Mic stand for bedroom studio

Susanne Olsen

New member
Hi! I am getting my first ever equipment for home recording, and finding it hard to know whether I should have a tripod or round base, and whether I need a boom or straight stand. Would love some advice. These are my "conditions" :
- I will be using it to record vocals only, using AT2020 Condenser Mic and pop filter
- Will be used in my bedroom, which has carpet floor
- at first thought I'd prefer a straight stand with round base simply because of limited space, but I do have space for a tripod boom if this will be an advantage in any other way.

My question is simply whether a round base will be too wobbly for a carpet floor and whether I should have a boom when only recording vocals?

Thanks in advance for your help! :)
 
Hi and welcome.........I'd advise a tripod stand because I think they're a lot more stable than a round base on any surface. Yes...they do take up a bit more area but it's not enough to worry about in my opinion. As for a boom......they're usually cheap enough to not have to be a second thought. If you have a boom......I can assure you there will likely be a number of times you'll be glad you do. When you don't have one.......there'll be a time when you're having to improvise. As well......you may find....as many singers do.....that a boom gives you more freedom to perform and sing.
 
A boom stand is more versatile, and you can always take the boom off if you decide it's really unnecessary for your use. A straight stand is useful in tighter spaces, and if the only way you will use it is standing in front of it, probably only singing, i.e., no guitar strapped on.

The only thing about a boom is that physics and gravity can surprise you sometimes if there's too much weight at the end. So, while the AT2020 is not a heavy mic, (relative to some, e.g. my Miktek MK300 weighs about 2x), once you add a pop filter it might get a little tippy. Even a light mic can tip a stand if the boom is fully extended (DAMHIKT). I've found I like to have one of those extra counterweights to put on a leg, the base or even the boom, in some cases.
 
I use round bases with a couple of really short stands for drum kits, etc...it's easier to fit them into a tight space...but the rest of my stands are all tripod, and most have either long or short boom arms on them.
You can always turn a boom into a straight stand, but not the other way around. For heavier mics, there are counterweights, or just toss something heavy across the tripod legs...and position it so that one of the legs is pointing in the same direction as the boom/mic.
 
^^^this. Round bases are fine for short stuff and live work(or ambient/room mics). I would get a boom so that you have room for a music stand or something such as an acoustic guitar. The key to using the ones without weights on the boom is not extending far and making sure the boom is above one of the tripods "feet".
 
Thank you so much for thorough advice, really helpful! :)
I wasn't aware you could detach the boom. I will go for a tripod with a boom then!
 
Thank you so much for thorough advice, really helpful! :)
I wasn't aware you could detach the boom. I will go for a tripod with a boom then!

Most times you don't even need to take the boom off, just slide it down parallel with the main upright.

For home recording mic stands are one of the few things you can go pretty cheap with. They do not have to stand the bashing in and out of the band's Transit . Two mic stands, one of the short, round base types, can be infinitely more useful than one very expensive one.

Dave.
 
Most times you don't even need to take the boom off, just slide it down parallel with the main upright.

For home recording mic stands are one of the few things you can go pretty cheap with. They do not have to stand the bashing in and out of the band's Transit . Two mic stands, one of the short, round base types, can be infinitely more useful than one very expensive one.

Dave.


Right...just tilt the boom up and you have a straight stand.

Now...on the subject of cheap stands, I would say the opposite...if all you need are 1-2 stands, buy the more expensive better ones, and they will last you forever.
I've had my share of "On Stage" and some other even cheaper stands...and they all eventually break down at some part. I've had to repair EVERY "On Stage" stand at the very top end where the mic holder screws on, because if you over-tighten them just a little, that top screw piece on them would let loose and spring free...because the way they manufacture it is real shit. They just pinch the outer sleeve a bit to crimp the screw-on part, and it doesn't take much to get loose.
I've had to drill them and stick a pin nail through the screw part and the sleeve and then crimp and file down the edge of the nail...and then finally it was solid enough so you could tighten the mic clips without have it come loose. I PITA...but now they are fine.

So since then, I pretty much only by K&M stands and Triad Orbit retro swivel mounts. The Triad Orbit stands are even way better than the K&M, they are much more expensive. With the Triad Orbit retro mount, I can just add their swivel heads to any stand...and the K&M stands are really top-notch.
Atlas also makes really good stands.

I've got maybe a dozen K&M stands most with booms, a few low-profile ones...and then a couple On Stage that I've fixed, and a couple of odd ones, plus a pair of the really tall On-Stage room mic stands, with wheels...and then a pair of the REAL tall Atlas room mic stands, with the triangle base w/wheels.
Way more than most folks need for a home studio...but I'm going to need the extra stands in the new, bigger studio.
I found a great deal for some straight K&M tripod stands...I paid $15 each for 5 of them, then I bought some short, adjustable K&M booms for them...so I ended up with a K&M boom stand for like $45 each when they normally would sell complete for about $70-$80. :)

Go to eBay...check for "adorama" seller...and then search for K&M stands in their listings. I think they still have some straight tripod K&M stands for $15 each...free shipping. They are supposed to be used/open box...but all five of mine were brand new, in box. :cool:

Here you go...they still have a lot of the straight tripod stands that can be had for $15/free shipping...just type "k&m" in the search box.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/adorama/m....wE0AAOSw25hd1cpJ&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
 
Ok Miroslav, I tend to agree with you that it is always best to buy the best quality you can but usually noobs in ths HR game are very strapped.

I would ALWAYS say "Don't buy the lowest, whale **** basic, one lunged AI you can. Save for better". Mics are bit of a conundrum. The SM57/58 are well over £100 because Shure CAN charge that and don't give a flying ---- but there are some very good dynamics about now at 1/3rd the price and Behringer do a ridiculously cheap dynamic that is fine if you play dives where it might get nicked (same goes for headphones.)

Our cheapish, £25 a pop stands seem to have lasted well and dare I suggest the OP lady is not as 'golly handed' as some blokes?

Diff' strokes mate?

Dave.
 
I've never had a problem with the mic cli[ part of a cheap stand. The boom angle adjust part, yes - it's all plastic. And what kills them over time are people forcing them without loosening (and retightening). Also the bottom plastic tightener that locks the tripod in place. Eventually the bottom of the stand slides through and hits the floor.

Hey Dave, good to see you back. Hope your medical stuff went ok.
 
I've never had a problem with the mic cli[ part of a cheap stand. The boom angle adjust part, yes - it's all plastic. And what kills them over time are people forcing them without loosening (and retightening). Also the bottom plastic tightener that locks the tripod in place. Eventually the bottom of the stand slides through and hits the floor.

Hey Dave, good to see you back. Hope your medical stuff went ok.

Yes, some people can break ANYTHING!

Much better now thanks but I tell thee something? Major abdominal surgery don't half mess with one's 'disposal systems'...For weeks!

Dave.
 
Just to follow up on the cheap vs. not consideration - I have both cheap stuff and slightly better. For home use, if you have to pack up and stow your things and then reassemble to do recording, then get something better. The twisting and tightening parts are the weak "links" in construction, as well as a bit thinner tubing, though that is unlikely to fail at home. And, if you are careful, maybe the cheap ones will hold up. Just don't take them to an open mic where all kinds of ham-fisted (and possibly not clear-headed) folks will try their hand at adjusting them. BTDT.

Tangentially, I'll say that if you can set things up for recording and leave it all there, the equipment will suffer less, you'll almost certainly do a lot more recording.
 
Ok Miroslav, I tend to agree with you that it is always best to buy the best quality you can but usually noobs in ths HR game are very strapped.

I understand that...but that way I look at it, if you only need 1-2...it's "easier" to afford something better...than say, if you needed 10 of the same thing.
So like if you have a lot of middlin' mic stands, and one breaks...you still have plenty available. If you only have one, and it breaks...you're SOL. :D
Not to mention...the long-term value.

It's like mics for the typical home user. I say, buy one really good mic. It will last, you will get great use out of it, and it will also hold resale in case you ever want to upgrade or whatever. When you buy a cheap mic...its just that, a cheap mic...and it's your only option.

Anyway...with stands, I find that the price difference between say...a cheaper On Stage vs. a K&M or Atlas...is not substantial, but the quality difference is.

With something like the Triad Orbit stands...they're more for big budget uses. I would love to have nothing but their stands and accessories, but I'm not going to pay $150-$200 for a single boom stand...so going with their retro-fit swivel adapters, I get almost the same flexibility, and I can put them on any stand I want. Granted...Triad Orbit stuff is SUPER flexible and very heavy duty...so if you buy their stands, it's like a lifetime stand. In the pro studio world, they would opt for that kind of stuff because of the flexibility and durability...but a home use situation may not need that much overkill.
 
"Tangentially, I'll say that if you can set things up for recording and leave it all there, the equipment will suffer less, you'll almost certainly do a lot more recording."

That ^ was our situation Keith. Son was the only one in the room recording most of the time and there would be one small stand setup in front of a git speaker and another for acoustic guitar and the rare vocal.

Dad would go in to fix the computer and sort out the experimental hook up son had tried and failed to make work.

Dave.
 
I have a larger diameter K&M round base stand that's quite a bit more stable than the more common stands. It would be easy to make it even more stable by putting a weight, like one of those shot filled ankle weights people use for exercise. Or you can put a barbell weight on it to make it super stable. That along with a short boom might be a good option for a tight space.
 
Right...just tilt the boom up and you have a straight stand.

Now...on the subject of cheap stands, I would say the opposite...if all you need are 1-2 stands, buy the more expensive better ones, and they will last you forever.
I've had my share of "On Stage" and some other even cheaper stands...and they all eventually break down at some part. I've had to repair EVERY "On Stage" stand at the very top end where the mic holder screws on, because if you over-tighten them just a little, that top screw piece on them would let loose and spring free...because the way they manufacture it is real shit. They just pinch the outer sleeve a bit to crimp the screw-on part, and it doesn't take much to get loose.
I've had to drill them and stick a pin nail through the screw part and the sleeve and then crimp and file down the edge of the nail...and then finally it was solid enough so you could tighten the mic clips without have it come loose. I PITA...but now they are fine.

So since then, I pretty much only by K&M stands and Triad Orbit retro swivel mounts. The Triad Orbit stands are even way better than the K&M, they are much more expensive. With the Triad Orbit retro mount, I can just add their swivel heads to any stand...and the K&M stands are really top-notch.
Atlas also makes really good stands.

I've got maybe a dozen K&M stands most with booms, a few low-profile ones...and then a couple On Stage that I've fixed, and a couple of odd ones, plus a pair of the really tall On-Stage room mic stands, with wheels...and then a pair of the REAL tall Atlas room mic stands, with the triangle base w/wheels.
Way more than most folks need for a home studio...but I'm going to need the extra stands in the new, bigger studio.
I found a great deal for some straight K&M tripod stands...I paid $15 each for 5 of them, then I bought some short, adjustable K&M booms for them...so I ended up with a K&M boom stand for like $45 each when they normally would sell complete for about $70-$80. :)

Go to eBay...check for "adorama" seller...and then search for K&M stands in their listings. I think they still have some straight tripod K&M stands for $15 each...free shipping. They are supposed to be used/open box...but all five of mine were brand new, in box. :cool:

Here you go...they still have a lot of the straight tripod stands that can be had for $15/free shipping...just type "k&m" in the search box.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/adorama/m....wE0AAOSw25hd1cpJ&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

like these?


K M 20170-500-55 Microphone Stand - 35.4 to 63" Height SKU#1168433
 
Tangentially, I'll say that if you can set things up for recording and leave it all there, the equipment will suffer less, you'll almost certainly do a lot more recording.

I get the reasoning AFA the equipment suffering less...but I always hated doing that from a creative, recording perspective.
It just made me feel lazy...and indirectly pushed me to then do everything the same way.
This is no different than leaving all the knobs buttons setup on the gear...and just keep reusing the same settings.
It's actually becoming the norm for the ITB users...I see people always asking how they can just copy/paste the same plugin setting to all the tracks...huh???

I dunno...I was taught and always followed the "zero everything" approach from session to session. I don't mean like if you're doing some guitar tracks today, and you plan to just continue with more of the same guitar tracks tomorrow....rather from song to song, I like to put things away, take down the mics, zero the board, etc.
Even when I'm working on the same song, but I'm doing some guitar today, and then I'll move on to other things, but plan to come back to more guitar tracks later...I don't like leaving everything set up. I prefer to break it down unless I really need things to be in the *exact* same position...in which case I won't switch to doing other tracks, and I'll just stay with the guitar until it's done.

Yeah...it takes all of 5-10 minutes to put stuff away, and another 5-10 minutes to set it up again...which TBH, I can't see as any real impediment to recording or being creative. If anything, I find that the time I take to do those things, allows me to think about what I'm going to do next, etc.
I rarely record like I'm in a rush and only have 30 minutes to lay down tracks...so that even 5-10 minutes is wasteful. For me, recording is always a long session...all day or even all day and half the night. :)
 
We have something similar to this..https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frameworks...ywords=pulse+mic+stand&qid=1574407325&sr=8-33

The offset base is more stable than a circular one if you keep the boom over the base. Did not pay a nifty for mine tho'but!

Miroslav: you are the consumate professional! Even though you don't do commercial work I understand?

See, many folks get in from the 9-2-5 commute, knackered but maybe with a tune in their head*. They need a beer and a recording system going bish-bosh.

Then they maybe get two hours before 'er (or 'im) indoors wants some sort of attention.

Re buying good stuff? Many would love to but they literally have NO money. They have the urge to create but have to buy gear that will get them by a bit at a time.

*My son travels from his domicile to the coastal village where he plays. He tells me he works on the band parts in his head on the bus and is ready for rehearsal upon arrival. Most folks cannot do that!

Dave.
 
We have something similar to this..Frameworks GFW-MIC-0821 Compact Base Bass Drum and Amp Mic Stand: Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments

The offset base is more stable than a circular one if you keep the boom over the base. Did not pay a nifty for mine tho'but!

Miroslav: you are the consumate professional! Even though you don't do commercial work I understand?

See, many folks get in from the 9-2-5 commute, knackered but maybe with a tune in their head*. They need a beer and a recording system going bish-bosh.

Then they maybe get two hours before 'er (or 'im) indoors wants some sort of attention.

Re buying good stuff? Many would love to but they literally have NO money. They have the urge to create but have to buy gear that will get them by a bit at a time.

*My son travels from his domicile to the coastal village where he plays. He tells me he works on the band parts in his head on the bus and is ready for rehearsal upon arrival. Most folks cannot do that!

Dave.

It's just that I have never been good at being "creative" with a short 1-2 hour window of opportunity. Yeah, I can maybe get some edits done or that kind of stuff...but to pop-in and start recording the minute I walk into the studio, and try to get something done in a hurry...it just never worked out for me.
It takes me 1-2 hours just to get into the mood AFTER I walk into the studio, get things set up, let the gear warm up, get my guitars and my brain tuned up... :)

AFA the "ain't got no money" argument for buying...I get that...I'm just saying that over the years, when I bought cheap, it usually never worked out well.
I followed that road too back in the day. Make do, buy what you can...etc. Looking back, I would now have rather skipped over some of the cheap gear that I quickly outgrew because it broke or it didn't quite do the job, and just gone for the bigger items. I've played that game too many times...trying to think that it was better to spend a chunk of money on a bunch of inexpensive items vs. 1-2 more expensive items...and TBH, looking back, the latter approach would have been the smarter for the long-term.
 
We have something similar to this..Frameworks GFW-MIC-0821 Compact Base Bass Drum and Amp Mic Stand: Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments

The offset base is more stable than a circular one if you keep the boom over the base. Did not pay a nifty for mine tho'but!

Miroslav: you are the consumate professional! Even though you don't do commercial work I understand?

See, many folks get in from the 9-2-5 commute, knackered but maybe with a tune in their head*. They need a beer and a recording system going bish-bosh.

Then they maybe get two hours before 'er (or 'im) indoors wants some sort of attention.

Re buying good stuff? Many would love to but they literally have NO money. They have the urge to create but have to buy gear that will get them by a bit at a time.

*My son travels from his domicile to the coastal village where he plays. He tells me he works on the band parts in his head on the bus and is ready for rehearsal upon arrival. Most folks cannot do that!

Dave.

I have one of these with one of my kick mics on it, and I do have to be mindful of the weight of any mic for that one especially.
 
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