I made my own Boom Buddy out of aluminum and used moleskin for the same purpose.
What’s in your sound package?
- Thread starter Alex H.
- Start date
I made my own Boom Buddy out of aluminum and used moleskin for the same purpose.
Run&Gun
Veteran
I was thinking about thin moleskin, but I couldn’t find any in black.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Moleskin
Ya, Trew Audio, Gotham Sound, Filmtools, and the rest have black moleskin. I've tried some generic moleskins and found them not sticky enough, not dense enough, etc. There are probably good third-party brands, but I'm fine paying a little extra to my audio dealers to get stuff that works. Such as URSA Tape strips...Several colors, a couple sizes, avail at the usual places
https://ursastraps.com/product/ursa-tape/
Boom holders
I have a Boom Buddy, but it wasn't working for me. Either user error, or my K-Tek poles are too thick, or just stubbornness on my part. I also have a Remote Audio holder, which is like a fishing-poll holder, but strikes me as better made (and treadless)...at least, it's stood up to the abuse I give it. And I've used Cardellini clamps in a pinch. But my main holder is a Boom Mate. Simple, reliable, etc. https://www.trewaudio.com/product/boom-mate/
Ya, Trew Audio, Gotham Sound, Filmtools, and the rest have black moleskin. I've tried some generic moleskins and found them not sticky enough, not dense enough, etc. There are probably good third-party brands, but I'm fine paying a little extra to my audio dealers to get stuff that works. Such as URSA Tape strips...Several colors, a couple sizes, avail at the usual places
https://ursastraps.com/product/ursa-tape/
Boom holders
I have a Boom Buddy, but it wasn't working for me. Either user error, or my K-Tek poles are too thick, or just stubbornness on my part. I also have a Remote Audio holder, which is like a fishing-poll holder, but strikes me as better made (and treadless)...at least, it's stood up to the abuse I give it. And I've used Cardellini clamps in a pinch. But my main holder is a Boom Mate. Simple, reliable, etc. https://www.trewaudio.com/product/boom-mate/
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Nah, my K-Tek poles are all older; I'd guess like the current "Klassic" line. I've rebuilt them a couple times because of excessive days in wind, dust, and sand, but they're still working. BTW- nice to hear their newer poles have bigger diameters. Mine K-Tek's are fine (esp compared to the old narrow LTMs), but I'd like something bigger... Like the old VdB poles (IIRC...some older brand like that).
I'll have to dig out my old Boom Buddy and think about what didn't click with me. Cool that it's working for other people.
I'll have to dig out my old Boom Buddy and think about what didn't click with me. Cool that it's working for other people.
Run&Gun
Veteran
I briefly played with the new version("Mighty Boom") of my pole at Trew back at the beginning of the year when I was in Nashville on a shoot. It's a BEAST. With no mic or suspension, it felt as heavy as my old Klassic with suspension, mic and windscreen. I brought it in and laid them side-by-side.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Ugly but cool!
I've wanted, and I probably still want, a K-Tek Boom Cradle. $150US, probably won't easily fit the new K-Tek poles (thanks for the pix R&G), but might make me wig out a bit less when I need to REALLY extend a carbon pole for some oddball interview setup.
https://www.gothamsound.com/product/boom-cradle
ahalpert
Major Contributor
What are people's favorite ways of hiding lavs under a shirt? When I OMB, the weak link in my audio chain has always been getting good sound from a hidden lav.
Today my interview boom sounded great but my lav was really struggling under talent's stretchy fabric shirt. I sandwiched the mic head in moleskin but it seemed very susceptible to shirt friction either when taped to the shirt or taped to her chest
Today my interview boom sounded great but my lav was really struggling under talent's stretchy fabric shirt. I sandwiched the mic head in moleskin but it seemed very susceptible to shirt friction either when taped to the shirt or taped to her chest
That's why I made my other Aluminum Buddy*, which has the cradles spread out and is designed to go into a grip head. But this one doesn't pack as nice.
I never understood how people could use the Auray fishing pole cradle. It looks like a disaster waiting to happen to carbon poles.
Yes, as pointed out previously, it is installed incorrectly in the head.
*Patent not pending.
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Run&Gun
Veteran
I’ve eyeballed that K-Tek cradle for over a decade, but could never bring myself to buy it. Not so much because of the cost directly, but my guys would probably have ragged me endlessly for buying a cradle that expensive. Lol.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Do you think the noise is coming from fabric on the mic head or on the cable?
On a woman, a Hide-a-mic bra holder can work really well. Often a bit of distance between the shirt and the front bra, the talent can place it themselves, just works. Available at the usual places:
https://www.hideamic.com
I also like the Bubblebee lav concealers. They're kind of like the old (and perhaps current) TRAM mounts that have a small wire "cage" to set a bit of distance between the mic head and fabric. Sometimes I'll bend a little cage from a paperclip and use it in a moleskin sandwich/sleeping-bag gag.
https://www.bubblebeeindustries.com/collections/lav-mic-wind-protection?page=2
And heck, I think all these little lav problem solvers are fun, cheap(ish), and sometimes useful. Here's what Trew carries:
https://www.trewaudio.com/product-category/expendables/expendables-lavalier-accessories/page/3/
But geez, I usually use the standard mounts the mic makers provide (like the Sanken rubber mount, Countryman vampire clip, etc), some sort of moleskin sandwich thing, and perhaps a bit of fur from Rycote or Bubblebee.
I guess this fits under Alex's original topic question, because that stuff usually is all in my sound bag.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Ya, I haven't bought it yet. But I've done a few sit-downs with a fairly wide shot, outside in kinda windy conditions. So an extend 12-foot 3.5M pole with a short shotgun and a full windscreen with fur. All that weight hanging on an expensive pole... I'm thinking a broader holder that'll spread the forces ain't such a bad idea...
And dood, I get teased (and tease) over less so I think I can roll with it. ;-)
Paul, your two holders are cool!
There’s very much an art to burying lavs in wardrobe, and there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution.
I carry a whole bunch of stuff in my expendables kit. Moleskin can be useful (the classic moleskin sandwich), and Dr. Scholl’s bunion cushions can also be used to make effective mic mounts. My go-tos are the Ursa Mini Mount and the Bubbebee Lav Concealer.
Sometimes, the noise you hear is actually coming up the cable rather than from the capsule. Some lav cables are a little more microphonic than others, but the best solution for this is to tape a relief loop a few inches below the lav. I keep rolls of Transpore on hand for things like this.
Further thoughts on expendables for hiding lavs:
I’m currently back in for Season 3 of “Moonshiners: Master Distiller”. The three judges all wear overalls, which are about the easiest things to mic. I typically go for an Ursa Mini Mount or, more recently, a Bubblebee Lav Concealer, and mount the lav (COS11) top and center of the bib, right below the top edge.
Many of our contestants also wear overalls, but we have quite a few who don’t. The biggest challenge here is that we shoot in a warehouse that’s part of a distillery property. Two full sets with grids of hot lights, plus three copper stills on propane burners on each set... it gets hot in here. Even now that fall has hit East TN and temperatures are in the 60s and 70s, it still gets hot in here, and a lot of these folks sweat profusely. Adhesives don’t hold at all when the sweat starts to drip. We’ll occasionally grab vampire clips, but those can be finicky. I’d say the most challenging for hiding the lav and avoiding noise, while keeping everything in place, is with plain tee shirts. The only good place for a vampire is in the placket of the collar, and that puts the capsule in the pit of the throat (a terrible place for a lav, sonically). This is where I’ve really come to love, and rely on, Ursa chest straps. I put the COS11 in an Ursa Mini Mount and tuck that into the little pouch on the strap, and it’s good to go.
Yesterday, I rigged one of the contestants with the Mini Mount and chest strap and was still getting a bit of scratch, so I added two Ursa Fur Circles, one on front and and one on back back of the lav compartment, on the outside of the strap material, and that solved the issue. He was perfectly clean the rest of the day.
I’m currently back in for Season 3 of “Moonshiners: Master Distiller”. The three judges all wear overalls, which are about the easiest things to mic. I typically go for an Ursa Mini Mount or, more recently, a Bubblebee Lav Concealer, and mount the lav (COS11) top and center of the bib, right below the top edge.
Many of our contestants also wear overalls, but we have quite a few who don’t. The biggest challenge here is that we shoot in a warehouse that’s part of a distillery property. Two full sets with grids of hot lights, plus three copper stills on propane burners on each set... it gets hot in here. Even now that fall has hit East TN and temperatures are in the 60s and 70s, it still gets hot in here, and a lot of these folks sweat profusely. Adhesives don’t hold at all when the sweat starts to drip. We’ll occasionally grab vampire clips, but those can be finicky. I’d say the most challenging for hiding the lav and avoiding noise, while keeping everything in place, is with plain tee shirts. The only good place for a vampire is in the placket of the collar, and that puts the capsule in the pit of the throat (a terrible place for a lav, sonically). This is where I’ve really come to love, and rely on, Ursa chest straps. I put the COS11 in an Ursa Mini Mount and tuck that into the little pouch on the strap, and it’s good to go.
Yesterday, I rigged one of the contestants with the Mini Mount and chest strap and was still getting a bit of scratch, so I added two Ursa Fur Circles, one on front and and one on back back of the lav compartment, on the outside of the strap material, and that solved the issue. He was perfectly clean the rest of the day.
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ahalpert
Major Contributor
So there's definitely a bit of trial and error involved when you encounter tricky situations? And you have an array of tools for each specific purpose - for mounting in place, for securing to adjacent fabric, for insulating vibrations - and you swap out or add a tool when the current configuration isn't working perfectly? But then you can repeat a previous set-up that worked for you when you encounter the same scenario again?
And from now on, if someone asks in advance what they should wear to the interview, I'll them to wear overalls
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100%. There are resources out there - books and tutorials - on burying lavs, but they cover basics and contain no solves-all options (because there’s no such thing). I have a pretty extensive box full of solutions I’ve collected over the years, and I’ve probably tossed out as many as I’ve kept. The biggest thing for me has been trial and error, whether it’s trying a new product on the market or trying an older solution is (or new idea) learned from another mixer... or something I’ve figured out on my own when trying to problem-solve on the spot.
I usually start in the same place depending on the garment, be it a tee shirt, a button-down or golf shirt, a blouse, etc. I’ve learned over the years what usually works in these situations, and then I have extra supplies on hand for when “the usual” meets “the unusual”. The key is being able to troubleshoot and to adapt.
But the reason I usually reach for the Ursa Mini Mount or the Bubblebee Lav Concealer before anything else is because I have found that I can get them placed effectively, quickly, more often than not.
Ha! If only it was that simple.