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Boompole's cable options for SILENT run&gun


adrjork

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Hi everyone,

I've found many topics (even in this forum) about boompole and cable (cabled vs uncabled booms, coiled vs straight cables, etc.)
I've read many different opinions and as a newbie I'm a bit confused now. So, please, let me describe my situation before asking you some advices:

I have a stereo mic (BP4025) with a XLR-5-pin plug. I'll use a Rycote blimp kit with XLR-5-pin plug too. Now I need a boompole. But the most important thing is that I'll have to follow my talent: let say that I'll have to move following her during a walk trying to capture the sounds of her footsteps and movements.

I'd like to know what is in your opinion the most silent cable rig to connect the mic to the recorder in this run&gun situation:

1. A single external straight cable wrapped around the boompole, directly from the blimp plug to the recorder: this means having a dangling last segment of the straight cable (the segment from the end of the boompole to the recorder);

2. A single and totally dangling long coiled cable directly from the blimp plug to the recorder (not wrapped around the boompole);

3. Two cables: a straight cable well wrapped around the boompole, with the male plug fixed to the end of the boompole, where it's connected with another cable, a coiled cable this time, dangling from the end of the boompole to the recorder.

As you can see I avioded boompole with internal cable because I've read that the internal cable could clacking around the inside of the moving pole.

My questions simpy are:

A) Which is the most silent solution for my run&gun situation? And Why?

B) Do you recommend another cable rigging?

Thanks a lot for your help.

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Internal/ external is usually a personal preference. Pros and cons to both IMO. . If the pole usually stays at a fixed length for periods of time, a wrapped external cable would eliminate any internal cable noise. I prefer an internal cabled pole for run n' gun and rarely have a noise problem with a K-Tek KEG-100 graphite pole w/ mono mics. YMMV though.

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5 minutes ago, Rick Reineke said:

I prefer an internal cabled pole for run n' gun and rarely have a noise problem with a K-Tek KEG-100 graphite pole w/ mono mics.

Is changing the internal cable a rapid or not? Let say I haveto change the mono internal cable with a stereo internal cable, is it rapid in a couple of minutes?

And what about the section of cable from the end of the pole to the recorder? Straight or coiled?

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When I did more drama, my boom ops wanted external cables that they would tension with their hands on the pole (mostly).  This was for longer poles that, as was said, stay long (extended) mostly.  For more doco or one-soundie type work, being able to quickly change the length of the pole (sometimes while rolling) is a big plus, and doing this without the cable between the butt-end of the pole and your bag changing length is also a good thing (I say this having done it the other way for a lot of years).  Better-made booms try to eliminate internal cable rattle as much as they can with foam spacers etc., but you still have to learn how to move the pole gracefully and smoothly.  This is also true of mic shock mounts.   Per the 2nd question--no, changing an internal cable is not fast at all.  I would recommend having two booms thus.

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If you decide for external cable: Just cut a cable to the right length then you don't have any problems with excessive cable. My way is for a 4 meter boompole something like a 5.25 meter cable (maybe 5 or 5,5m depends on your length i guess) and if you go shorter just wrap some cable to your bag with velcro

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I know that VDB booms make a 5 pin xlr internal cable. And for run and gun I would prefer the internal cable. If you know what you are doing with the boom, then you shouldn't have any problems with the cable rattling inside.



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I use the same mic and use an internally cabled 5-pin 2.6m ambient pole. If I switch to mono, then I have made a 5-3 pin converter that I bongo tie to the end. I can switch mics in less than a minute and it gives me flexibility with pole length. Internal cable can be noisy, but with very little practice, you gain a feel for how to handle it.

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If you want to easily change a cable on a K-Tek pole then get the Stage Poles. They have a removable head piece so you can drop whatever cable you want down in there. Super fast and easy. That being said, I'm not a fan of doing this if I want to switch between mono and stereo recording. I'd just have a pole with a mono cable and another with a stereo cable...and then maybe one without cable. This is how I used to work when I was doing a bunch of sound effects recording. The type of job dictated what kind of pole and cabling I'd need. 

 

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Currently I use a curly cable externally for run and gun work using mono mics. I wrap this around the pole as I would with a straight cable. The cable I use was designed to be used internally on an ambient pole but hey, rules were made to be broken. This is the best option I have found that works for me at the moment. 

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Personal taste.

I always use an external cable for that kind of shoots. It's 5 meters long an about half of it is fixed on the bag with a velcro. If I have to use boom's full length, I simply release the velcro. That works really quickly.

I can exchange the cable easily when something's wrong and I can switch quickly to overhead miking (talking head Interviews).

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I know a few run and gun boom ops who will tightly wrap the cable around the boom, while it is almost fully retracted, one loop next to the other loop. Then when they need to extend the pole, they will twist it while pulling out the segments and the cable will follow smoothly. With this technique they can extend and retract the boom quickly, without any cable excess or shortage building at the bag end. It certainly looked good, bit I have actually never tried it myself. I used the technique Mongo described above, and when I saw what I just described, I didn't have a lot of jobs like that anymore.

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