Hurricane Mic's

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I live in NC and so the hurricanes are of interest to me. The most amazing
thing that I have ever seen concerning microphones are the "on location"
reporters for the Weather Channel. They are talking on a handheld mic, with
wind screen, while the roof on the building next to them flies off then and
you see some trees blowing down the road next to them while the reporter
hangs onto something. The voice is very clear with very little wind noise.
I have never seen a windscreen this effective. Just watch the Weather
channel during hurricane season and you see what I am talking about.

HOW DO THEY DO IT! INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW...

John

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Eric Toline wrote:

>It's not the foam windscreens as much as the mic. Most of them are using
>dynamic mics like the EV RE-50 or 635.

It's not that the RE-50 and 635 are dynamic as that they are omni-
directional. Consider, for example, that the SM-57 and SM-58 are dynamic
and their wind noise characteristics are very poor. Cardioids (such as the
SM-57 and SM-58) are so ubiquitous that many have not experienced the wind
noise immunity that omnis offer. Omnis also typically have better handling
noise characteristics, better resist plosives, and, of course, offer better
off-axis response.

Why, you may then ask, are cardioids so popular? It's because most
people use mics in sound reinforcement (PA) applications where cardioid's
far greater gain before feedback characteristic is crucial.

--
========================================================================
Michael Kesti | "And like, one and one don't make
| two, one and one make one."
mkesti@gv.net | - The Who, Bargain

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>
>On Sat, 14 Aug 2004 17:53:30 GMT, "John Phillips"
><jsp5646@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>HOW DO THEY DO IT! INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW...
>

Ya think that they may use a fixed filter or two?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Seems like the RE50 is a popular one with reporters. Has effective built in
shock mount & pop filter, better than most and no proximity effect. With
added external foam windscreen, it's very good and if reporters talk very
close into it... Low end of spectrum accounts for most wind noise, so if
you filter that out and close talk the mic, it can make a huge difference.
I experimented with something once, stretching a nylon stocking over the
frame for a work light and shock mounting the mic inside. It worked quite
well, reducing pop and wind noise without killing high end response... In
film they use big 'blimps' or shaggy carpet like filters over their shotgun
mics and roll off extreme low end when it's windy, but of course we don't
see those in the media...

So what do those reporters use?

Skerl


John Phillips <jsp5646@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uksTc.170960$wH4.10962738@twister.southeast.rr.com...
> I live in NC and so the hurricanes are of interest to me. The most
amazing
> thing that I have ever seen concerning microphones are the "on location"
> reporters for the Weather Channel. They are talking on a handheld mic,
with
> wind screen, while the roof on the building next to them flies off then
and
> you see some trees blowing down the road next to them while the reporter
> hangs onto something. The voice is very clear with very little wind
noise.
> I have never seen a windscreen this effective. Just watch the Weather
> channel during hurricane season and you see what I am talking about.
>
> HOW DO THEY DO IT! INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW...
>
> John
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

" In film they use big 'blimps' or shaggy carpet like filters over
their shotgun mics"

>They're called high wind covers or furrys and are made from rabbit fur.
>The insider term for them is a "dead cat"

Hee hee :-)

I like that!




So what do those reporters use?<<<<<<<

>When it's a hand held mic it's what you see on camera. At times in good
>weather it could be a lav. Sometimes there's a boom mic but with news
>crews being reduced to one man band operations, hand held mics hard
>wired or wireless are the norm.

I see 'em at some of my big sound gigs for sporting events and such... Very
so often I still see someone (usually radio nerds) using 635s! :-P
To me it's just amazing how long the RE50 has remained popular with on
camera stand up reporters, kind of like how 57s & 58s are have been
prevalent for son long for small & mid sized PAs.


I'm definitely telling some of the guys at work about the "dead cat"!


Thanks

Skeaeaerl