where to buy cheap mic stands or DIY?

mellotron

New member
has anyone on here ever tried buying a mic stand from EDM Wholesalers? they're having a sale of single boom arms for $8. the 2nd cheapest, i've found on amazon and the cheapest for an on-stage is around $18.

or has anyone ever been a really cheap bastard and gone the ramshackle DIY route? i think i read somewhere of a person making a desktop vocal mic with a wire coat hanger...
 
Boom arms are only half of a mic stand (the optional half). On the cheap you can get a stereo bar from GC for $7. Duct tape that to whatever and there's your mic stand. For tall mic stands using a light stand seems to be the cheap route. 16' light stand is like 1/10th the cost of a 16' mic stand. Duct tape a boom arm to it and instant 16' mic stand. Baring that wire coat hangers are very useful. Of course the mic stand is generally what's between the audience and the performance, so you have got to consider what is the safest and the best presentation for your image.
 
The biggest problem I've had with cheap mic stands is falling over. Microphones (at least LDCs and ribbons) are heavy, and particularly if you're using a boom, they tend to raise the center of gravity a lot, so the stands tend to tip very easily.

The other problem I've had with cheap mic stands is failure of the rubber grommets that the cheap ones almost invariably use for the boom arms. (Well, a lot of boom stands use rubber for providing the grip, but the hardware around it is relevant here.) Those types of booms can't be tightened down enough that they don't slip, and if you try, you end up distorting the rubber and they'll never work right again.

The stand I see in that picture appears to have both of those problems. If you really desperately need a lot of cheap stands and don't care if they last very long, go with those. Otherwise, I'd stay away.

The cheapest tripod stands I'm aware of that are worth using are built by Tama. You can get them at Guitar Center/MF, and they're about $55 apiece. I use one as part of my drum kit. It holds two cymbals and a rack tom.

As an alternative to tripod stands, you might consider a steel-base stand. Don't get one with a 10" diameter base, though. That's really too small for use with a boom. You really should use at least a 12" base (e.g. get an Atlas MS20 and add a locking boom like an On-Stage MSA-9500 or MSA-9505).
 
Yeah, I just want to use it for recording. EDM has a 2x boom for ~$9. I probably would only use that if I wanted to playing guitar and sing simultaneously.

I think the key component in a DIY mic stand (most DIY for the matter) is duct tape. I could probably just tape the mic to my cello case. Would probably alter the acoustics too. :P

I've had problems with the mic stand falling over with On-Stage, especially with the AT4047 I used to have.

I'll probably just use duct tape.
 
I hate to even suggest this, but try Ebay, and Craigslist. I find "lots" of mic stands on ebay. Saw one last week that was 5 mic stands for $38. On Craigslist, I just bought a LD mic, pop filter, and nice stand w/boom for $50, and sold the mic for $60. So, I made $10, and got a free stand, and pop filter.
 
Yup, and those lots of stands (at least the ones I've seen) are precisely the same ultralight stands that fall over constantly with LDCs and sag under the weight of pencil condensers.... :)
 
Still a better suggestion than duct taping things. Problem is, if you want "cheap", cheap is what you get.
 
The point someone made is that the $5 stands DON'T work.;)

I've got a bunch of cheap stands. I bought the musicians friend deal like 10 stands for 99. 90% work pretty well. I cut down a few to use for short stands and kick drums. Well worth the price as far as i can tell.
 
In my studio I have placed $3 desk flanges on the ceiling in spots like where the overheads go and for the vocal mics with goosenecks hanging down.

You will never have to worry about stands falling over and dammaging mics that way...lol.
 
cheap DIY mic stands

I've made successful recording mic stands from PVC. These are actually extendible, stable tripod designs. They are easily disassembled, without tools, for transport.

I recall the I made two stands for under $20US.

Dan
 
Another thing that works pretty well with light tripod mic stands is a five or ten pound barbell weight. They're about six bucks (and up) and just slip over the upright.

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