Mic blimp size - is it all the same?

[Andrew Sobey]

Right now I have an ME67 (long gun) and an ME64 (short cardioid). I'm hoping that with my next wave of spending beyond my means I can buy the Sennheiser blimp/pistol grip system for the ME67, but I'm not sure if that will work for both mics.

 

Does putting a small mic in a big blimp cause any audio problems, wind noise, reverb, other weirdness? If I can get by with just the one blimp/muff it will save me a few hundred bucks, but if having the smaller blimp will give noticeably better results, I guess I'll get one of those somewhere down the line.

[Daniel Sheehy]

Using an oversized blimp guarantees that your mic will always be about 4 inches further away than it might otherwise be...

[Walter Graff]

Don't waste $800. For between $150 and $250 you can buy a zeppelin for your mic that does EXACTLY the same thing.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...ltp=&clsgr=

[Paul Bruening]

Don't waste $800. For between $150 and $250 you can buy a zeppelin for your mic that does EXACTLY the same thing.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...ltp=&clsgr=

 

I've got a Rycote version of what Walter's recommending. It works great. Blimps are good but I'm not convinced that they are better.

[Josh Bass]

From what I've heard, there's a major difference between the rycote softie (or similar products) and a full blimp system. I'm not going to pretend to know how the science works, but they say something like the softie is only useful under the mildest of conditions outdoors. Any real wind starts blowing, the rycote's no good and your audio goes to poop. The blimps are supposed to make a major difference even in very windy conditions, and also if you're swinging a boom around really quickly (the air flowing past the mic can make a lot of noise).

 

Just like most of you guys advocating 35mm over any digital format for it's generally superior quality, I doubt every sound guy would spend the money on those pricey zeppelin systems unless the product was necessary and worth it.

[Andrew Sobey]

I've personally noticed a pretty big difference between the slip-on softies and blimp/muff combinations. I'm doing mostly docs, esp. verite/direct cinema stuff, where I have very little (if any) control over the sound enviro.

 

Walter's B&H link lead me to the Rycote modular windscreen, though, which might be a slightly cheaper way to go. I haven't been able to find any comparisons between the modular windscreen and the regular old Sennheiser blimp, so I'm not sure if it's worth the extra $100.

[Paul Bruening]

My Rycote is not just the foam thing, which can generate noise with wind. Mine is foam covered in plushy, hairy, fuzzy stuff. You know, the blimps make noise too. None of them are perfect. But, if you don't mind costs, buy the most expensive thing you can find. Surely, it must be better. Better is better.

[Walter Graff]

I was not necessarily pushing any product in my link to BH, just showing that you don't have to spend a grand to get a good screen. Yes blimps offer a chamber of air that helps prevent noise, but nothing is perfect. I have both $1500 blimps and furry covers and they all do their job. It's not always the cover but the mic, the shock mount, the pole and the operator. Any of those elements can affect extraneous noise. Sometimes you can have a very expensive blimp and a lousy operator and that expensive blimp means nothing. I suggest you try a lesser priced cover and see if it works. I find many times my lesser priced covers work very well.Price does not always dictate quality in this business, hence why I have seen some great films shot on cheap cameras. It's about much more than equipment, and just cause you buy something expensive does not mean it is better if you don't know what goes into the performace. Pros often use expensive products, but then again they are trained and experienced so get their moneys worth out of them.