Condenser Mic Stand

[etg888]

Hello,

I recently purchased the M-Audio Nova condenser mic and I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive stand for it. I will be recording vocals and some instruments, and won't be doing a lot of traveling with it so it doesn't need to be really heavy duty. I also have a pop filter so it doesn't need to come with that. As for a shock mount, I'm pretty new to this so I'm not sure if it's necessary, so some clarification on that would be great too. Any ideas?

Thank you!

 

[BroKen_H]

They don't require anything special, no the stand can be a simple $20 stand or a $15 desk stand. The shock mount is optional, but nice. Keeps touchies from coming through the recording. Definitely on the pop filter. Condenser mikes are quickly ruined by moisture (i.e. the gleek club).

 

[ido1957]

I use a shockmount because it stops the thunk you get from tapping your foot on the floor while singing.

 

[witzendoz]

Buy a good brand not a cheap brand, a cheap one will fall apart when being travelled around the place and/or drop the mic on the floor. K&M stands, buy once for life.

Alan.

 

[Tadpui]

I've bought entirely the cheapest-of-the-cheap mic stands, and I'm definitely regretting it. On-Stage Stands and Musician's Gear are OK for the price, but even in my little studio with zero travelling around, these things are dropping like flies. Boom arms come loose, screws fall out and get lost, plastic parts break, and the clutches stop gripping tightly over time.

I say buy the best that you can afford, or save up until you can afford a nice stand.

Also, all of mine are tripod bases, which are not ideal when it comes to heavy studio mics. If the mic is a little too far from the center of gravity, or the mic isn't directly over one of the 3 tripod legs, there is a risk of the whole thing tipping over. I say get a round, weighted base stand and you'll be glad that you did.

[EDIT] This post got me to shopping around for some new mic stands, and there really aren't a ton of options for good weighted-base stands. So maybe just something with a counterweight on the boom arm would suffice to keep a heavy mic from tipping over so easily. Or rig up your own counterweight...which I might try.

 

[ecc83]

Whilst it is always desirable to buy the best gear you can I really do think that in the case of mic stands this is pointless.
I have had several stands from Maplin and CPC/Farnell in the £20 bracket and for the gentle use they get in a home "studio" they are fine. Our heaviest mic, a Sontronics STC-2 stands watching or it droops but such problems can be fixed with gaffer tape and/or cable ties since once you are set you are set!

Yes, tripods ARE a B nuisance in a confined space so look for mini stand which are about 2/3 height of ususal and with a smaller leg footprint. Even better for amps is one I found which only extends to some 40mm but has a 160x100mm solid heavy base and is ideal for poking the SM57 at a cab.
I shall look for some links.http://www.thomann.de/gb/hercules_stands_mikrostativ_galgen_kurz_runds.htm

Also their K&M 25910 stands a varder.



Dave.

 

[BroKen_H]

Another option we haven't considered. Most of the pawn shops I frequent (get good deals on equipment from time to time there) have a couple mic stands sitting in the corner. Probably get a decent one for $10-20.
My condenser's mic stand is a $15 desk stand. Sits right in front of my controls so I can sing and record at the same time. Just assign the MPD18 to play/pause/record (the pads are silent) and sing to my heart's content and my wife's ears' dismay!

 

[moresound]

Just make sure that it has a good counter-weight.
Worst thing ever is to have the boom arm extended out and the microphone makes it top heavy then down she goes to do a face drop on the hard floor ... Ouch.

 

[BroKen_H]

Back in the old days, we used to tie 5 & 10 lb weights from the free weights to the boom to keep cheap stands upright. Then we realized that putting bigger weights (25lb) over the stand itself helped the base stay stable and looked a lot less oog-lee. A nice felt pad between the weight and the stand base keeps noise down, but you don't want to use your toe to find the weight at high velocity (did that a few times, too.

 

[mjbphotos]

Sandbags! really. Any bag filled with a weight, then placed on top of the tripod leg(s) will help the "unbalanced tip-over" problem. Most boom stands these days don't have a heavy counterweight as everyone wants 'lightness" and sleek look. The heavy base kind actually are not that stable with a heavy mic on the end of the boom -at least wiht a tripod base, you can position it so that one leg is in the same direction as the mic.
I concur on cheap vs expensive, the cheap ones will eventually wear out on you. But if you buy cheap, aren't doing heavy gigging, they will work for a long time. I just got a cheapie from American Musical for $18.