Radius Windshields?

[Derek H]

I’m curious who has picked up one of the RAD mounts from Radius and what do you think of it? Haven’t seen a lot of discussion about them other than the business side of things which I’m aware of. 
 

I’d like to hear from people who have used the new RAD mounts out in the field. I’m a Cinela fan but have also gone with the much cheaper invision mounts for certain mics and have been happy (MKH50 for example which is more forgiving). 
 

While I like Cinela mounts for their well thought out features and perfect match approach they are very pricey and I find their full blimp to be kind of heavy and fiddly. It’s great at its job but I sometimes find myself preferring the old school Rycote windshield which worked well and was easy to use.
 

I’m very curious to see what Radius does for a full windshield this year. 

[Roland Harris]

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

[Derek H]

Thanks Roland, I remember your article now. I think your assessment is fair that it comes down to the more boom centric features such as the XLR clamp and ratcheting adjustments. Both are features I really like about the Cinela mounts.
 

Myself and most other boom ops I work with are mounting a plug on transmitter at the shock mount end of the pole so to use a standard Invision 7 mount I need to first add an XLR holder (I like the simple aluminum one from Ambient) and a short XLR so the cost difference between Rycote and the RAD-1 becomes a moot point. 
 

I wonder if using an MKH50 in one of these deforms the cable clips? I’ve found that once I’ve used a 50 in a Rycote mount for a while the clips get stretched and it’s no longer useable for smaller diameter mics. 

[r.paterson]

3 hours ago, Derek H said:

Thanks Roland, I remember your article now. I think your assessment is fair that it comes down to the more boom centric features such as the XLR clamp and ratcheting adjustments. Both are features I really like about the Cinela mounts.
 

Myself and most other boom ops I work with are mounting a plug on transmitter at the shock mount end of the pole so to use a standard Invision 7 mount I need to first add an XLR holder (I like the simple aluminum one from Ambient) and a short XLR so the cost difference between Rycote and the RAD-1 becomes a moot point. 
 

I wonder if using an MKH50 in one of these deforms the cable clips? I’ve found that once I’ve used a 50 in a Rycote mount for a while the clips get stretched and it’s no longer useable for smaller diameter mics. 

Hi Derek, the Radius mounts work very well as interior, I've an issue when adding a bubblebee Windkiller on some mics the "Droop" that being said it's longer mics like cs3e, I don't use the radius for my mkh50 as the clip not perfect. However Radius are in the process of making an mkh50 specific clip mount. The new proto type windshield lt looks very good. So does the quick release boom mount look great.. Both being released soonish ie spring time, if you use FB Radius have their own private page with videos of the prototypes etc.. I wouldn't go back to rycote now radius are definetly on the right track.. 

[Derek H]

Hey thanks Richard. Just curious if you have the RAD 1 or 2 with the droop problem?

 

 I’m not on Facebook anymore so I haven’t seen the prototype pics. I just sent Simon an email suggesting all black parts and fur. 

[r.paterson]

1 hour ago, Derek H said:

Hey thanks Richard. Just curious if you have the RAD 1 or 2 with the droop problem?

 

 I’m not on Facebook anymore so I haven’t seen the prototype pics. I just sent Simon an email suggesting all black parts and fur. 

I have both Rad1 and Rad 2 rad 2 had the droop with cs3e not with foam. But with the Windkiller it was to much weight. 

[Fred Salles]

Hello, no RAD suspension yet so I am slightly off topic but still about RadiusWindshield:

I have received my replacement fur (windjammer) they made for my AF rycote windshield (for my schoeps ortf stereo setup). It is more than 15 years old and going strong still, except the original fur. 
I must say I am very happy with the fur ! It is so far better than the original one on many account - I have not been trying it in a very strong wind situation yet. 
The Radius fur fits perfectlty and cover fully the lower part, that was a point not adressed by rycote for years. The fur hair itself feels exactly like the original, maybe slightly lighter. The inner fabric is definitely lighter yet feels strong, and it  seems to me the whole windjammer has less acoustic impact in the highs than the original (feeling only since I cannot do A B comparison with a new Rycote).

Also the team at Radius was impressively reactive and quick to proceed my request as AF size wasnt in their listing yet. 
On the total oposite of Vitecbibendum that initially said they could provide but stayed silent for more than a year after I asked for a quote…
I am glad I heard of Radius here the first time some months ago and got in touch with them. 
An efficient human-size business like I wish there were more. 
I am looking forward to try their suspension, although I am a Cinela fan. But for the Piano fur I will try the Radius replacement soon! 

[POLYSOUND]

A question that struck me. Would it be possible to mount a Radius suspension inside a Rycote windscreen to make the wind screen less prone to handling noise? The mounting points look quite similar from the pictures I've seen. 

[r.paterson]

2 hours ago, POLYSOUND said:

A question that struck me. Would it be possible to mount a Radius suspension inside a Rycote windscreen to make the wind screen less prone to handling noise? The mounting points look quite similar from the pictures I've seen. 

Yes the Radious hoops fit the Rycote lyre fitting, a few recordists are doing this til the Radious Windshield is released. 

[POLYSOUND]

19 hours ago, r.paterson said:

Yes the Radious hoops fit the Rycote lyre fitting, a few recordists are doing this til the Radious Windshield is released. 

Alright! Thats cool, I might look into that! 😎 👍

[sfxdude]

On 1/20/2024 at 8:47 PM, Derek H said:

I’m curious who has picked up one of the RAD mounts from Radius and what do you think of it? Haven’t seen a lot of discussion about them other than the business side of things which I’m aware of. 
 

I’d like to hear from people who have used the new RAD mounts out in the field. I’m a Cinela fan but have also gone with the much cheaper invision mounts for certain mics and have been happy (MKH50 for example which is more forgiving). 
 

While I like Cinela mounts for their well thought out features and perfect match approach they are very pricey and I find their full blimp to be kind of heavy and fiddly. It’s great at its job but I sometimes find myself preferring the old school Rycote windshield which worked well and was easy to use.
 

I’m very curious to see what Radius does for a full windshield this year. 

It would deform it a bit so because of that issue they have now designed a special version of the clips for their system made just for (MKH50) you might want to check it out here.
https://radiuswindshields.com/products/pair-of-rad-mkh50-mic-clips-clips-only-no-hoops

[Kirill Belousov]

I've been using Radius for the past 2 TV shows. And personally I really love the quality and well thought design. Only thing I'll ask mixer to upgrade default lyres work the MKH50 specific ones, sonce they are available now. We are currently using an outdoor blimp as well for the past 4 weeks of the first block. Personally I love the way the magnets are holding two halves of the blimp together. There is very good design for the XLR cable outlet from the blimp. I love the way sock is designed and clicks tightly together over the blimp. Make sure you connect all parts together properly, not backward. Otherwise sock is a bit harder to put on. 

 

So far I really love this mount. Also I love that I can strip the mic literally in moments from outdoor mode to indoor mode. Only thing we need to get is a MKH50 lyres to make it even more better. 

 

I didn't like how the default lyres handle a "speed ball" with the fir on it. It seem to tilt fron of the mic left and right under the combined weight. Hopefully MKH50 lyres are tougher and won't tilt after the change. 

 

Otherwise great company making great tools for pro boom ops. I'm looking forward to what else they'll come up with in the future. 

[Derek H]

I agree. They are very solid and well thought out. Not perfect of course and there’s a few things I’d like to see addressed. For example, I don’t like the backward ‘sweep’ of the central column. In my opinion this throws the balance off when operating and the mic wants to flop left or right. Some have suggested to flip the whole thing around but then you have the opposite problem and it’s very forward heavy. In my opinion there shouldn’t be a sweep-back at all and the central column should just attach to the shock mount straight-on like a PSC universal mount does. 

I’m also eager to see what they do for a full-sized windshield. Hopefully their design will allow for more adjustment of mic position to allow for a more tuned balance. It’s a tough problem to tackle and it’s easy to understand why Cinela’s solution is to dedicate every model to a single microphone. I think a more universal design can be done but it’s obviously challenging. 

[Roland Harris]

33 minutes ago, Derek H said:

In my opinion there shouldn’t be a sweep-back at all and the central column should just attach to the shock mount straight-on like a PSC universal mount does.

 

Like this?!

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

 

 

[Derek H]

Yes!!! Ok I’m copying your homework from now on. Thanks Roland

[Derek H]

Roland, what exactly am I looking at here? Custom made base plate?

[Roland Harris]

3 hours ago, Derek H said:

Roland, what exactly am I looking at here? Custom made base plate?

 

Yes. It was very simple to make, and the impetus came from fitting an ORTF pair into a Mini-ALTO: the normal base was oriented 90 degrees out of course - tilting ORTF side to side isn't much use! There's a link to the (freely available) model for the base adapter at the end of this blog-post (itself the third part on the subject of ORTF in a Mini-ALTO): https://drbadphil.com/ortf-in-a-mini-alto-part-3-which-mics-fit

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

[Derek H]

Thank you!