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Lav tape


jackdrobin

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Hi all, I'm new here, but I've gone the distance...I will be posting regular soon! Promise!

 

I've just purchased new everything (everything!....being delivered end of July 2013), after 10 years outta the game...but I'm wondering?

 

What lav tape are you all using. I just bought some, and it sucks...loses its stickiness after 10 minutes.

 

I frankly forget what I used 10 years ago.....probably gaffer, FFS!

 

I should add, I'm not on the road yet, just field testing!

 

It's a soft medical tape, that sadly, sounds fantastic ie. using nothing but the tape I hear little clothing and a lotta voice.  

 

Obviously I can't have the talent lose their lavs, and I can't use gaffa, cos it shows. I remember!

 

What tape SOUNDS great, HIDES well, STICKS like a limpet, and gets the job done without too much mucking around....obviously I'm talking ideal conditions.  I understand things get progressively complicated from the ideal starting point!

 

Is there a new tape in the last 10 years that ticks these boxes? Clearly I'm talking hidden lavs!

 

Cheers boyz!

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Hi Jack,

 

Well I use toupe tape for when I need double-sided, (Top Stick in the US), and Kinesio tape when I need one sided stick. It's a highly flexible, very soft and very sticky tape. Athlete's use it on their skin to pull muscles together. I actually discovered it because someone else posted about it on jws a couple of years ago. Everyone has their own favourites of course, but that's pretty much all i` need. 

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Hi Jack,

 

Well I use toupe tape for when I need double-sided, (top stick in the US), and Kinesio tape when I need one sided stick. It's a highly flexible, very soft and very sticky tape. Athlete's use it on their skin to pull muscles together. I actually discovered it because someone else posted about it on jws a couple of years ago. Everyone has their own favourites of course, but that's pretty much all i` need. 

Thanks Andy! I will look into that. Sounds ideal! The tape I had was quiet, and flexible, but not sticky! Cheers!

 

EDIT:

Just ordered some Kinesio tape! Cheers!

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Rycote stickies and overcovers are my current favourite.  Fast, simple, sound great!

Other than that its snot tape and medical tape.

Flash tape provides a firm bond but is a nightmare to remove from the mics afterwards.

I was a teenager 10 years ago so I don't know what existed when ;)

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I know I have several rolls of Transpore (a medical tape) but I'm not sure that's what we use. I know we do use Top Stick and a variety of other things depending on how it has to be mounted. Also, Rycote Stickies and Overcovers and Undercovers (or whatever they are called).

 

 

post-1-0-42583700-1372682990_thumb.jpg

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Dan Ostroff told me he thought "Stickit" was quieter then "Topstick" so I switched, with similar results.

(Still, be careful with "Super Stickit", I ruined a poor actor's silk tie with it)

 

I'm curious to people's application of snot tape. I've had a can for two years, and I use it all the time around the house, but haven't run into anything other than plant mic applications on set.

Where do you use it on an actor?

 

best

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Generally a small amount of the snot tape is applied around the capsule just below the grill in order to create a ring that elevates the grill and prevents it rubbing on clothing.  So that in combination with some medical tape means a top address lav can be attached to an actors chest, the V or collar of a t shirt(throaty!), or behind a shirt button.

I'd never use snot on a B6, but its very useful for cos-11 and other top address mics.

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Dan Ostroff told me he thought "Stickit" was quieter then "Topstick" so I switched, with similar results.

(Still, be careful with "Super Stickit", I ruined a poor actor's silk tie with it)

 

I'm curious to people's application of snot tape. I've had a can for two years, and I use it all the time around the house, but haven't run into anything other than plant mic applications on set.

Where do you use it on an actor?

 

best

 

+1 on the stickit being quieter than topstick. i've strayed away from topstick because it is way too noisy, plus I love the circle dots of the SuperStickit. 

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One more tape to add to the bunch: Blenderm by 3M. It's similar to the standard medical tape but a bit thinner and there's no texture to the surface so it's quieter (at least in my opinion). I bought it on Amazon a while back but here's the link to the 3M listing:

http://www.3m.com/product/information/Blenderm-Surgical-Tape.html

Amazon listing for a box:

http://www.amazon.com/Blenderm-Surgical-Tape-inch-Clear/dp/B000P158QU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372697156&sr=8-1&keywords=Blenderm-Surgical-Tape.

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Always to have in your quiver is 3M Transpore tape.It has pores to get rid of moisture when humans sweat like pigs.3M makes a stickier transpore tape,but I don't know what it's called.Snot tape and top stick can be difficult to deal with and should only be used when needed.

           Handy Wipes and a rag should be used for sweaty people or lotion before applying tape to skin.

 

J.D.

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A good characteristic of Kinesio tape is that they're acoustically transparent and somewhat water resistant. You can tape over the mic head and it prevent sweat from entering the mic, plus it also offers some wind protection that's IMO much better than the metal windscreen of a COS-11. YMMV

Sammy Huen

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+1 for Leukosilk. 

 

They make other tapes as well; Leukoplast and Leukofix.. All of them are great. (http://www.bsnmedical.com/products/acute-wound-care/fixation/surgical-tapes.html)

 

The 3M Transpore tends to peel off easily, in a bad way IMHO. The Leukosilk just stays. 

 

I use Leuko tape and Sticky Stuff nowadays. When my roll of Sticky stuff is out, I'll buy into a roll off Tesa 4695 (http://www.tesatape.com/feature/tesa_4965/tesa-4965,42409,1.html). It's awesome. 

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Transpore is great because it's easy to rip so you don't need scissors in most cases, so it is my go to tape. But it's noisier and thicker than blenderm which I use when want to be minimal, or black kinesio tape when my rig might be visible. The rycote stickies aren't sticky enough for me so I only trust it when hanging very lightweight rigs under low movement conditions.

Topstick sticks double sided much more strongly than Joe's sticky stuff. I must have gotten an older roll of Joe's sticky stuff because it's nowhere near as sticky as what others are saying. If anyone wants to trade 5-10 feet of Joe's sticky stuff (some of my less sticky stuff for your presumably more sticky stuff) let me know. The less sticky does have uses when you want a quick cleanup.

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United States

BSN medical, Inc.

5825 Carnegie Boulevard

Charlotte, NC 28209

USA

Tel: +1 704 554 9933

Toll-Free: +1 800 552 1157

Fax: +1 704 331 8785

BSNorthopedics(at)bsnmedical.com

JOBST Product Information

Toll-Free: (800) 221 7573

Tel: (704) 554 9933

Fax: (704) 551 8585

jobst.customerservice(at)bsnmedical.com

www.jobst-usa.com

Dunno if they're selling the leukosilk just like that.. But someone might..?

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