having trouble with handling noise on DIY boom pole

E

egendron

Member
has this happened to anyone else?
I made a shock mount out of 4 rubber bands and PVC pipe...standard design but perhaps a bit small. Inner diameter is 2 & 1/4 inches. Attached that to a ball head which is rigged to a pole I bought at Lowes. Pole is 16 feet long aluminum. (fully extended.) This is the first boom pole I have used. (never owned o even touched a pro boom pole but i understand they also have some degree of handling noise?)
In the past it was always radio mics and lavaliers. worked ok but i want to take it to the next level and I have a wonderful sennheiser me66 shotgun mic mounted in it now.

ok so everything seems to be working but I do get a LOT of handling noise (bumpy sounds) in bkgrnd of my otherwise crisp and stunning test recordings. It's driving me nuts and I'm not sure where to begin looking for the problem?

has this happened to any one else?
can you offer any advice on fixing it? can you tell me what I would expect from a Pro boom pole? this is all very new and as I said, I'm not sure where to begin looking for the weak link.
 
Handling noise is generally transmitted in two ways: via the mic holder (mic clip or shock mount), and via the cable.

The shock mount is your most likely culprit. As much as I'm a big fan of the DIY aesthetic (my MKH816 kit uses a Sennheiser suspension frankensteined into an old-style Rycote windshield), there's more to shock-mount design than meets the eye. For example, most high-end shock mounts actually use silicone bands to absorb vibrations and prevent "twanging." A great deal of R&D goes into shock mount design, and just building something out of plumbing supplies and stationary may be underestimating the coplexity of the issue. However, before writing off your prototype, I'd take a careful look at the cable.

Even a standard 4-point Rycote or Sennheiser suspension can be compromised by a stiff cable carrying vibrations from the pole up into the mic chassis (bypassing the shockmount). To that end, I always use a short and flexible XLR jumper with one end attached to the base of the shock-mount, and the other end pluged into the mic. Try swapping your mic cable with either a thinner (though still propperly shielded) cable, or a cloth-covered cable. If a more flexible cable does the trick, then you need only make yourself a nice short jumper.

It is a common practice to use a high-pass filter to roll off some of the low frequency sounds, which is where much of your handling noise will be found. "Bag"-style portable mixers (SD442, Shure FP-33, PSC Alphamix, etc.) usually have switcheable HPFs around 60-120 Hz. If you're running straight into the camera's preamp, try bringing your test footage into an editing program and rolling off some of the lows.
 
First, everything SMuir said - excellent advice.

I made a shock mount out of 4 rubber bands and PVC pipe...standard design but perhaps a bit small.
Click to expand...
This means less rubber between the ring and the mic - but also consider what kind of rubber. If you're using highly stretched rubber to support the weight of the mic and windscreen you're gonna get "twang".

We also use DIY poles but opted for the K-Tek mounts - they're awesome.

"Bumpy" just sounds more like cable. You might try making a loop between the end of the mic and the pole, then tightly fastening the cable to the pole at the end (we use velcro rip ties).

Cotton gloves and a delicate touch also help.

Best wishes
 
I found that foam pipe insulation for 1" pipe, also found at Home Depot, was
a perfect fit as a hand grip for a painter's pole. Cuts down on handling noise,
and these days has built in adhesive to hold the split together.
 
thanks you'all!!
I'll start by giving a critical eye to the shockmount. It has always struck me as a bit suspect anyhow. will take everyones comments to heart though, and see what my least expensive - most efficient fix is.
-edg
 
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