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Booming in rain


Rasmus Wedin

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I'm curious about what solutions people have for when you have to boom in rain.

I have a show coming up that I know will demand us to keep rolling, even in rain. I've been looking at the "Rainman" but it's pretty big, and we'll be using Schoeps CCM 41 mics. Any other sollutions? Water resistant fabrics and such? I heard horse-hair might work, anyone tried it?

Thanks :)

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So far we've always boomed with standard fur and often used the wind sock beneath the fur for additional protection. Keeping the zeppelin pointing down keeps the water from dripping inside.

In normal Euro rain this has worked well enough, and when it rained harder usually it was camera that at some point cut off.

Needs thorough drying. Same goes for the boom: dismantle completely.

Best have one (old) "rain kit".

 

Most rain covers seem to only cover the zep as long as it's horizontal. Not the typical booming position.

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+1 for positioning the zep so that the water rolls off. As for the boom, you will likely have to dismantle it to dry after the fact, but one thing you can do is use rubber bands or bongo ties to "seal" bits of plastic bags over any connections.

 

I recently got caught in some light rain in Tahiti, and of all things to give me trouble, it was the XLR connector going from the boom to the bag. I use a coiled cable for my boom, and have an XLR shorty cable hanging out of the bag for quick connect/disconnect. Water seeped in and made some not so pretty sounds. Learned my lesson and tied off some plastic like I described before, and didn't have to worry about it the next time it rained.

 

I did bring a rain-man as well, but didn't end up using it. I was also using an mkh-70, and the rain-man doesn't really fit that mic well as it is.

 

Good luck, let us know how it turns out!

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I use the rainman in rain, natural and artificial rain, too. It works really really well. I tested it in a shower before I used it for the first time, and I just let the mic sit there for hours with no problem at all. Mic was bone dry after.

Yes, it is bigger, but so what? You tend to be outside, so normally space isn't an issue. You get compensated with the comfy feeling that your mic is safe - as long as the tip of the zep is point at least slightly downward. The rainman is open in the front, which helps the sound.

But beware: the Rainman can be fitted (squeezed) over a fur, but it's not easy, and if you leave the fur out the Rainman provides little to no wind protection. But I'd like to add that a wet fur's wind protection abilities are greatly reduced too.

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Yeah, I'm pretty well "educated" in disassembling rain struck ENG-kits by now :D, here's a picture from last year:

 

post-1865-0-82126100-1426632812_thumb.jp

 

I've also tried different versions of the "bags over connection"-thing, to relative success :).

I guess my question really is about what can be done around the zepp and rycote, in other words, insulating the mic itself. I usually just boom with the rycote and try to dry it off as often as possible. It works, most of the time.......not all ways :P.

 

Anybody got some "magical" acoustically transparrent, yet waterproof fabric? :D

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+1 for the rain man. Works better than hogs hair in my opinion.

As for the XLR connections, get yourself some "rescue tape" to wrap around the connectors. It'll keep the water out and the tape only sticks to itself.

Also, an uncabled pole w an external cable down the pole is also recommended.

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I use my ccm41 Ina. Pianissimo. I sprayed the nikwax on the first layer and used their rain cover on a shoot in hawaii recently.

Phillipe also tells me that with nikwax on the first layer and the new poly fur which is his new fur He said the poly fur does a nice job of dealing with rain due to what it's made of.

Haven't tried yet. But their rain cover plus nikwax is awesome.

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Rain man worked for me, good for (sideways) wind too.  In the old days we just used wind rats until they became saturated, then took them off the zep and whirled them around until most of water fell out.  No alternative back then, we got through some very wet (like rain-tower wet) scenes that way.  I used to have some zep covers made of hog's hair, which were a bit more transparent sounding while keeping off the noise of drops hitting the zep, but we found that they didn't do a good enough job with wind (at the same time) and went back to wet-rats.

 

philp

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Heres the low down on the two options:

 

Rainman: The Rainman softens the contact of raindrops to the mic rig, then diverts the rain down and out the front of the mic (assuming the mic is pointing downward). While there is no waterproof barrier between the rain and the microphone, the rain main does give an affective short-term rain protection for the microphone. it is somewhat universal, as it can be used on different brands, sized, and models of mic blimps. In heavy rains, it is possible that the Rainman can take on water more quickly than it can shed it, in which case it should be removed and wrung (takes only a few seconds). The Rainman is very effective, the most universal, and the least expensive.

 

Cinela Kelly: The open-cell outer layer softens the contact of raindrops, much like the Rainman does. The the fabric inner layer is treated with a sprayed-on hydrophobic product (included), and when properly assembled and applied, the system prevents liquid water from reaching the microphone, making it truly waterproof (or at least water resistant). Like other fine Cinela products, the Kelly is the most effective and gives the microphone the most protection from moisture, but is also the most expensive and least universal (the two sizes can be used only with the Cinela Piano or Piansimo wind system).

 

gt

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I use the Cinela Kelly. And it's great. But I guess not what you're looking for. My tips would be to just have a lot of furs, and change when they are soaked. And cross your fingers that the gear doesn't get hurt.

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I use the Cinela Kelly. And it's great. But I guess not what you're looking for. My tips would be to just have a lot of furs, and change when they are soaked. And cross your fingers that the gear doesn't get hurt.

Skickas från min iPhone via Tapatalk

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I went to home depot, bought a cut to size air filter with synthetic filter material, and I use that wrapped around the zep. I have been very happy.

In the northwest I shoot in rain a lot and have had my boom connections short out, so I have upgraded my boom pole connections to be neutrik HD connectors. I also carry a small light weight dry bag made by Outdoor Research to cover the boom when not in use.

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i've tried hogs hair in a downpour on a night shoot and it held up well to keep out water.  my only issue with it is it's super messy (sheds like a tree) and i wouldn't want to use it more than once.

 

i've also considered a rainman or rycote duck but then i bought some air conditioner foam at a home depot by chance when i was searching for hogs hair; funny thing is, it's been doing the trick.

 

i haven't tested it in an hour-long sink rinse but i've run it through a bath faucet for a few minutes and it seems to repel water completely.  the valleys help direct any water that pools up towards the front  edge.  i have used it on two ext. rain shoots with decent rain and it held up well.  But obviously, it's something I jimmy rigged with a truckers hitch using rope and haven't really worked on.  I clipped the back side closed where i'm using the super softie and it kept water from dripping down the back as long as i was aware of the open sides.

 

Transparency-wise, i can't speak for it as i only really ever use like a hat (literally) and don't cover the entire mics on the bottom.  wind-protection, probably not but i haven't tested.  softens rain drops a bit.  It comes in a pack of approx 2 18"x9" insulating inserts for like $15 and you can cut them or rig them however you want, easily covering wherever is vulnerable.  Maybe add more to the sides, a back extension, or just simple velcro attachments. or cut an outward funnel to direct dripping water away from the center of the front of a blimp.  

 

My focus has just been a cheap, quick rain solution as i've only ever had one serious rain-heavy exterior in the forest.  Perhaps the most important factor for me is transportation as i have to commute around the city with two bags on a bus and train.  the foam folds up and squishes well without damaging it's shape or effectiveness.

 

If water protection for super cheap is the biggest concern, this is certainly something to play around with.

 

 

I went to home depot, bought a cut to size air filter with synthetic filter material

definitely need to try this!

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post-8113-0-39619900-1426750172_thumb.jp

post-8113-0-78430500-1426749077_thumb.jp

post-8113-0-39619900-1426750172_thumb.jp

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I use an under carpet mat grip made in the USA...it is acoustically transparent and stops the sound of water drops when used under a high wind cover.It adds very little to the weight as it has the consistency of candy floss. It is sticky to the touch on both sides.A quick shake and the water is gone...no loss of high frequencies and it costs next to nothing from your carpet retail store. BVS

post-12-0-91542200-1426799356_thumb.jpg

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