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anyone using new rycote cyclone blimp ?


George Tarrant

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Yes. They plant mics for golf, tennis, football, other football, etc.

 

While we may own a lot, we keep them for YEARS. Think of every arena/even around the world using dozens. I bet the number is staggering.

 

I expect the people walking around carry Rycotes too, supplied by the event or the network or perhaps by the sound person. They are used in the open, so size is less of an issue if performance is improved. Eliminating the high wind cover and being better in the rain are big positives.

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JG: " You miss my initial point though that it's all for TV. "

OK, fair enough,

...but I see the point that we, individual production sound folks, who will use these on the end of a boom or fishpole are not the biggest market sector for Rycote, thus they have other considerations than ours in designing and marketing their products...

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Just wondering if anyone has had a chance to use the new Rycote Cyclone blimp. Looks like an amazing design. I'm often working in very windy conditions...30 to 50 MPH is not uncommon.The regular rycotes can sometimes handle this type of extreme but I've found over the years there is a definite limit as to how effective they can be. In these types of situations I've put a foam windshield on the mic inside the blimp...one or perhaps two " soft socks " over the blimp and then the furry job over that and usually some tape around the area where the pole attaches to try and seal up that opening.

Hey George,

Agreed, it's a very cool looking product. I am concerned about the size everyone is talking about. I'd like to see one in person. Hard thing to do where we are.

Have you looked at the Cinela Piano? I've heard great things about it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I received a Cyclone on xmas eve to try out. It is a very slick product, and so far I am very impressed. That said, there has been little if no wind to speak of here in London for the last few days (other than some post xmas lunch (probably the sprouts)).

 

The Cyclone is beautifully built, and certainly seems to have been very nicely designed. As can be seen in the video that we made at IBC (see www.ips.org.uk and follow the link to IBC videos) it quite literally builds itself. It can be disassembled in about 10seconds or less, and reassembled in about 5 secs. The magnets line everything up and it just snaps itself together.

 

It is bigger than a Rycote 'classic' for a similar sized mic, but smaller than that same 'classic' with a Windjammer fitted. I am told by Rycote that the new material performs about the same or better than a classic windshield with a Windjammer fitted. I have yet to test this in some wind.

 

The new material dries very swiftly if it has been used in the rain. Again I have yet to test this - I will report back as soon as I have done so.Rycote say that fur should not be necessary, which will work well for me if this is the case.

 

I am due to be at Everything Audio on Friday - Roger and I are to be testing s few new toys, and the Cyclone will be one of them. I'll be back......

 

Kindest regards to all,

 

Simon B

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thanks Simon, 

great info there,  

i'm very keen to buy this, love it's design from windjammer, to indoor use, to the speed mic's could be changed out on it,  do the double independant decoupling of the mount.   brilliant,  

 

wish they'd speed up cyclone versions of their ortf / stereo rigs for mkh 8040's etc

 

luvely meart, luvely

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Hmm...

are you changing to the Cyclone because 'the ordinary Rycote/windjammer' doesn't work anymore?Or is it a hype thing?

It's a weight thing. For me anyway. The Cyclone without a windjammer is much lighter than a regular windshield with windjammer. Plus handling noise issues are much better - supposedly
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I am due to be at Everything Audio on Friday - Roger and I are to be testing s few new toys, and the Cyclone will be one of them. I'll be back......

Kindest regards to all,

Simon B

I forgot to ask Roger about them, never thought, any way it was lovely to speak you again Simon ( I was the Irish one if you need a clue ;-) )

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OK, so - I spent a lovely afternoon with Roger Patel at Everything Audio on Friday. Amongst other things like putting the world and in particular the whole of the TV and film industry right, we tested a couple of things. One of them was a Rycote Cyclone, fresh out of its box.

 

Builld quality is excellent,and the design looks very slick and sensible. I think it will impress those that pay the bills and want 'the unit' to look slick and modern.

 

Obviously Rycote are only making one size at the moment. It feels like it might be just a little larger than one might want for a CMIT or similar mic, BUT.... it should be remembered that the single most effective and relevant factor in wind noise reduction (so far as I understand it) is the distance between the mic and the windshield. So - whilst there certainly feels like a lot of 'space' inside the windshield, I understand that it is space that is doing an excellent job for us!!

 

The first thing I did was to take the thing apart, to see if it really is as simple to do so as I thought it was/is. It really is a dream to undress and dress. I timed myself at the first attempt and it was about 9 seconds, which is pretty awesome. To compare, I also timed myself taking the CMIT out of its Rycote Classic windshield, a process that I have done countless thousands of times in my career, and I expact I have considerable muscle memory for. It took 15 seconds, most of which was spent undoing and doing back up the two thumb screw thingies. The new in and out, dressing/undressing system seesm most excellent to me, and tbh I marvel at the way the windshield 'builds itsself' as you aim the two components back at the frame.

 

The suspension/frame component has attached the additional 'bar' assembly, which has the top block with magnets and guides contained within, and these ad the rigidity of the windshield when fitted. The bar can be removed in about 3 seconds to make the naked suspension more low profile.

 

The suspension in its naked form works easily as well as the previous version of Rycote suspension. It uses the same 'lyre' arrangement to suspend the mic, and it works incredibly well. I waved the mic vigorously from side to side and up and down, and it truth, with just a small amout of bass cut (that which I would normally use on a boomed microphone) there were bassically no audible handling noises. If I went crazy then I could make the odd noise, but wind noise was already a factor by this point. If I made the same crazy movements with a 'classic' suspension then the mic would most likely hit part of the system so in fact I felt that the new Cyclone performed better.

 

I put the new Cyclone wiondshield on and tried to do a sensible test with wind, but, sadly, Friday was a cold, but very mild, day here in London. In the end I took out all bass cut, and tried the mic outside in the very low level wind. I could get significant wind noise with NO Cyclone fitted, and I heard none whatsoever with the Cyclone fitted, but this was not really a very good test, and the wind was most certainly not co-operating. I will revisit as soon as we get a windy day!!!

 

So - my quick conclusion, in a scenario which was not a shoot, is that it is a pretty cool piece of kit, well designed and made, easy to use, and the suspension works very well. I will have to hold fire on the performance in wind, but my early indications were that it could be rather good.

 

I will report back again later.

 

Kindest regards to all,

 

sb

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Thanks for review, maybe for a cheap wind tunnel (and some maths), you could rotate the whole assembly through 360 degrees at the end of a boom of known length, ie the radius and time the number of seconds to complete a circle, work out the circumference, the speed of travel, and thus the wind speed (metres/s) and whether you can hear any wind noise, try different speeds.

Risk Assessment - dizziness, falling over, trip hazard,  :)

But maybe you've a few other things to do.....

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Thanks for the review Bash. Unfortunate that your test day wasn't a bit more of a " howler " in terms of wind. Please keep us posted and let us know when a windy day test happens. Glad to hear the build quality is so good...I've always thought Rycote makes a good product and have been using their stuff for over 30 years.

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Back on the reccie bus tomorrow I am afraid!!!

Will test at work in a week when I will start shooting again. Will use it for all exteriors!!

Doesn't the fan motor make a load of noise.

The magnets are tiny, and 3-4 ins away from mic.

Kindest,

sb

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did a quick test at Kortwich with the Cyclone. Hoping to reduce handling noise I compared 2 CMITs one in a Rycote WS4 the other in a brand new Cyclone.

 

This is MY SPECIFIC setup - other might get different results!!

 

 

My Zaxcom TRX742 (Highpass @80Hz) plugged into the cable / holder at the bottom of the Cyclone / WS4 into a SD302 with 80Hz HPF engaged.

 

The handling on the Cyclone was much worse than with my older (recent model) WS4.

 

I thought there would be no straight connection from the pole thread up to the mic suspension but it is basically like a standard mic-suspension / pistolgrip. What is decoupled from that is the basket and it´s mounting-plate.

 

Handling without the basket was ok but not as good as my dedicated Cinela. Click the basket on and I was getting a lot of additional bass response to my knocking on the pole (for testing purposes).

 

Was ready to buy me a late Christmas present but unfortunately  - nope.

 

Matthias

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