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    Archaeologist, starting to make specialist documentaries
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  1. OK, have just added part two of my MKH 8030 tests: recording a bluegrass band in mid-side may not be entirely relevant here, but perhaps something might translate, I hope, and be useful to one or two! Cheers, Roland https://drbadphil.com/sennheiser-mkh-8030-part-2-mid-side-recording
  2. And here are a few close-up photos that I took of the MKH 8030 capsule: a couple in the blog post and a couple not. Not easy trying to get clear photos through the basket: I wasn't brave enough to pull the mic apart! Cheers, Roland
  3. I've had a pre-production copy for a few weeks now, and have been testing it, and have written one of my usual blog post write ups, with plenty of embedded audio files. Doubtless it won't quite address everything you want to know about the mic, but I hope there is the odd bit there that might interest one or two of you. Cheers, Roland https://drbadphil.com/sennheisers-new-fig-8-the-mkh-8030
  4. Hi Derek, I did some testing of the RAD-1 and RAD-2 shock mounts, which you might find of interest: https://drbadphil.com/radius-windshields-rad-1-and-rad-2-shock-mounts Like you, I'm interested in seeing what their full windshield is like. And, also, whether the form of the hoops will allow development of a two-mic clip for MS. Cheers, Roland
  5. The Rode NT4 is 33mm diameter: it is a chunky-bodied stereo mic. Given your ref to the 'NT4/4+', it looks like you have confused this with the NTG4 (and NTG4+) shotgun mic. Cheers, Roland
  6. Off the shelf windshields rarely work well for LDCs, and its vital not to get into thinking if I can somehow squeeze a mic into a modified blimp then that's fine: a crucial element of windshield performance is distance from capsule to edge of basket. Besides, once using LDCs you are almost certainly out of booming and the need for compromise for the sake of lightness and maneuverability. So you can go purpose-built and large like this! https://drbadphil.com/windshield-for-ldc-mics Cheers, Roland
  7. Obviously SDC mics are more convenient (smaller, lighter and with manufactured windshields aplenty) and, in many cases, more resilient in high humidity, but LDC capsules aren't inherently 'fragile' and many - esp. wildlife recordists - use them outside when needing the very lowest self-noise. Occasionally, I lug my massive mid-side LDC rig outside (massive, due to its purpose-built windshield). I think your best source for examples and descriptions of use of LDC mics in the wild is Magnús Bergsson on his Hljóðmynd or Soundimage website. Magnús doesn't lack decent SDC mics (inc. MKH8000 series), but often chooses to use LDC mics due to that low self noise when out in the wilds of Iceland: here's an example of him using Lewitt 540s and a Sonosax SX-R4+ https://fieldrecording.net/2023/03/26/it-is-something-about-silence/ Cheers, Roland
  8. And, related, some of the older interference tubes aren't what they seem - e.g. the MKH416 capsule is located midway along the apparent interference tube, with the long preamp immediately behind (so the apparently long interference tube isn't all functional). Cheers, Roland
  9. Yes, the first two shock mounts from Radius seem very well made and thought through: perform well too. I spent some time testing them alongside Rycote shock mounts/suspensions. Nice to have a new player on the scene (albeit with generations of Rycote experience) and to have another company making them locally (well, if you live in the UK!). Anyway, I did a bit of a write up: https://drbadphil.com/radius-windshields-rad-1-and-rad-2-shock-mounts Cheers, Roland
  10. Fair enough using the Rycote stereo windshield if you have to hike with the gear and it isn't limiting your low-frequency aims. Adding foam windscreen to a mic inside the blimp? I remember Chris Woolf strongly advising against that, but can't remember where or why...perhaps one of his AES papers? Cheers, Roland
  11. Well that's very odd: as you say, all correct in terms of basket size and lyre shore hardness. And the NS4-DB is the same model as I was testing. Presumably you changed the suspension arm bit with the upgrade kit as well as the 3D-Tex? Not sure beyond mic what other variables there are, other than how the lyres were spaced and the mic placed. I'm happy with my testing: testing both windshields on the same pole at the same time removes the biggest problem with comparisons, and I repeated the whole set of tests, on different days, and got the same results. Since the upgrade, I've been very happy with my two Nano Shields, and relieved rather that testing didn't show I was missing some problem along the lines you have encountered. The tests made me think more about Nano Shield lyres, and now I will pick up a pair of the red 55-shore lyres to use in conjunction with my smaller NS2-CA Nano Shield for use with my very lightweight SC-08 supercardioid. If you have some (or are prepared to risk buying some), it might be worth testing 55-shore lyres with your mic: in general I find Rycote suggest lyres that are perhaps a bit on the stiff side (hence my dropping to 62 shore lyres for the HC-22 in the Cyclone), and the new Nano Shield lyres have a lot of lateral and vertical stiffness, so shouldn't make an 89g mic overly floppy/in danger of hitting the basket during fast boom swings. Cheers, Roland
  12. Good to see the latest suspension (makes me wish I had a 3d printer!). Evidently you are still using the Rycote stereo blimp - indeed this seems to be a constraint on your suspension design: why? Surely, you must make a larger blimp to get wind performance to match when outdoors. Cheers, Roland
  13. Yes, I thought about mounting positions as a variable, and did a couple of quick tests to see if there was any significant impact on changing this a bit: there was none in this case. The HC-22 has a very light (aluminium) interference tube and a brass-barreled preamp, so is very much weighted to the back: the centre of gravity of the mic and its XLR connector was, as a result, nicely between the lyres (15mm behind the front lyre). The mic as set up for the tests (and in the photos) is exactly centrally positioned in the NS-DB4 Nano Shield basket: the front end of the mic is just short of the hemisphere at the front of the basket. I'd say that is a perfect set up, but evidently you are doing something very different: what? A photo would help. Which Nano Shield model did you test, with what mic and what lyres? And, assuming the same mic, what Cyclone model and what lyres? Cheers, Roland
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