mic position inside blimp

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doubledark

Well-known member
Hi all
have been given a Sennheiser ME67 microphone.

When I position the mic in the Rode blimp; the mic tip is just a fraction back from the tip of the dome.

Is this OK or will I run into problems?
 
Part of what makes the blimp design effective is the air space between the screen and the mic, which should be roughly equidistant around the mic.
 
As long as it doesn't hit the screen when you move it quickly, it's fine. Mine is also a tight fit, and if I shake mine vigorously fore and aft, I can just make contact!
 
paulears said:
As long as it doesn't hit the screen when you move it quickly, it's fine. Mine is also a tight fit, and if I shake mine vigorously fore and aft, I can just make contact!
Click to expand...

That isn't quite right Paul. Alex is correct, though equidistance isn't critical: it can be further back, though, obviously, this increases booming distance.

While the OP may get away with it depending on the wind, the key element in blimp/windshield design is the distance of the mic capsule from the edge/surface of the blimp: the wind attenuation is directly related to this distance (by the cube power) and, thus, you always have to be careful with mic placement inside a blimp. You might think that with a shotgun mic - with the capsule away from the tip of the mic (as David notes above) - the OP's set up is not problematic, but experience says that it can be. Much more significantly, note that Chris Woolf (Rycote's technical consultant) recommends that the front of shotgun mics too shouldn't go into the front cap part of a blimp: he has written many useful things about windshields on the internet, and in more formal publications, but here for example is a video of Chris showing setup of a mic - https://vimeo.com/159909952 (look at the video around 40 secs in, where he specifically refers to the position of the front of the shotgun mic).

This is why longer blimps/windshields are recommended for the ME67 by the manufacturer and by Rycote. Rode make a blimp extension, but this seems rather too long (and heavy) for the OP's needs. As the Rode blimp is only slightly too short, if you are currently using a standard XLR connector for the mic I suggest you try a really short (aka low-profile) xlr connector to allow the mic to move slightly further back: the rear of the mic/xlr can be as near the back of the blimp as possible as long as it doesn't knock it.

Cheers,

Roland
 
thanks all for your responses!

I'll do some tests and see if I can get away with the current setup; otherwise as mentioned above, the extension is massive compared to what I actually need.

Plus, it means a new carry case :( if I buy the extension.
 
If you don't already use one a right angle XLR plug can buy you a few inches inside the Zep. And it's cheaper than an extension.
 
A different take: A Sennheiser ME67 is REALLY LONG and REALLY DIRECTIONAL. In my mind, it's a specialty mic along lines of a MKH-70 and takes some skill to successfully wield. You got it free and it --might-- be handy in a few situations (say, if you're making nature films and need to capture the sounds of a dingo at babie-are-safe-from-being-eaten range)... but think if it's something you'll hook up much. Me, I wouldn't so I'd spend as little as possible getting the ME67 rigged.

But I'll guess yours came with a K6 and K6P powering module (i.e.- the preamp with the XLR connector, etc). Since you got this for free, maybe consider getting a shorter capsule to go with your K6. I like the ME64 hyper(ish) cardioid ME 64 capsule fairly well...it's been a while since I've heard one, but it seemed pretty decent for the time/price. I'm not a big fan of the ME66 supercardioid/short-shotgun capsule; lots of people still use them but I find them a bit harsh. I briefly owned one over 15 years ago...sold it.

Sorry I'm being so pedantic.
 
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Noiz2 said:
If you don't already use one a right angle XLR plug can buy you a few inches inside the Zep. And it's cheaper than an extension.
Click to expand...

As indeed I suggested above, Scott! The low-profile XLR connectors (which are right angle) save more space than a standard right-angle XLR connector. I certainly wouldn't recommend the Rode extension - unnecessary length and weight (and expense) for this mic.

Cheers,

Roland
 
I hadn't heard the term low profile XLR, so didn't realize we were talking about essentially the same thing!

So now two votes for right angle connectors. They shave off more than you would think because they are shorter and you don't have the cable adding to the length.
 
Jim, I pretty much reached the same conclusion as you.....I'm not likely to use this mic very much so I'm going to give the extension a miss.

Fitting a low profile XLR connector may be an option I'll consider down the track.

I also have the ME66+K6 (the ME67 has the K6P) and a AT-875R so I'm not sure that I'll get the ME64.

Something like the Rode NTG-3 might be a better purchase (if the need arises)
 
If I remember these extension tubes tend not to work very well. AKG did one of the 451 range and it was pretty dreadful as I recall this one was too.

A long shotgun still has it's uses but a second hand sennheiser 816 etc or a rode is designed to do the job perfectly.
 
Noiz2 said:
I hadn't heard the term low profile XLR, so didn't realize we were talking about essentially the same thing!

So now two votes for right angle connectors. They shave off more than you would think because they are shorter and you don't have the cable adding to the length.
Click to expand...

A low profile XLR connector is more than just a right angle XLR, they're not necessarily the same thing. As a low profile is even thinner.
 
Originally Posted by paulears
As long as it doesn't hit the screen when you move it quickly, it's fine. Mine is also a tight fit, and if I shake mine vigorously fore and aft, I can just make contact!

That isn't quite right Paul. Alex is correct, though equidistance isn't critical: it can be further back, though, obviously, this increases booming distance.
Click to expand...

I don't quite understand your reasoning here?

When you put brand X into brand Z, lack of space is common. In the past, I've resorted to removing the cable gland from a Neutrik female, and using epoxy to allow the thin cable I use to the outside to emerge from the side, and shorten the XLR by enough to get the end cap on! Keeping in mind the capsule is always near the centre, the critical thing that messes up performance is mechanical noise from the mic hitting the front or rear of the housing. My placement is entirely down to fitting a too long mic into a too short housing, and when placed properly, they work fine.

Of course, the right housing for the right mic is always best - but Rycotes are always found containing 'the wrong mics' - If you need to put an alternate mic inside, then simple steps work.
 
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paulears said:
I don't quite understand your reasoning here?
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I think this is addressing my point: as I said, the OP may well be fine using a shotgun mic that is right up near the front of the Rode blimp, assuming that it doesn't knock it. But a mic won't give the same attenuation of wind noise as if it was set back to the rear of the front cap, for the reasons set out in my first post (and for more on this, as I said, read more from an expert such as Chris Woolf).

This may seem slightly odd with a shotgun, with its long interference tube meaning that the capsule is well away from the front of the blimp. If you test a shotgun, though, it is obvious that the inverse-square law doesn't apply as you might think it does: the signal falls away very quickly in the first few centimetres from the tip of the shotgun, not as much as a cardioid or hypercardioid placed similarly close to a sound source, but much more so than a cardioid or hypercardioid with its capsule placed back where that of the shotgun mic is located. I have just checked this using lower frequencies (40, 50 and 60hz) and this is much more evident than with higher frequencies: given that wind energy is so heavily skewed to the low frequencies this is particularly interesting. So the signal from a sound source very close to the tip of a shotgun mic (say 5-10mm) will be much louder than, say, 40mm distance: this is very relevant to the attenuation of the low frequency wind noise where it hits the surface of the windshield/blimp. The other possible source of wind noise for a mic in a windshield is residual wind that permeates the windshield: I am not sure how significant this is - if at all - as it is hard to test (though the better performance of omni mics in blimps in higher wind may suggest it is a factor). If it is a factor, it is worth noting that the front of a shotgun mic is just as sensitive to wind noise as the front of a mic (say a hypercardioid) with the capsule located at the front of the mic.

Other mic set ups that can mean wind noise attenuation of a windshield is reduced include squeezing LDCs and stereo pairs (e.g. ORTF) into standard shotgun blimps, where mics again can end up a few millimeters from the tube of the blimp/windshield.

The low-profile XLR connector (which is right angled), whether DIY as you describe or a commercial version (more easily available now, and very useful for sound bags), is, as I keep saying, a very cheap and easy solution for the OP to be able to get the full wind noise attenuation of the Rode blimp with the particular (slightly too long) shotgun.

Cheers,

Roland
 
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IronFilm said:
A low profile XLR connector is more than just a right angle XLR, they're not necessarily the same thing. As a low profile is even thinner.
Click to expand...

Exactly, David: the additional space saving is why I suggested them over a regular right-angled XLRs. They are also lighter, which is never to be sniffed at when dealing with weight at the end of a boom pole. For those who haven't come across them, here are a few examples of what we are talking about:

http://www.studiocare.com/cable-techniques-low-profile-male-xlr-connector.html
http://ambient.de/en/product/low-profile-xlr-and-ta-mini-xlr-connectors/
http://locationsoundcables.com/?page_id=11

Cheers,

Roland
 
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