NOTE! The PAR web site is undergoing major revision. To access the NEW articles and reviews, please click on the Home Page link above, and then select a menu option on that page.
NOTE2! The reviews listed in the drop down menu below are the OLD reviews.
Choose
a Different
Review Category:
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Shock Mount Microphone Shockmount
by Richard Alan Salz
Anyone who has ever suffered the agony of breaking a Sennheiser 421 clip or paying $100 (or more) for a microphone shockmount can tell you · there has got to be a better way! Gary Young, ex-drummer/producer of the band Pavement, has developed a great, inexpensive shockmount that holds most mics and provides good isolation.
Features/In use
The Shock Mount ($25) consists of an outer ring, made of 1/4-inch black plastic, attached to a threaded mount (for installation on a standard mic stand) and two thick elastic cords that run parallel through the top and bottom of the plastic ring. That's it. It is finished to a nice - but not elaborate - standard.
While it won't be confused with a Neumann shockmount, this is a simple product that works. I used it with mics ranging in size from small to medium-large. Its elastic cords can be used in two different configurations. The first configuration consists of slipping the microphone between the two parallel elastic bands. The second method requires twisting the elastic bands over themselves, creating more tension. I had good luck twisting the top and bottom bands in opposite directions.
I tried the Shock Mount with a variety of microphones. The Shure 57 worked well, with a good fit, especially using the second method. A Sennheiser 421 also had a good fit, provided the microphone was pushed through so that one elastic cord wrapped around the bottom of the grille. Otherwise, due to its smooth finish and tapered body, the microphone could slip out.
The Shock Mount fit my Microtech Gefell M71k really well and provided a good amount of isolation from mic-stand-induced vibration. On an Audio-Technica 4060, although the factory shockmount seemed a bit more secure (due to its locking thumbscrews, which prevent the microphone from falling), I noted that the Shock Mount seemed more immune to vibration transmission.
Summary
This is a good product at a great price. The only possible reservation that I have concerning its use would be that the body of the Shock Mount is solid (whereas other microphone shockmounts are usually perforated or constructed in a "spider" fashion), which could provide a reflective surface - perhaps changing the response of a microphone. In all fairness, simply making sure that the microphone's diaphragm is as far as possible from the shockmount itself can eliminate this effect.
Contact: Shock Mount at 209-931-5409; www.shockmount.com.
Richard Alan Salz, a contributor to Pro Audio Review, owns and operates a recording a studio in Vermont that provides Web-oriented media.
| Sponsored links: |
