Issues with Oktava MK12/K-tek KSSM combos

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Danny1280

Well-known member
I've just purchased the recommended combination for interior booming:
• Oktava MK012 hypercardiod
• K-tek KSSM Shock mount
• Rycote BBG and fur
• K-tek avalon boom with internal chord

Two concerns:
1. handling noise. I heard this was a problem, but even with all the proper shock mounts/wind protection, it seems any tiny touch on the boom pole is audible.
2. Rattling noise. If I move the boom too quickly, something in the shock/BBG setup makes an audible rattling noise. This is the kind of movement of getting the mic from one person to another.
3. Gain. I seem to not get quite enough gain. I'm using phantom power from my HMC150 camera, and wondering if it's enough. Would like the ability to have the mic be a bit hotter in certain situations.

So, with the noise situation, is that normal? Do I just need to learn how to handle the boom more carefully? Or is it something with the combination of shocks/mic/bbg?

And with the gain, is that something I need to be concerned with?

Thanks much,
Dan
 
With handling noise, does your camera have a low-frequency roll-off? That may help.

On gain, I'm not very familiar with that specific camera, but most camera's I've seen don't have very strong pre-amps for mics. If you want to upgrade, you might consider something like a Sound Devices MixPre-D to run the mic into, then run a line level signal to camera.
 
Not too sure about the 3rd q. Depending on the camera etc...

Heres my 2 pence worth.

Booming with a Oktava:

Step one, never hand boom with an Oktava. lol
Step two, ditch the KSSM. The things simply too hard. Get an invision7
Step three, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use a low cut for serious swinging with the oktava.

Just my opinion.
 
I have used the same setup except with the DVX and HPX170 Panny Cams.

Dave Fisk could probably verify this, but K-Tek has two different rubber elements for the KSSM, one is somewhat softer than the other. The softer of the two, if you don't have it, will help. The internal cable boom pole will make more noise if not fully extended, but even then, needs a light touch. The cable is probably the rattling noise. The Oktava needs a light touch also, so practice, practice. Going direct to cam, you have no low cut, so you have to move SLOW. Are you using the BBG all the time? You should be. In my somewhat limited experience, feeding direct to a Panny cam should work ok regarding gain. How close are you getting the mic to the talent? Should be 24" max. Is the cam set to mic in? (not line in) Is there any chance the 10db pad is installed on the Oktava? Either would make a huge difference. There have been some concerns about the audio section on the HMC150, but most of those comments have revolved around clipping at high SPLs. Pro audio folks would say recording to a cam like this is marginal, but the gain performance of most of the Panny cams hasn't been a big issue, and for basic dialogue should work ok. No doubt using a mix-pre or other mixer would be a nice improvement.

Grant
 
Thanks ggrantly for the benefit of your experience. After changing the gain to -50db on the camera from -60db, I seem to be getting plenty of signal. And, no, the -10db pad is not installed.

I'll look into the softer shock option. I hear all the pros advising for the mixer, and I'm sure it's an improvement. Unfortunately I'm already pushing the budget with what I've got. And, yes, I'm using the BBG with fur for everything.

On another forum someone suggested the Rycote NV7 shockmount. The handling noise really is sooo sensitive. I'm sure I'll get better with practice, but I doubt I'll be able to get rid of it completely. I'm hoping the shock mount change might help. I still have time to return everything since I just bought it. So I could return for a different shock mount. And I still have time to return for a different mic as well. Thoughts anyone?
 
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AT4053b. Less than $200 more, and well worth the difference IMHO. But, there are no magic bullets for this type of mic.....practice.

Grant
 
Hey All,

We do make a softer rubber for the KSM and KSSM sockmounts. Unfortunately it's not that widely known.

In terms of the handling noise of the internal cable, it does take some finesse and practice to avoid that, as is the case with any internally coiled cabled pole.
 
davefisk said:
In terms of the handling noise of the internal cable, it does take some finesse and practice to avoid that, as is the case with any internally coiled cabled pole.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: Being a boom-op is more than just being a glorified mic stand. There is a lot of technique involved to move the pole around without causing unwanted cable/hand noise. And it takes practice, as Dave said.
 
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I have problem with my oktava as well, it's the hum comes from the boom tube. I have the rycote ball and shock mount. But still.... I gave up using it for booming. Only interview with stand and boom-mate. A bit waste in my own opinion. I could save more , and get a more expensive mic for interior conversation. Booming a moving subject is hard enough, I have to think of handling noise in the way, I can't even move my figure on the boom. It's a bit hard for any shoot I believe.
 
Hiro Nakamura said:
I have problem with my oktava as well, it's the hum comes from the boom tube. I have the rycote ball and shock mount. But still.... I gave up using it for booming. Only interview with stand and boom-mate. A bit waste in my own opinion. I could save more , and get a more expensive mic for interior conversation. Booming a moving subject is hard enough, I have to think of handling noise in the way, I can't even move my figure on the boom. It's a bit hard for any shoot I believe.
Click to expand...

Yes, but it works great if they're firing blanks on-set and you don't want to risk your nicer mics :beer:
 
I also suspect the internal cable is your rattle. The Oktava is very sensitive to handling nose so you do need to practice. One thing that might help is gloves. A lot of folks like riding gloves, I hound bicycle gloves generally better for me since I'm often a one man band (I'm generally only doing production on pretty low budget shoots). They will keep your hands from sticking to the pole and cut down in general on handling noise. Another thing that might help is to use a cable tie to lock a nice loop at the top of the pole. It will keep a bit of the cable noise from traveling up to the mic, though an internal cable probably doesn't have that much so?

Also low roll of will help a lot. If the camera doesn't have one you may want to look into the one build for the Oktava. I think you can get them at The Sound Room.
 
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