I'm thinking about getting a mic muff for a shotgun microphone. Do they
live up to the hype, or are they a gimmick?
Any to avoid?
Any thoughts on this one?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...t&s ku=369780
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...?item=WT-MM-24

We've used them variously for 25 years. I'm presuming you're talking about
the "fur" covers for Zeppelin type wind screens. They eliminated wind noise
in stronger winds than could be handled by the Zeppelin alone. Everything
has it's limits.

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer. At
some pre-agreed-upon wind speed the director decides that this is the end of
sound shooting until conditions truely improve (unless, of course, the
production schedule is already depleated). This is in combination with using
those fur muffs, too, but I can't remember what the threshold wind speed is.

Tim Ellestad

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm thinking about getting a mic muff for a shotgun microphone. Do they
live up to the hype, or are they a gimmick?
Any to avoid?
Any thoughts on this one?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...t&s ku=369780
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...?item=WT-MM-24

Ellestad wrote:

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer.

Can you recommend a particularly economical device?


Thanks,

Bob
--
"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein

"Ellestad" wrote in message
...
We've used them variously for 25 years. I'm presuming you're talking about
the "fur" covers for Zeppelin type wind screens. They eliminated wind
noise
in stronger winds than could be handled by the Zeppelin alone. Everything
has it's limits.

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer. At
some pre-agreed-upon wind speed the director decides that this is the end
of
sound shooting until conditions truely improve (unless, of course, the
production schedule is already depleated). This is in combination with
using
those fur muffs, too, but I can't remember what the threshold wind speed
is.

Tim Ellestad

Several years ago I directed a commercial shoot, where the wind was 25 knots
gusting to 35 knots. I was concerned, because an olympic athlete was to
deliver a sincere message. Having him raise his volume would have been
inappropriate. The sound mixer used a Sennheiser 416 in a Rycote zeppelin
with a furry over it. Not only was there no wind noise, but noise from a
main 4-lane expressway about 100yards away was way below the dialogue. We
had to take care to keep trees and bushes out of the shot, because they were
whipping around and looked odd in the absence of wind noise. We were at a
harbor on Lake Michigan. The only thing to reveal the freshness of the
breeze that day was the bell-like sound of halyards hitting masts as
sailboats moved at their moorings, but that sounded kinda nice in the spot.
So, I can't help you on the upper wind limit for recording voice, but it is
higher than I once imagined.

Steve King

I know that there is one from LaCrosse Technology for about $40 - impeller
and LCD display. Also numerous models from Kestrel - $65 to $240 with
increasing bells and whistles. Davis Instruments has one at about $115. But
do a Google search - there are many, many our there with various features. I
suspect that most of them have more than adequate accuracy considering that
with hand-held wind speed measurement consistency is the most useful
attrribute.

Check sources for marine equipment and, I suppose, aircraft accessories as
well.

The sound man that had the first one that I saw years ago had a model that
had a "domed top" with the holding grip underneath. I don't remember the
maker. It worked well. I believe that it was relatively expensive,
especially since this was about 30 years ago. I think that this one might
have been sold by Edmund Scientific at the time.

I have a very inexpensive one made by Dwyer Instruments - the Portable Wind
Meter. It consists of a plastic case enclosing two wind speed scales, a
clear plastic jet tube and a floating styrofoam bead in the tube. I bought
it sight unseen and when it arrived I thought that it would be too crude to
be useful. But I asked the NOAA Meteorologist who ran our local weather
station at the time about it and he said that he, too, had purchased one of
these out of curiosity. He told me that on an occasion when they were
servicing the station anemometer, 33 feet in the air in the middle of the
airport, he took the little "floating ball" hand-held anemometer with him
and that it showed the wind speed surprisingly accurately. I have found mine
reliable and accurate for many years. I comes with a little plastic case,
some anti-static "pipe-cleaners" for the tube and instructions. It reads in
2 scales - 0 to 10 mph or 0 to 66 mph (I think these are right?). Metric
scales are also available. I see that the Canadian Forest Service uses these
devices for wind checks in the field (it never needs batteries).

Whatever you get I'm sure that it will work well for you. I'm also sure that
one like mine will suit your needs.

Tim Ellestad

By the way, I like your quote. There seem to be increasing numbers of people
who can't seem to come to grips with this concept.

"Bob Cain" wrote in message
...
Ellestad wrote:

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer.

Can you recommend a particularly economical device?


Thanks,

Bob
--
"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein

On Sat, 27 May 2006 15:01:06 -0500, "Ellestad"
wrote:

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer. At
some pre-agreed-upon wind speed the director decides that this is the end of
sound shooting until conditions truely improve ...

Ah yes, the shoot is outdoors because the White House has been nuked,
and the surviving member of the Executive Branch is giving a news
conference announcing a retaliatory strike simultaneously against,
Iran, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Pakistan and China, and the wind
(probably generated by the firestorm) is too high according to the
anemometer, so the producer calls the shoot off.

Sorry.

Willie my boy -

I never shot news.

We had real budgets and schedules. The anemometer tended to silence the
bickering over what was next when our crew thought that it was open to
debate. Our crew (at least at one time) was prone to that - too many owners
in the production company.

For some reason, though, they never argued with me over decisions concerning
lighting conditions (I am a DP).

And, yes, when you were shooting one-time events you sucked it up and made
do - wind rumble and all.

I will take your observation into account if I should be recruited to shoot
the post nuke news event, though, if that ever happened.

There is another world of film and video out there, concerned with
production value and spending lots of money, that won't accept any wind
noise in their sync scenes.

Tim

"Willie K. Yee, MD" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 27 May 2006 15:01:06 -0500, "Ellestad"
wrote:

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer.
At
some pre-agreed-upon wind speed the director decides that this is the end
of
sound shooting until conditions truely improve ...

Ah yes, the shoot is outdoors because the White House has been nuked,
and the surviving member of the Executive Branch is giving a news
conference announcing a retaliatory strike simultaneously against,
Iran, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Pakistan and China, and the wind
(probably generated by the firestorm) is too high according to the
anemometer, so the producer calls the shoot off.

Sorry.

On Mon, 29 May 2006 22:05:05 -0500, "Ellestad"
wrote:

Willie my boy -

There is another world of film and video out there, concerned with
production value and spending lots of money, that won't accept any wind
noise in their sync scenes.

Tim


I figured that. It was just a scenario that entered my perverted mind.

Sorry again.

Willie K. Yee, MD wrote:
On Sat, 27 May 2006 15:01:06 -0500, "Ellestad"
wrote:

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer. At
some pre-agreed-upon wind speed the director decides that this is the end of
sound shooting until conditions truely improve ...

Ah yes, the shoot is outdoors because the White House has been nuked,
and the surviving member of the Executive Branch is giving a news
conference announcing a retaliatory strike simultaneously against,
Iran, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Pakistan and China, and the wind
(probably generated by the firestorm) is too high according to the
anemometer, so the producer calls the shoot off.

No problem. In that situation, we can loop the dialogue in post. Possibly
with a stand-in.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

wrote:
I'm thinking about getting a mic muff for a shotgun microphone. Do they
live up to the hype, or are they a gimmick?

They basically are essential and shotguns are pretty much useless without
them. Because of the wind profile and all the side venting, even a slight
breeze (like the one created by moving the boom from one actor to another)
will make loud noise unless you use a zeppelin. Avoid the crap and buy a
Rycote. You won't have to do it again.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Willie K. Yee, MD wrote:
On Sat, 27 May 2006 15:01:06 -0500, "Ellestad"
wrote:

We always carry another wind noise eliminator - a hand-held anemometer.
At
some pre-agreed-upon wind speed the director decides that this is the
end of
sound shooting until conditions truely improve ...

Ah yes, the shoot is outdoors because the White House has been nuked,
and the surviving member of the Executive Branch is giving a news
conference announcing a retaliatory strike simultaneously against,
Iran, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Pakistan and China, and the wind
(probably generated by the firestorm) is too high according to the
anemometer, so the producer calls the shoot off.

No problem. In that situation, we can loop the dialogue in post.
Possibly
with a stand-in.
--scott

You're right! Lately the officers and principal staff of the recent American
Executive Branch are pretty much just stand-ins anyway!

Tim

wrote:
I'm thinking about getting a mic muff for a shotgun microphone. Do they
live up to the hype, or are they a gimmick?
Any to avoid?
Any thoughts on this one?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...t&s ku=369780
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cg...?item=WT-MM-24

I don't know about the "WindTech", but the Rycote furry blimp covers do
work which is why they are industry standard for location shooting with
a shotgun mic. If you have to do the same thing with a lavalier, you
need a "microcat" (http://www.trewaudio.com/catalog/subcat65.htm).
Works when foam just won't cut it (although wrapping the lav in
"moleskin" (Dr Scholl's?) and putting it under tha talent's shirt can
work ok. DPA also makes some kind of shotgun windjammer you can see at
the Trew Audio link but I've never used them.

Will Miho
NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits