Advice on tripod boom mike stands please....

surfguy13 · December 2022

Just about to buy yet another tripod boom mic stand and am determined that this time I will buy something that will last more than 5 minutes. Be really grateful for any advice. Using with an acoustic and currently tend to use a Sure SM57 but do on occasions use a fairly large condenser mic so ideally looking for a stand that will cope with a slightly heavier mic that won't fall over as soon as you look at it!!

Cheers

Mellish · December 2022

Not sure which one but to prevent it falling over, the legs need to be a certain length (horizontally) for stability. Or, if a circular base, weight.

Also if you can slide the collar down so that the legs are more horizontal, that's great.

surfguy13 · December 2022

Mellish said:

Nor sure which one but to prevent it falling over, the legs need to be a certain length (horizontally) for stability. Or, if a circular base, weight.

Agree totally. A lot of the cheap/mid price stands seem to have very short legs and if the mike itself is a little chunky that can topple the arm so easily.

Soupman · December 2022

Also the boom arm clamp needs to be decent or the mic can slowly droop. We are talking mic stands here.(Just saying).

PhilKing · December 2022

I don't know if you can get them in the UK, but I use Auray Reflection Filter Stands in my studio for their stability with heavy condenser mics (Warm Audio WA87 R2 or WA-67). They are not booms, but can take a standard arm if you want to fit one. They are designed to support the SE Reflection Filter with a mic.

RickLucas · December 2022

Buy cheap, buy twice. K&M work for me. My pet hate is ham-fisted goons at jam nights man-handling my stands and stripping threads, so I don't take my "posh" ones.

Stuckfast · December 2022

K&M is probably the brand to go for unless you want to go crazy and spend more on the stand than on your mic. I have a ton of old ones including a couple of huge orchestral stands, they're generally very well made and most parts are available. When they go wrong it's usually because the clutches slip (often through people adjusting them without undoing the clutch first) and you can get new pads to fix them up.

If it's not urgent you can often get very good deals second-hand on things like mic stands and cables, as peoiple rarely want to ship them.

thomasw88 · December 2022

These are very good despite not being expensive

https://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/pls00039/microphone-stand-with-boom/dp/ST01599

surfguy13 · December 2022

Soupman said:

Also the boom arm clamp needs to be decent or the mic can slowly droop. We are talking mic stands here.(Just saying).

This seems to be the main problem with the cheaper stands and its really irritating.

surfguy13 · December 2022

Thanks @PhilKing, the Auray look perfect but it seems like you can't get them in the UK, all seem to be in the US. Had a really look around. I'll keep my eye open for secondhand options.

The K&M look like a definite option.....somebody has a nice quality one for sale on reverb, used, but want £30 shipping?! Looks like K&M do a really good range so I'll check them all out.

The Pulse stands at Farnell are ridiculously cheap but look well made too. Definitely worth checking out.

Really appreciate all the info, this is really helpful!

maltingsaudio · December 2022

It’s Hercules all the way for me but avoid the cheap ones, I have about 10 of these which I use for my business https://www.gak.co.uk/en/hercules-ms533bd-hideaway-boom-mic-stand/89143?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyIT54_KR_AIV_4FQBh0yIQrGEAQYBSABEgJhTvD_BwE

theatreanchor · December 2022

I use K&M but also got a Frameworks off Amazon which works really well.

surfguy13 · December 2022

maltingsaudio said:

It’s Hercules all the way for me but avoid the cheap ones, I have about 10 of these which I use for my business https://www.gak.co.uk/en/hercules-ms533bd-hideaway-boom-mic-stand/89143?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyIT54_KR_AIV_4FQBh0yIQrGEAQYBSABEgJhTvD_BwE

I did see these and wondered if the hideaway thing was a bit of a gimmick but its great to have a recommend......many thanks.

surfguy13 · December 2022

theatreanchor said:

I use K&M but also got a Frameworks off Amazon which works really well.

Thanks for this, just had a look on Amazon and they look really sturdy, reviews are good too. I feel like I now have lots of options which is brilliant as I hadn't a clue before!

maltingsaudio · December 2022

surfguy13 said:

maltingsaudio said:

It’s Hercules all the way for me but avoid the cheap ones, I have about 10 of these which I use for my business https://www.gak.co.uk/en/hercules-ms533bd-hideaway-boom-mic-stand/89143?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyIT54_KR_AIV_4FQBh0yIQrGEAQYBSABEgJhTvD_BwE

I did see these and wondered if the hideaway thing was a bit of a gimmick but its great to have a recommend......many thanks.

The hideaway is really useful when packing them away, I find on the ones where the boom is stowed by the side of the mic can be prone to accidents, also means if someone asks for a straight I have them

ScreamingDave · December 2022

I use the Hercules ones that you can quickly remove the boom with a cam lock, also leaving you with a straight stand if needed

surfguy13 · December 2022

ScreamingDave said:

I use the Hercules ones that you can quickly remove the boom with a cam lock, also leaving you with a straight stand if needed

That sounds like a really good option. You don't have any idea which model that is? I had a look online but couldn't work out which one it was. It's not the MS-533 is it?

maltingsaudio said:

surfguy13 said:

maltingsaudio said:

It’s Hercules all the way for me but avoid the cheap ones, I have about 10 of these which I use for my business https://www.gak.co.uk/en/hercules-ms533bd-hideaway-boom-mic-stand/89143?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyIT54_KR_AIV_4FQBh0yIQrGEAQYBSABEgJhTvD_BwE

I did see these and wondered if the hideaway thing was a bit of a gimmick but its great to have a recommend......many thanks.

The hideaway is really useful when packing them away, I find on the ones where the boom is stowed by the side of the mic can be prone to accidents, also means if someone asks for a straight I have them

Brilliant, sounds like it's really versatile! Thanks.....

ScreamingDave · December 2022

surfguy13 said:

ScreamingDave said:

I use the Hercules ones that you can quickly remove the boom with a cam lock, also leaving you with a straight stand if needed

That sounds like a really good option. You don't have any idea which model that is? I had a look online but couldn't work out which one it was. It's not the MS-533 is it?

I’m pretty sure it’s this one:

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/hercules-ms432b-stage-series-mic-stand/83819?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAiAqaWdBhAvEiwAGAQltvpHF3cEnlnEh-8U5H0BOdCbLRBeC7C6MKLXow-BSEwLtW25cy3ksBoCvksQAvD_BwE

surfguy13 · December 2022

ScreamingDave said:

surfguy13 said:

ScreamingDave said:

I use the Hercules ones that you can quickly remove the boom with a cam lock, also leaving you with a straight stand if needed

That sounds like a really good option. You don't have any idea which model that is? I had a look online but couldn't work out which one it was. It's not the MS-533 is it?

I’m pretty sure it’s this one:

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/hercules-ms432b-stage-series-mic-stand/83819?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAiAqaWdBhAvEiwAGAQltvpHF3cEnlnEh-8U5H0BOdCbLRBeC7C6MKLXow-BSEwLtW25cy3ksBoCvksQAvD_BwE

Brilliant, really appreciate you confirming that. Looks like a really good halfway house between the cheap ones and the more expensive ones. Cheers.

ESBlonde · December 2022

K&M are pretty much industry standard and you can buy the parts should you need to replace them , although I’ve never had to. I’ve had a couple of their boom stands in regular live use for over 20 years without issue. Just slack off the nut before adjusting the boom angle and retighten to keep it reliable. Weighty enough to be stable but without being as cumbersome as some other brands.

surfguy13 · December 2022

ESBlonde said:

K&M are pretty much industry standard and you can buy the parts should you need to replace them , although I’ve never had to. I’ve had a couple of their boom stands in regular live use for over 20 years without issue. Just slack off the nut before adjusting the boom angle and retighten to keep it reliable. Weighty enough to be stable but without being as cumbersome as some other brands.

What you've described is exactly what I'm looking for. Several people have mentioned K&M and they seem to be consistently good. I have a K&M foot stool for classical and it is made really beautifully and relative to all the cheap crappy ones it was a bargain!

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Advice on tripod boom mike stands please....

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