On almost every large session here at Sound Pure Studios there will be complicated microphone setups or situations where we really need to be able to maneuver microphones into tight places. We always pat ourselves on the back for spending a little more on our microphone stands in the studio, as it makes setting up for our sessions that much easier. We didn’t start out with great stands though, we had to learn this lesson for ourselves.
Now that we have the mics where they sound great, we want them to stay!
Every studio tries to get by with the most inexpensive stands on the market, and every new studio will probably continue to follow this trend. You spend all of your money on the latest and greatest microphones, and then you throw them on a $13 “el cheapo” plastic mic stands. Why do we all do this? Don’t pretend you haven’t done it, as we all have, but do you ever worry that your newest microphone may hit the deck? Or equally embarrassing, have you had to pause your session and go back into the studio with a pair of pliers to re-adjust your stand because your pencil mics are sagging towards the floor? Yup, we have done it too.
We fought with cheaper stands for about 6 months before we said enough was enough and made some changes. It was the best move we could have ever made in the studio. The amount of time we are saving while miking up drum sets correctly the first time, without fighting the stands to “stay put,” is just one of the reasons we made the switch. Not having to stop recordings in the middle of a take because the stand sags, not having a heavier microphone fall over, and other issues of this kind are now a thing of the past for us in our studio.
You can load this baby up and it isn’t going to move an inch on you
For our local customers, it also means we can begin to put multiple microphones on one stand so we can do microphone shootouts. Stands like the AiRR 200 stand, for example, can hold several of our heaviest tube LDCs as well as an SE Reflexion filter. Try that with a cheap freebie stand.
The K&M 25600 series of stands have been paramount for us in the studio as well. With the adjustability of the boom arm, in addition to the fact you can actually tighten them with your hands where they won’t fall over, these stand have been worth their weight in gold for us. After taking the time to find the right spot for the microphone in regards to the instrument, the last thing we want to see happen is the positioning moving on us.
It is such a simple fix in the studio, but it did take us 6 months to stop fighting our stands. You should give it a try sometime with just one stand and see how much easier your life will be in the studio!