[SBE] Mic Boom Arm Help - Rountable Quesions - studio tour and mics in use link

[Dan Slentz]

Thanks, Kent.

I'm surprised and wondering if he didn't switch manufacturers or design.  The installed desk mount fits the boom stem to tightly that we had to sand it to get a fit that would allow it to pivot (and I didn't understand adding a thumb screw to lock the position and completely removed it.)
Our station is a AAA with only a live morning and afternoon show.  Our jocks are from our NPR station (think Pete Schvety NPR skit from Saturday Night Live) and are far from motion and action of a CHR or AOR jock in the studio (no Wolfman Jacks here).  
The problem I found is that the arm "elbow" only has "nibblets" instead of pins running through the elbow.  When the mic is moved, the whole thing tends to skew or twist a little.  The "nibblets" pop out of the receiving "divot" and it just kind of falls apart at the elbow.  Since the springs are in the tubing (which is nice for appearance and the "spring 'boing' reverb", when the elbow comes apart the spring "self ejects".  

You can see our mics in use at this link:  http://kxt.org/in-studio/  (live bands performing)  and a tour of the studio on the last page (my tour three days before we launched the station on 11/6/09) http://kxt.org/in-studio/page/4/

I'm guessing something changed between the ones you have and the ones we received.  

I am glad to know that not all of them are falling apart.  

Thanks again,
Dan

 



________________________________
From: Kent Kramer <kentkramer at att.net>
To: sbe member discussion mail list <sbe at sbe.org>
Sent: Fri, March 12, 2010 11:48:58 PM
Subject: Re: [SBE] Mic Boom Arm Help - Rountable Quesions


Hey Dan…
 
For what it’s worth, I’ve got about a dozen of the Heil arms on Heil mics that have been in light use for slightly over three years and only one broken boom. Heil replaced it no charge. Granted it’s light duty for a nationally syndicated morning show but they’re as tight now as the day we took them out of the box. My only complaint has been the plastic strip that covers the mic cable tends to come loose if someone twists the mic the wrong way and it draws the mic cable up tight around the base. A little electrical tape holds the strip in…and of course not turning the boom more than 360 degrees.
 
I’ve also had OC White booms that fell apart on me...they may be the most popular but they still break too in my opinion.
 
Sincerely,
 
Kent Kramer
Director of Engineering
Reach Media
Dallas, TX
 
 
From:sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of Dan Slentz
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 2:28 PM
To: SBE
Subject: [SBE] Mic Boom Arm Help - Rountable Quesions
 
Question for SBE Rountable- 
 
Fellow engineers;
 
We purchased 10 Heil boom arms to be used with the Heil 40 microphone.  The mics are great, but these booms are falling apart at the joints.   Out of the 10 booms, four have fallen apart in the four months we’ve been on the air.  I spoke with Bob Heil who says they have no other problems with these; there are thousands in use all over the use; and it’s a mystery to him.  But by simply looking at the ones that fell apart, I have trouble believing that others aren’t having issues.  Our station is a AAA format with only a live morning and afternoon jock, and they actually (don’t faint) treat the equipment really well.  I have no issues with any other gear in this new studio, except for these mic booms.

Would like to ask if anyone else is using these?  Are they holding up?  Is there some trick to keeping these in one piece that I’m missing?
 
Best wishes,
Dan
 
KKXT FM / KERA FM - Dallas/Fort Worth
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