I fear wind noise (moderately urgent question)

dewdrop_world

I was just fiddling around with my mic (Shure SM57, I'm a cheap bastard) and discovered that its windscreen does a good job of blocking an airstream directed at the tip... ok. But wind coming in at the sides goes right through. That's going to pollute the audio stream pretty badly when I play outside (on Saturday - yikes!).

There must be a way to get somewhat better audio insulation. If I cup my hands around the sides of the windscreen, noise drops dramatically. So would it work, perhaps, to jerry-rig a cylinder out of some soft paper, like toilet paper maybe, and tape it around the outside? Damn ugly but it's the sound that matters.

Or is there something better I could get from guitar center?

Thanks.

mosc · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:52 am Post subject:

The SM57 is a great mic. You can run over it with a car and it'll still work.

Most guys that are really into field recording end up making their own wind baffles. I think you can come up with something by experimentation.

Blue Hell · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:00 am Post subject:

I did have some reasonable results once with loosely packed cotton wool held together with galvanized wire, but it's a bit of an art I guess to get it right.

edit: hiding a mic in some vegetation helps as well, like long grass or dense bushes.

dewdrop_world · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:26 am Post subject:

Mohoyoho · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:46 am Post subject:

Probably the best are the zeppelin windscreens that look like a Persian cat. They have long fibers coming out of it which deaden wind noise. You'll see them used frequently by news crews on outdoor events. You should be able to get one at any professional audio/video outlet: Full Compass, B & H, Bradley Broadcast, etc.

They're not cheap. Here's some links with some professional ones, and a DIY that looks pretty good and cheap.

http://www.joelandkaren.com/mic-zeppelin/
http://www.equipmentemporium.com/new%20Fuzzy's.htm
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/298039.html

On the second link, copy and paste the link to your browser. I can't seem to get the 's.htm to become part of the whole link. I guess there's something about the apostrophe. The site has some interesting pictures.

EdisonRex · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:16 pm Post subject:

Cheap wind screens:

Get a needlepoint hoop. You can get them at sewing stores. They're like these big double wicker hoop things. Get something about 8" max.

Then go get some ladies nylons. I think drugstores sell them but I always had my wife buy them...

You cut a nice double thick row and suspend them in the hoop(s). put the hoop in the direction of the wind (this also makes a dandy cheap pop filter for close miking).

I know a lot of folks who swear by cotton stuffed in a nylon (again, women's undergarments) stocking and shoved around your mic's head.

Not pretty, but effective.

Uncle Krunkus · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:53 am Post subject:

I've always had a problem with trying to mask wind noise.
In the end I decided to just blame it on the dog. Shocked

jksuperstar · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:43 am Post subject:

Some of my mics came with the standard sponge wind noise block. Works fine for low-velocity wind. Your SM57 has a sponge in the front of it to prevent wind puffs such as from a human, or drum head, or horn. The external ones just slip onto the mic, and it's what you typically see on reporters' mics whenever they are outside interviewing someone (sometimes big & orange, or black).

mosc · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:54 am Post subject:

Too late for James, he's probably at his gig right now. I suppose he'll fill us in on what he finally came up with.

seraph

dewdrop_world · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:51 pm Post subject:

OK, correction, it's not right in front of the White House. Jackbooted-thug fantasies are not quite warranted.

Nice thought on the big fuzzy windscreen - for the moment, my main concern was that the SM57's smaller windscreen isn't airtight at the back, where it connects to the mic body. In some pre-show testing I got really nasty wind noise through that. So I rubber-banded some TP around that area and the sides of the foam (leaving the front open for my signal). It worked well enough in that setting - in the recording I don't detect the noise floor jump to a ruinous level when the mic input gets routed to the main outs.

Thanks for the suggestions - learning all the time!
James

PS The gig went pretty well. Haven't posted any clips yet.