working in rental departments, usually it is Rycote that they have because they are more durable than the Sennheiser. I remember the Sennheiser end caps would always get crushed when in Pelican cases with a bunch of other gear and they were expensive to replace, so we phased out the Sennheiser zepps and went with all Rycote.

Anyway, you can look at their sites and see what they have on consignment, and even call and see if they have the Sennheiser available on consignment. I always really liked the fur on the Sennheiser zeppelins as it is nice and long and does a good job of wind diffusion. You'll be bound to find something, and the pricing looks pretty good.

[Noiz2]

If this is what you want why not just buy it?
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MZW60-1
Though it's about the same length.

I really fail to see your problem with the Rode zeppelin but if you want it black go get a pack of RIT dye at your local grocery store and mix it up with some warm water and soak the thing in it till it's as dark as you want it. This is what is commonly done to tint sunglass lenses so I'm sure it will work fine on the Rode plastic.

BTW Rycote is the industry standard not Sennheiser. Now you can want what you want and I really don't have a problem with that but when, well really everybody but one company whi is a minor player in the zeppelin biz go with a color palate you can't really get too worked up about how crazy and distracting it is since obviously the vast number of users over the years have not had this problem.

So it kind of then rolls to personal preference, which is certainly legit for you as an individual.

ALL of the footage and stills you see from a big production came through the marketing department. I have worked on a number of BTS videos and I have worked on a number of films that had BTS stuff generated about them. Somewhere between 50% and 99% of what gets conveyed as "reality" is BS.

Personally I have never seen a black dead-cat in actual use. I'm sure there are ones in use all over the place but I have never seen one actually on a set. It could be a geographical thing, maybe the US doesn't and Germany does? But I have seen a fair number of sets and I personally have never seen one in use.

So what you want is the exception not the rule, and that means you will probably have to work a bit harder to get it.

Also it should make no difference at all what color the plastic is once you put the fake fur on it. Which is what you were originally talking about. But both should take RIT dye well.

[Rick R]

My Olsen/Windtech MM-302 Mic-Muff (for my rarely used AT4071a) is black and measures aprox. 120mm in diameter with the BG2 inner foam windscreen. As I stated, it's not a substitute for a Zep.

WT MM-302.jpg

[DPStewart]

DPStewart,

You may want to check out the consignment pages of companies like Trew Audio, Location Sound Corporation, Professional Sound Services, Gotham Sound, and Second City Sound. Here's something I found on Pro-Sound's site:
http://www.pro-sound.com/p/used-zepp...4-250each.html

From my time working in rental departments, usually it is Rycote that they have because they are more durable than the Sennheiser. I remember the Sennheiser end caps would always get crushed when in Pelican cases with a bunch of other gear and they were expensive to replace, so we phased out the Sennheiser zepps and went with all Rycote.

Anyway, you can look at their sites and see what they have on consignment, and even call and see if they have the Sennheiser available on consignment. I always really liked the fur on the Sennheiser zeppelins as it is nice and long and does a good job of wind diffusion. You'll be bound to find something, and the pricing looks pretty good.

Dave - VERY helpful!
Yeah, this is where I need to be getting affordable solutions from.

Thanks mate.

[davefisk]

Dave - VERY helpful!
Yeah, this is where I need to be getting affordable solutions from.

Thanks mate.

No problem, man. The places I listed always have equipment on consignment, so if you want some higher end gear but are on a budget always check them out. They give all the gear a once over to make sure everything is in working order, and they usually have some sort of return policy (but double check that) on the used gear should something not work out for you. It's a good way to get high quality equipment without breaking the bank, especially for those just starting out.