Heavy Duty "Tall" Boom Stand Suggestions Needed?

[spiderdragon]

Can anyone suggest a decent boom stand that won't break the bank? The Atlas and Airr stuff are great but very pricey. I can only go for about $100 ea. I need a pair for reaching high up in a room, about 12'. Thanks!

[inaudio]

Shure makes a nice folding aluminum stand that goes to 15' and sells for around $150 each. Folds into a pouch and weighs about four pounds.

You need to adjust your budget to get something sturdy and reliable... sorry!

<L>

[Musiclab]

On Stage makes something called the studio Boom. Its around 75-85 bucks. It goes up pretty high and is a solid stand.

[Jan Folkson]

Most people that I know that cheap-out on studio mic stands ALWAYS wind up buying again, usually Atlas, which is what they should have bought in the first place.

YMMV.

[philip]

I´ve got two http://www.quiklok.com/ A-50, very nice.

[pounce]

Originally posted by Jan Folkson
Most people that I know that cheap-out on studio mic stands ALWAYS wind up buying again, usually Atlas, which is what they should have bought in the first place.

YMMV.

i've had to rebuy every item i originally cheaped out on. you know what you need and you know who makes it, so save up a little bit and buy the right thing.

[Jan Folkson]

A friend of mine has the quik lok and every day he regrets not getting the atlas.

[faeflora]

I have an "On Stage Stand Studio Boom Hex Base" stand. It's great! It's very heavy and very sturdy.

[spiderdragon]

Thanks All!

I'm deciding between the "On Stage Stand Studio Boom with Hex Base", looks like it's built like the Atlas or possibly the "Shure S15A" - looking pretty cool too.

[Musiclab]

Originally posted by Jan Folkson
A friend of mine has the quik lok and every day he regrets not getting the atlas.

the quik lok also seemed like a big dumb clunky thing that takes up way too much room. FWIW I've had 2 of these On stage studio booms for a few years
now and I've never regretted not getting the atlas. Now I don't have a need to get mics 15 or 20 feet up in the air. If I did I'd, get starbirds

[inaudio]

I have used a lot of mic stands in my daze - and every quiklok and onstage I have ever seen has been crap. Atlas, K&M (formerly AKG) or Shure are the ones that work and will last as long as you live.

NSHO,

<L>

[faeflora]

I agree that most quicklock stands are crap. This one is actually very versatile and usable.

[Walling1]

I've actually been fairly happy with my Quiklok A-85. I know I'll replace it with an Atlas eventually, but it's not as crappy as most crappy mic stands, IMHO.

-Dave

[TER]

I have had good luck with the OnStage Studio Hex base Studio Boom stands. OnStage makes two or three quality levels of many products, and unfortunately most of their stands in use out there are the cheapest ones. The hexes are very good stands, and I have never desired another large stand--getting to 12 feet or so is not a problem. I actually far prefer using the hex base stands to regular tripod stands, the hexes are so heavy that they don't move when bumped, they don't tip, and the toothed boom clutch doesn't slip. The OnStage "Studio Boom Microphone Stand" is not a good choice.

Disclaimer: I'm an OnStage dealer. I also do K&M, Quicklok, Hercules and Atlas, though...so I've got the pick of the best.

-tom

[Fajita]

don't forget how expensive a mic you're putting 15' in the air. (if that matters to you) don't want to put a $5000 mic on a stand that will let it go smash!

[hollywood_steve]

don't forget how expensive a mic you're putting 15' in the air. (if that matters to you) don't want to put a $5000 mic on a stand that will let it go smash!

Yeah, what he said.......

Us location recording guys have wasted stupid amounts of time looking for mic stands that are both good quality and cheap; they don't exist.

You don't need to spend $1,000 for a Starbird, but you're not going to find a "good" $30 stand either. The least expensive stand that I will trust my mics on is the MS20 stand w/ PS11 boom from Atlas, around $90 for the stand and boom combination.

(other than the big sb36, the only other Atlas stands that I'll use are the MS20 & MS25 models. They are substantially heavier and sturdier than the cheaper Atlas models.)

When I need more height than the Atlas stand/boom combinations can provide, there are several brands of "lighting" stands originally designed for supporting film/TV production lights. The Bogen "Avenger" product line is the most well known; they are probably the cheapest of the "pro" quality grip stands; there are some really nice stands from companies like Matthews, but they can run up into Starbird type prices (or beyond!). The companies that sell lighting stands cheaper than the Avenger models are mostly junk (IMHO) and not worth risking your mics.

There are a couple of small companies that are making some very, very nice mic stands, like Latch Lake Music. But if you are really limited to $100 for a pair of stands, they are not going to fit in your budget. But if you ever have the thrill of watching an expensive mic crash to the floor, you will quickly reprioritize your available funds towards some good stands. Then you might want to take a look at Latch Lake or one of the other companies I mentioned.

Good luck.

[studentjohn36]

Damn. I wish I'd bought the SB-36. A few years ago I shelled out substantial dollars for an ultimate support MC-125. Great mic stand but the boom pivot is a total piece of junk. The rest of the unit is so much landfill without a proper rock-solid boom pivot. tutt

[Kiwi]

Ever considered getting something custom made? There are limits to commercial designs - weight must be kept light to remain profitable.

Because of Newtons 3rd law - anything vibrating on a stick will tend to make the stick vibrate, which dissipates the energy. Ideally, you want a rigid, high-mass structure that doesn't move or flex at all. A steel beam or tube filled with sand would be ideal (similar in principle to speaker stands) - but wouldn't be commercially viable. But you could build it yourself, and end up with something that is better.

Can you suspend the mic from the ceiling, or mount a beam between walls or something?

[chazwood]

A guy looking for a super cheap mike stand probably does not have a $5000 mike. Or he won't for long

[timtoonz]

I've got a couple heavy duty Atlas stands that are pretty good, and solid enough to hold a Coles 4038 out over the kit -- which is a dang heavy mic.

Atlas Sound SB36W Chrome | Sweetwater.com

[jerkrecords]

save your money.
Latch Lake.

-pete