jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

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Alphaville
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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

as far as i recall the side holes are for the yeti swivel stand which would sit on your desktop. i'd ignore these.

the bottom threaded mount however is universal (in the audio sense) and should fit any standard mic mount

and i don't know the deep specs of bolts, but says it's 3/8-16 here:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... l/overview

idk what nf or nc means but these bolts are as you can see perfectly cylindrical and not tapered.

unless you're building a boom arm for it, the bolt is not necessary. eg if you're just gonna plonk it on your desk, you could sit it on any stick that fits loosely in the hole. e.g. you often get plastic mic mounts.

and if you're buying a mic stand or boom arm the bolt will be included.

don't buy a cheap arm now because AFAIR the blue yeti is quite heavy. so this would be a hard pass: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... ssor.html/
Last edited by Alphaville on Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

Stahlmann
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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Stahlmann »

Give it back and buy not the cheapest position? (assuming giving it back is an easy process)

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jennypenny
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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by jennypenny »

Test the sound quality in different settings before spending too much time constructing a stand. (Some people, including me, don't like how they sound on the blue yeti.)

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

so, just stick it on a standing wood dowel. remove the 3/8 adapter and use the 5/8 hole for greater sturdiness.

like this: https://rainonatinroof.com/wp-content/u ... center.jpg

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

oh hahaha just found this. it should appeal to @jacob

wooden boom and shockmount:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri_Ndh1z5NI

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by jacob »

@Alphaville - That's ultimately what I'm going for, but I only have 6 days and limited supplies for now, so it'll likely be made out of cardboard, duct tape, and hair elastics. However, I wanted to see if there was a way to secure it "upside down" via the threaded hole. (I've made a lazy attempt to thread in a 5/8 wooden dowel, but that didn't go so well). Note how the official shock mount has an attachment bolt on the inner ring (n/a on the showball).

I did find this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008B1VTY6/ but given the price a $5 adapter to 3/8-16, which is a standard thread, would be cheaper.

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

oh, you wanna hang it upside down. ok. that explains the bolt.

yeah, don't make a wooden bolt. you can sit the mic upright on a wooden dowel without screwing, e.g. on a tabletop stand. the bolt is just for security,

re:this
jacob wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:48 pm
I did find this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008B1VTY6/ but given the price a $5 adapter to 3/8-16, which is a standard thread, would be cheaper.
i don't know what this is for... :?:

the standard thread for mics is 5/8 btw. in the usa anyway.

maybe this could let you attach your mic anywhere?

https://www.amazon.com/CAMVATE-Crab-cla ... ef=sr_1_10

no shockmount obviously but the shockmount is not essential unless you get vibrations on the mic support device.

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by CS »

I have a blue yeti I use for dictation for writing.

I use the desk stand, aka the bolts on the side. It came with the mic. You also need some plastic disks that are on the mic on the inside of the stand that help the round mic fit inside the straight metal pieces. Frankly I like the stand - it's compact and serves me well.The mic is accurate enough, as well is my software, that I don't have to have it right in front of my mouth for a dictating. Fyi, I set a little plastic bag on the top to prevent dust from settling in the mic when not in use.

The side bolts appear to be 5 mm or ~3/16 of an inch in diameter and a half inch long, consider they go through the stand, two small washers and the white plastic disk before going into the mic.

This is what my stand looks like (well, except mine's white). https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yeti-USB-Mi ... 73&sr=8-14

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

ok here's a guerrilla idea for hanging if i had to solve it in the field:

rig a pincer with a strong wire and catch the mic from the side holes.

let the mic hang however it may (might be top heavy or bottom heavy, doesnt matter).

secure the pincer with some sort of tie so it won't open.

hang the pincer from a pole, a beam, a boom, whatever.

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by guitarplayer »

jacob wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:48 pm
[...] but I only have 6 days [...]
A new podcast coming up?

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Alphaville
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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

not as spiffy as the folding arm but this would hold the mic at any angle and folds flat when not in use.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... stand.html

these guys ship fast btw usu 2 days?

eta: but only on orders $50 or more

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Bankai
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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Bankai »

Great interview!

@jacob - now that you already have a mic... why not start your own podcast? I'm sure you have plenty to talk about and it's quicker than writing and you already have at least a few k of listeners from this forum alone...? Also, easier to monetize!

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Tyler9000 »

Congrats on the new mic, Jacob! I look forward to hearing not only how you rig it up but also how you use it to communicate your message.

Alphaville wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:50 am
idk what nf or nc means but these bolts are as you can see perfectly cylindrical and not tapered.
It's just two different standards for threads. NF means it's a fine thread (with more threads per inch) and NC means it's a coarse thread. A 3/8-16 bolt is by definition NC. The NF version would be 3/8-24.

Alphaville wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 1:02 pm
i don't know what this is for... :?:
That's a cutter used to add threads to a solid rod of the correct major diameter. It's also useful for repairing a damaged thread or cleaning up a bolt that has been cut. A bolt with the correct thread should screw on just fine, but if you try it on anything else it will definitely tear things up.

jacob wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:12 am
Also it has two threaded holes in the side. I can't figure out what size they are. (Around 1/4).
Unfortunately I don't have measuring tools. Just a collection of bolts, none of which fit.
Just take it to your local hardware store and visit the screw aisle. Almost all of them have thread gages to help identify what you have. And if not, you should be able to sort through the bulk screws/nuts until you find one that fits or ask someone who will be happy to help.

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

Tyler9000 wrote:
Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:37 pm
oooooh! he was trying to manufacture a bolt! thanks for the explanation.

--

btw another guerrilla solution that could work for simple tabletop placement is a beanbag, which is a common substitute for small tripods among camera users but could also work here, with the possible added bonus of absorbing vibration (eg if made from packing peanuts and plush fabric)

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by jacob »

Well, we're in business. Presenting a somewhat functional Yeti stand/shock mount made out of a cardboard shipping tube, 6 hair elastics, and 3 zip ties (a piece of string could substitute for two of those but I was feeling extravagant), and an old sock. Eventually I might built a better one or use a different sock (wool?), but this will do for now.

I did the hifi test routine of "this is me closing a door 10 ft away ... this is me pretending that talking to an orange sock on top of a cardboard tube from 1 ft away and 15 degrees off center is perfectly normal ... this is..."-test. This kind of highly scientific testing indicates I should stay within 1 ft of the microphone (methinks that was my original sin with the laptop mic-based podcasts) but that azimuth and altitude (cardioid setting) are forgiving, and that environmental noises are way down compared to the occasional "earth quakes" I used to set off.

Image

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

great! it's a keeper. i'd remove the sock though.

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Kriegsspiel »

Yet another interviewer fails to follow up on the "I can also kill you with a fucking sword" prompt.

Sigh.

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by Alphaville »

ok now with a little more time i'll explain why no sock there

basically you're adding a barrier which muffles your audio.

now in some cases you want to make the tradeoff of muffling a bit in order to cut down extraneous noises, like recording outdoors in wind.

for the wind you got basically 3 options: a foam cover (included with mics that might be used outdoors), a dead cat (which is a fuzzy cloth and a cheap upgrade from the foam) or a blimp (a cage with a screen bla bla $$).

since studio mics are used indoors they generally require no wind cover, not even foam.

and you don't want to cover it because you don't want to be heard mumbling. you want more clarity instead-- this why you got the studio mic.

the pop screen is different than a wind screen, and what you want instead ideally is a fine metal mesh standing between your mouth and the mic-- but only at close quarters, to cut the noise of plosives and sibilants, which is not the same noise as wind outdoors making a racket in your mic.

some cheaper pop screens can be fashioned from a wire hanger and a piece of pantyhose, but metal works better. one coud argue the mic already comes with such a mesh (some mics have their own pop screens), but if you want to add another it's ok, best if it's metal (like a fine sieve), which has beter acoustics, but just separate it from the mic an inch or two. it can be standalone or attached to the stand-- don't attach it to the mic itself.

tldr; wind screen outdoors, pop filter indoors (nylon or metal, not touching) if you work close to the mic.

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by jacob »

Okay, the sock is gone.

Here's version 2 using a cross stitch frame, a piece of window screen(*), 3 rubber bands, a small zip tie, and a piece of 3/4 plywood. The wood looks like it's touching the table, but it's sitting a bit above because I figured it would be better for earth quake transmissions if it didn't touch.

(*) Not metal, vinyl?

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Re: jacob interviewed on the madFIentist podcast

Post by jennypenny »

That pic looks like it should be in the Polyamory thread.

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