6.17: Microphone Accessories
- Page ID
- 388284
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Stands
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Straight stands: Upright, stage use.
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Boom stands: Adjustable arms for angled placement.
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Desk stands: Compact, for podcasts and broadcasting.
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Gooseneck stands: Flexible, common at lecterns.
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Fish pole (boom pole): Used in film to position shotgun mics overhead. This piece of equipment was invented by director Dorothy Arzner in 1929 during her work on the film “The Wild Party”. She used a fishing pole to hold the mic over the head of the actors in order to capture the dialog.
Popper Stoppers (Pop Filters)
Reduce plosives (“P” and “B”) by diffusing air.
Made of a frame, mesh or nylon screen, and a mounting arm/gooseneck.
Windscreens and Dead Cats
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Foam windscreens: Reduce the sounds caused by wind and moving air.
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Dead cat (furry wind-shield): A long-haired synthetic cover placed over a foam windscreen, used in outdoor recording to drastically reduce the sound of wind. Its furry texture slows and disperses air movement before it reaches the mic capsule, making it essential for field production and film sets.
Shock Mounts and Mic Cradles
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Shock mounts: Specialized mounts that suspend a microphone in elastic bands or rubberized systems to isolate and decouple it from mechanical vibrations, handling noise, or stand bumps. They are essential for studio condensers, which are very sensitive to vibration.
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Mic cradles: A variation of the shock mount that securely holds the mic in place while providing additional suspension or swivel flexibility. These are often used in broadcast environments or with larger studio microphones.