Visit Rycote at NAMM 2012 and see the new USM-VB!

Venue: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, 19th -22th January 2012

Booth #: 6699 (Hall A)

Visit Rycote at NAMM 2012 and see the new USM-VB!

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Pubkished in Gear Reviews, Tape OP 84/65

Rycote Invision USM shock mount

Shockmounts suck. Right after headphones, they are the bane of any studio owner’s existence. Every time I walk back into the studio, I find broken headphones and at least one shockmount that has broken or fallen apart. The classic Neumann basket types are the worst. They constantly fall apart, and the elastic bands lose their tension. Why does everybody still follow this design? There are a lot more manufacturing material and methods that have been invented since 1960 or whenever those crappy things were made. And they’re expensive! Well, Rycote has completely re-engineered the shockmount, and there is finally a much better alternative to the outdated Neumann-type mount.

The Rycote USM is made with modern plastics, with a semi-flexible but very solid plastic suspension system providing the mechanical isolation for the mic. The mounts also fit a variety of mics, unlike the one-mount-fitting-only-one-mic Neumann-type mounts that clutter up your shockmount drawer. Three thumbscrews with soft rubber grips tighten down securely onto the mic, so that almost any mic can fit into the mount, from a smaller KM 84-type mic to most large-diaphragm condensers. These work great for heavier tube mics like C 12s. I even tried some odd mic shapes that are hard to put into most shockmounts, like a Sennheiser MD 421, AKG C 414, and an Electro-Voice PL20. The only mic I couldn’t get into this mount was a Neumann U 47, as it was just too big. Although the mounts come in a variety of sizes and stiffnesses (for the isolation element) it would be nice to see a larger unit for mics like U 47 and even the older RFT bottle mics.One minor issue for some engineers might be that it takes a few more seconds to put a mic into one of these than the traditional Neumann-type mounts, but in my mind, the benefits far outweigh this minor annoyance.

Overall, my only complaint with the USM is that Rycote only sent one. I will not be sending it back, and I will be buying at least three more. JB

Gear Reviews/(Fin.)/Tape Op #84/65

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I have been thinking of purchasing the new Rycote Portable Recorder Suspension for my D50 for a while now. I knew that the D50, well every portable recorder, was very susceptible to handling and cable borne noise and although I managed to hold it in ways that helped reduce this I was never totally happy with the result. The Rycote has solved this problem with an effective, stylish and incredibly well designed piece of kit that does exactly what it’s mean to do, without compromise.

The build quality is excellent! It is made from the same quality materials you will find in all other products from Rycote, a mixture of lightweight metals and plastic components. The suspension uses the excellent LYRE system that you will find on all Windjammer products and makes for a very sturdy mount for the recorder.

The reduction in handling noise is incredible, of course there is still a small amount if you are heavy handed with moving the recorder about, but in normal use it virtually kills all handling noise. Attached to the suspension in a small plastic clip that the headphone cable, remote control cable etc clips into, this stops all cable borne noise reaching the recorder, once again this is extremely effective!

In the box you will find the suspension unit and also a hot-shoe adaptor so you can put the recorder on top of a camera.

Along with the suspension I also bought a mini windjammer for the D50, I was previously using another Rycote cover from another mic, although it worked ok it was not a great fit. This windjammer fits like a glove, as it should, and is very effective at reducing wind noise, the long hair doing a great job even in a strong breeze.

I have been using Rycote products for many years and have always been impressed with the quality, design and usability.

To read the original article, please visit: Simon Charles Audio's Blog

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Cheltenham Studio Praises New Suspension/Pop Filter System

Stroud, UK, April 2011: Rycote, the UK-based manufacturer of state-of-the-art microphone suspension systems and windshields, has been the subject of praise from English recording studio Yellow Shark for their recently launched InVision Studio Kit. The successful studio, based in Cheltenham in the West of the country, recently bought several Studio Kits, which have proved popular with recording artists and engineers at the studio.

Recent sessions at Yellow Shark studios, Cheltenham, using the new Rycote Studio Kit.

Yellow Shark, founded in 2003, is a well-equipped residential studio in the centre of Cheltenham with a live room, dry room, two isolation booths and a control room. Equipped with a good cross-section of the best analogue and digital recording equipment history has to offer, including a Soundtracs Jade console, Avid Pro Tools DAW and Studer half-inch and two-inch analogue tape machines and an impressive list of vintage and recent analogue outboard, it's a provincial success story that survives on a consistent flow of artists and producers from London and around the UK. Artist clients have included Ian Anderson, the BBC and Keisha White, producers Phill Brown and George Shilling, and Paul McCartney's engineer Matt Butler. "We're small enough to be attractive financially, and our location appeals to clients who are bored of working in London," explains Jeremy Drew, Yellow Shark's owner and founder, "but we're big enough to handle full bands and small orchestral ensembles of up to 10 people. I think we've struck a good balance."

The Rycote InVision Studio Kit comprises the patented Universal Studio Mount (USM), a Rycote-patented, non-elasticated microphone suspension that can be adjusted to accommodate any large-diaphragm recording microphone between 18 and 55mm in diameter, and the Universal Pop Filter, an adjustable pop shield that may be fitted to almost any mic suspension, or securely clamped to the Rycote USM. Yellow Shark have been using the Rycote Studio Kits since early this year, to positive comments from many of the studio's clients. The patented U-shaped Lyre suspension clips that decouple the USM’s inner mic support ring from mic stands are up to twice as effective at isolating the mics from unwanted vibrations as traditional elasticated mounts, and users at Yellow Shark have noticed the difference.

"The USMs do exactly what they are claimed to do, and do it well," explains Jeremy Drew. "Perhaps the feature I like best about the Studio Kit is that the pop shields are held securely on the mic mount itself; pop shields on flexi-arms constantly drop and are a complete pain.  Also, because the mount is adjustable and will fit most recording mics, there's no need to constantly change your mount and pop shield. We're often auditioning various mics for our clients in the studio, so that suits us nicely."

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Mr. Richard Lipman (www.lipmanfilms.com), who wins £200 of Rycote products, with his picture of the Rycote Softie Kit at the Royal WeddIng!

And of course, many, many thanks to all of you who took part and sent us your pictures!!

Read the interview by Pro Sound News!