Fur

GenJerDan

GenJerDan

Veteran
OK. I'm making a zeppelin with a fur cover.

The fur I got is about 4cm long with a definite direction to it , so the question is: which way should the fur go on? If the mic is pointing to the left, should the fur lay
\\\\\\ ?
//////

My thinking is "against" the wind so it traps the air, rather than lets it slide over. Is this correct? Or will that produce too much rustling? To me, having it go "with" the wind would just slick it down resulting in it not really doing much of anything at all.

Or will it matter?

Dan
 
The fur should face into the wind. Think of the sound like something you want to catch... ideally the fibers will stay "open" letting sound in... you don't want them to get matted down.

You want the tips of the fur pointing at the source of the sound.
 
Thanks. That's what I figured. SO nice to be right on occasion.

Now if I can just keep the cats away while I work on it...

Dan
 
Hey Gen Jer Dan,

Could you could post how you built your mic cover when you are done? I'd like to make one of those myself. Thanks.

Marianne
 
Marianne said:
Could you could post how you built your mic cover when you are done? I'd like to make one of those myself. Thanks.
Click to expand...

It'll be ugly, but yeah.

While I'm off documenting that, here are the results, sonically speaking: Azden (2mb)

Note: I didn't adjust the levels when switching to the cover(s), so the volume drops a lot. Silly me. But I guess it's good to know that, too.

But...listen for the low frequency rumble when I switch the fan on. (If you have a sub-woofer, you'll really hear it). Just a knee-high over the cage cuts out a lot of it, but adding the fur on top of that eliminates it, as far as my ears can tell. You can hear the fan running, but not the wind hitting the mic element. :thumbsup:

Dan
 
OK. Here's the skinny, complete with lousy photos and inadequate descriptions:

Started with this plastic mesh, sold to be placed in rain gutters to trap leaves and such:
cage.jpg


Rolled it up and made a cylinder using those plastic zip wire-ties. Added another rain-gutter accessory to cap it. This piece is made to fit at the top of the downspout.
assembled.jpg


Inside, I secured 4 rubber gaskets..just fat rubber bands, really. Again, those wire-ties come in handy:
interior.jpg


Using my amazing sewing skills, I fashioned a big ol' sock made from this material:
fur.jpg


Since I'm using a painter's pole as a boom, I mounted the whole thing on a paint-roller handle. Nice, because I don't have to use the boom...just hand-hold it when the occasion suits:

roller.jpg


A couple hours worth of work, and about $30. But that $30 bought enough material to make 4 or 5 of these...kinda stuck how much/little of anything you can buy at one time. :)

Anyway, that's all I did. Maybe someday I'll make a prettier version. But by then, I'll probably be rich and famous and just buy the real thing.

Dan
 
Gen Jer Dan,

That is cool! Nothing I love better than making what I need myself.

Question: 1 That plastic mesh. Do you have to buy a particular thickness of it?

Question: 2 The Fur. Can you buy Fur that lays directional, or do you "comb" it towards the subject before shooting?

Question: 3 Knee high? You mean Gramma's old knee high? :)

Can't wait to get started on mine! Thanks.

Marianne
 
Marianne said:
Question: 1 That plastic mesh. Do you have to buy a particular thickness of it?

Question: 2 The Fur. Can you buy Fur that lays directional, or do you "comb" it towards the subject before shooting?

Question: 3 Knee high? You mean Gramma's old knee high? :)
Click to expand...

:laugh:

1) I just took what they had. It's about 1/16" thick. A little thinner would be easier to work with, but maybe not stiff enough to hold its shape.

2) This is directional as-is. I had a devil of a time finding any fur or faux fur. I think if you can find some that sticks straight up (and is long enough to trap air effectively), you'd be better off. Barring that, the fur should be end-on to the sound source.

3) Yep. Found a package, 3 pair for a dollar. Well, for a Euro. Close enough.
 
The color is also good for those nature shots. I bet if you really wanted, you might be able disguise it as a squirrel! Good work, it looks nice
 
I came home with it in a plastic bag. My Persian took one look at it, and has behaved herself ever since.

I guess she assumes that's what happens to BAD kitties.

Dan
 
Thanks Dan,

Going to get started on mine right away. I'm lucky though, I don't have Kitty's to worry about. :)

Marianne
 
Thanks for posting test. Nice job putting it together, and very convincing. Living in Florida, I am going to have to import some fake fur.
 
Thanks Dan, great presentation. And something really anybody can do, too. Can't wait to make my own! (this will be a great addition to the DIY section BarryS is setting up.)
 
Hopefully, everyone else will be smarter than I was.

End-cap on. Then tried to put in the forward "shockmount".

My arm just barely fits into a 75mm hole...and when it does, the fingers don't work very well.

And, of course, the sharp edges of the zip ties holding the mesh toegether were all on the inside of the cylinder. Looks like I stuck my arm into a rose bush. :grin:

Dan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top