Upgrading my Boompole

[fmurdoch]

I've been using a rode boompole pro for a couple of years now, and it's been fine for the low-no budget student short films I've been working on, but now I'm getting boom-op gigs and I don't think it'll really cut it anymore. 

 

Ideally, I'm looking for something that's internally cabled (coiled) with a side exit xlr, and not 6 sections. Considering the rode pole reaches 10' max, would it make sense to invest in a longer pole to start, then upgrade from the rode one to a nicer short pole down the line? Or would it be better to shoot down the middle for a 4m pole?

 

Budget isn't too much of a factor, I want to get something that will last. I've heard good things about ambient, vdb, panamic, all of them really, and it's tough to sort through the noise. I want to get a sense of what I should be looking at, then I'll go test them in person. Thanks!

[Dalton Patterson]

KTek or ambient for the win. 
 

I would have said Loon is the only way 5 years ago. 

Panamic is also a solid choice. 

Go long, outdoors walking and talking. 
 

Go short if your studio or indoors. 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

Panamic is a head and shoulders above anything else, but they aren't super portable.  There's a lot of things to consider ... you should really know what circumstances you intend to be working under before picking a length.  I've done my whole career with an 11' pole, but I do doc where I'm frequently rolling for an hour or more.  In those circumstances, a longer pole might be useful sometimes, but there's no way I could hold it that long.  Get a longer pole if you expect to stay in drama where takes are short and predictable.

I have KTek and Ambient, they are both fine ... but my next pole will be Panamic if I get a drama pole.

[Johnny Karlsson]

Keep your short pole for backup/travel/ENG etc., but if you are getting Boom Op gigs, you will need a long pole. At least 16-18ft. The long pole can be used at shorter distances too (just don't extend more than you need), but a short pole may leave you in an awkward situation if you can't reach the action where you need a few more feet. K-Tek and Ambient are my personal favorites, but it's like with everything else - personal preferences. You are in LA, so just go to one of our friendly "usual suspects"; Location Sound Corp. Trew or Audio Dept. check some poles out in person and get a feel for what might be different between them, and pick the one you like. 

[jozzafunk]

Ive got ambient x 3, panamic x1, ktek x1 - My boom op swears by the panamic but I prefer him to use an ambient - it's quieter, and much prefer the ambients myself - I'm still regularly using the ambient I bought 15 years ago

[Tim Norris]

I've been using one long internally cabled K-Tec pole for 24 years through all sorts of the crappiest weather you could ever imagine. Super quiet and fast. I had it refurbished only once and bought an identical pole as a backup before I sent it in. Picked up a shorter version during the pandemic and have only used that when I needed three boom mics for no touch interviews. There is always a way to get that longer pole in nearly any airplane cabin, so I prefer the long pole. Having identical quick release connectors for all poles and mics is kind of a good thing... makes swapping stuff out a lot faster and easier.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Tim

[JesseF]

Ambient is the way for me.  They are a little on the heavy side, but the action of extension/retraction and the feel of the knuckles is best in show as far as I'm concerned. I have 2 ambients and 2 kteks.  As a boom op I prefer the ambient in basically every situation.  With the exception of one boom op I worked with (who was sponsored by ktek), every other boom op has preferred Ambient when given the option.

 

Ktek is very good tho.

 

I don't like the knuckles on VDB poles, but they are the lightest of the bunch.

 

I hear good things about Panamic, but I don't see them much in the wild.

 

Length depends on a lot of factors.  If you're doing narrative, which is where most boom ops live, I would suggest 15ft. minimum and preferably 17ft.  I wouldn't go much beyond 19ft tho, save your back.

[tourtelot]

15 hours ago, Dalton Patterson said:

I would have said Loon is the only way 5 years ago. 

 

On a side note, whatever happened to Loon?

 

D.

[mono]

47 minutes ago, tourtelot said:

On a side note, whatever happened to Loon?

 

D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Patrick Farrell]

Boom poles are generally a personal preference. For me, I was able to work with several mixers and try out a variety of poles in the field before deciding to buy an Ambient for myself. If you're getting boom op gigs, the mixers likely have a selection of poles for you to use until you find your preference you want to invest in. Heck, I even know boom ops that have gone a whole career without buying a pole and only use mixer's poles.

[VASI]

I am using Ambient QS (not the new 5-series) for 5 years now, after using all kind of brands. There is one boompole which I don't like to use, and that is it the old VDB. The new ones, are better from previous versions.

[Tong0615]

It's a personal preference thing, all the brands you named, K-Tek, Ambient, VdB, Panamic make solid boom poles, they can all get the job done very well, maybe go to a local store and try them out. 

 

Personally, I use VdB because they were the first one who introduced the Quarter-Turn system (I have worked many years with ambient poles before I got my VdB, always had some issues with the locking system). And their Boom Pole is a bit lighter than Ambient, and the VdB has Quick-Lock system built in. As I'm based in Europe, service and replacing parts are easier to get from VdB compared to K-Tek.

 

 

[DanieldH]

Before you buy an internally coiled cabled system e.g. Ambient 5130, try it out, especially with the particular length in question.

Coiled cables (and also straight ones) in the inside of the boom produce cable noise, some more some less at different length and depending on the cable used. Coiled cables, on top of that produce a slight center of gravity shift that annoys me. 

I've been using an modding a straight cable system for some years now (QX5100). These also include issues, including cable management and cable noise with mods and concepts to be implemented. It is a lot less complex to run the cable on the outside or have the TX on top.

I can't say much about K-tek, as they are not very, common over here. The units I came across where worn down to an extend but "okayish", not great.

Panamic is "heavy" and stiff. Good for operation heavy TX on top / big windscreen configs. Also, they are rather easy to service and care for. There is no internal cable option, mods may not be impossible impossible though.

Ambient is lighter and my operation and development platform of choice, since customer support is excellent and rather close by in my part of the world compared to K-Tek. However Ambient BPs need a bit more caring time after rain or sand/dust exposure.