Mic Stand Philosophy

wesley.wittich · Post by **wesley.wittich** » Mon May 09, 2011 10:25 pm

Ok, I know this isn't the most glorious gear topic, but I'm in the market for some mic stands, and I'm not sure what direction to head. My options are coming down to getting one (maybe two) of these:

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... sku=451141

or this (which has ten):

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... sku=450464

or this (the bag is actually something I might find useful):

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... sku=452062

Obviously, the DR is going to be the best quality, but is that the most important thing in this situation? Should I view mic stands as consumables, where I use them up and when they crap out I move on, or should I see them as investments, and try to get the best I can afford, even when I sacrifice quantity? Is the DR really worth 6x the others? It's still going to die at some point, but will it pay for itself in some way?

Any thoughts or other options are most appreciated!

No Wave Casio Kitsch · Post by **No Wave Casio Kitsch** » Mon May 09, 2011 11:56 pm

I'd go with the most well made stands I could swing. I'd rather spend $$$ on gear than on frequently replacing mic stands.

fuzz · Post by **fuzz** » Tue May 10, 2011 5:24 am

Ya, I've got some atlas and K&M stands that are 10 years old. I think proline stands last less than two years. Besides, before they totally go, you'll drive yourself crazy as you drum mics slowly droop and you can't get the phasey weirdness to end no matter how much you adjust and readjust the stand.

jnTracks · Post by **jnTracks** » Tue May 10, 2011 5:37 am

i've found that on-stage-stand brand has improved their design quite a lot in the last year or so. putting them safely above the rest of the middle of the road brands.

i've been through several stands over the years, they break and get replaced. i'm finding that on-stage brand last really quite well for the price and they're slowly replacing the other mid range brands i have.

so, i think that pack with the bag is a good deal.

also, consider one (or two) of these

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... I8BEPMCMAE#

put your heavy/expensive microphones on this and you'll keep better care of your mik's that need better care, and you'll take the stress of bigger heavy ones off of your smaller, cheaper stands. they'll last longer and your microphones will be safer.

i think you'll be outfitted quite well for just a couple hundred dollars with that pack and one of these big ones.

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Tue May 10, 2011 5:41 am

Think about the wavelength, the physical wavelength of 12k. how about 3k... now start thinking about a stand that you are trying to use for OH mics that cost you WAY more than the stand, no matter what stand you are using.
If it keeps drooping, and you have to keep messing with it... its not a deal.
also, if the stand drops your 2000 dollar mic? also not a deal....

wesley.wittich · Post by **wesley.wittich** » Tue May 10, 2011 5:55 am

Thanks for all the input! Sounds like the ten-pack is definitely a no-go. I'll probably go with the On-Stage Stands for now. I probably should have mentioned that I'm at a point where I'm mostly doing acoustic/bluegrass/guitar-vocal type stuff, so I'm not needing a lot of really stable, overhead drum type stuff. Most of what I do is vocals or SDC about waist high for various instruments. Also, when the booms on these go out (as they always do) I'll probably just replace them with these:

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... sku=452054

Has anyone else used these? I love them! I don't understand why they don't make all booms with the interlocking teeth...they never droop. Ever.

When I get to a point where I'm doing more full band work, I'll definitely look back at the DR stands or some K&Ms or something, but it sounds like the 6-pack will work for now.

Anyone else have any other thoughts?

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Tue May 10, 2011 6:00 am

Hey Wes,

It depends on what you're using them for. We've got a houseful of cheap stands. Great if you're using SM58's or Carvins. Like Joel said though, it's a drag when you have to keep fixing the drum overheads (which we do).

GJ

casey campbell · Post by **casey campbell** » Tue May 10, 2011 7:40 am

(my vu meter is cooler than yours)

i have a DR stand and i am very impressed with the quality. very well made.

kingtoad · Post by **kingtoad** » Tue May 10, 2011 8:35 am

I really like the K&M stands. Very adjustable and stable for everything but really high/precarious overhead duty.

casey campbell · Post by **casey campbell** » Tue May 10, 2011 8:37 am

kingtoad wrote:I really like the K&M stands. Very adjustable and stable for everything but really high/precarious overhead duty.

very true

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Tue May 10, 2011 1:37 pm

You gotta have stands. Is there a way you can get at least a few quality ones that you can use all the time and then some shitball ones for the times when you need more?

I don't know how anyone can say onstage stands are anything approaching good unless they changed EVERYTHING about them in the last year? I suppose that's possible. But the ones (2 years ago?) are up there with the most horribly made peices of junk out there. The worst problems are

1.the end piece that screws into the mic mount becomes loose almost immediately, spinning forever and if you're not careful, it can get lost inside the mic mount.
2. the tightener for the booms almost immediately strips out, letting your nice mic go slipping whichever direction the boom is pointed.

Think about where you can recycle them in a year.

Without duct tape they become useless very quickly. Uggggggghhhhhhh. I will post a hilarious picture I took a little later.

wesley.wittich · Post by **wesley.wittich** » Tue May 10, 2011 3:03 pm

casey campbell wrote:(my vu meter is cooler than yours)

It most certainly is...I have meter envy! Now I must go search the interwebs for a better profile pic!

Mane1234 · Post by **Mane1234** » Tue May 10, 2011 9:06 pm

I have many cheap ass mic stands that didn't last very long with constant use and a few that did. It's definitely worth spending the extra money on some good ones especially for your overheads. Nothing makes you look like an idiot faster than having your cheap boom stand fall over during a take. Get a nice weighted stand on wheels and you'll be happy...

I have one of those bags and it's very handy not only for mic stands but for cables and other things too. Good purchase.

cjogo · Post by **cjogo** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:37 am

I have a standard Atlas that I bought in '76 -- still working fine ...a extra heavy one from the Monterey Pop festival ... really like the old cast iron bases.
We have early booms attached > that still hold well after 30 years >> have a few of the newer clutch=style stands I like ....

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed May 11, 2011 6:05 am

Yeah, as mentioned above, the sandbags work pretty well for holding them down (good on light trees on video gear as well). But that doesn't really help if your boom-tightener is strip; you just have a very stable sagging stand.

We have an old silver Atlas too! Solid base, but the boom is a bit slippy...

Problem is our tracking room is really too small for big-time rolling studio stands (not to mention storage issues). Maybe I'll have someone weld that stupid On-Stage overhead stand... Can you weld plastic?

GJ

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