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Post by mcirish on Sept 19, 2023 13:13:31 GMT -6
I'm looking at more boom stands. I need something that holds heavy tube mics solidly but can fold down for storage.
What I have (in order of price):
1) AtlasIED SB36W Studio Boom - fine, just big, but the pole unscrews from the base when loosening the height adjustment
2) Ultimate Support MC-125 - ok but big and can fall over when moving
3) Tama Iron Works Studio MS756BK - the boom is great but the stand height adjustment feels like it will break before holding the stand up - thought I broke it on the first session. Plastic - ugh
4) DR Pro Tripod Mic Stand - can't hold a large tube mic without drooping (fine for an sm58) maybe I just need to work on the rubber parts so they don't slip as much
5) Gator Frameworks GFW-MIC-2020 - really doesn't hold up a mic and the base is a bit light
6) typical on-stage booms - just horrible
So, I still have not found a stand for under $200 that works well for my mics. Anyone have a recommendation? I hate watching an AEA R84A sagging towards the floor. Happens way too often and I need a better solution. None of the stands I have are perfect. The Atlas is just huge and hard to move around. The Ultimate isn't bad but also a bit more bulky than I want. I usually have multiple ribbon and tube mics setup during sessions, so I'm always in need of stands that don't suck and don't cost a fortune.
What say you?
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Post by andersmv on Sept 19, 2023 13:56:09 GMT -6
I've given up on a cheaper middle ground. For me, it's either cough up the money for a Latch Lake 1100 (which although very large and heavy, fold down like a normal mic stand) or do the Dr Pro stands from Guitar Center. I've got a pair of Latch Lakes and a pair of the DR Pro's, love them to death. There's times where the Latch Lake is just obnoxious overkill, and there's times where the Dr Pro's will never be enough. I've yet to find anything between those two that can cover both grounds that I can trust. If you're trying to do something where the Dr Pro's are sagging or not stable, you need a bigger stand. If I'm going to use a bigger stand, Latch Lake's the only thing I've been able to trust. There's slightly cheaper options out there, I've used them all and they've all let me down and disappointed me.
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Post by Ward on Sept 19, 2023 14:13:10 GMT -6
Latchlake or K&M are what I buy these days. They're durable, forgiving and never let me down.
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Post by mcirish on Sept 19, 2023 14:31:43 GMT -6
The latchlake looks like it's great but I can't really swing that much on a single stand. I do have an old K&M from the mid-1970's. Kind of slips now but maybe I can get it going again, of just get a new K&M.
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Post by svart on Sept 19, 2023 14:38:26 GMT -6
I have an AtlasIED SB11WE that I bought on sale for around 200$ on Ebay. I also have some On-stage weighted booms, model SMS7650, that have worked out pretty well and don't sag because they have toothed adjustments instead of the usual rubber washers.
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Post by andersmv on Sept 19, 2023 14:46:21 GMT -6
The latchlake looks like it's great but I can't really swing that much on a single stand. I do have an old K&M from the mid-1970's. Kind of slips now but maybe I can get it going again, of just get a new K&M. If you spend the extra money, i guarantee you that you'll stop making threads like this. Not trying to be a dick or harsh, because I was in the exact same position when I first opened my studio here. There were a million things I really needed, and was spending money left and right. Went through three really nice stands around the $200 mark, they all had issues and one outright broke in the middle of a session (thankfully the drummer saved it before the mic was broken too). I'm telling you from a lot of (bad) experience, the Latch Lake is worth the extra money and is significantly better. My advice would be to find a way to get the extra $100. I've got a lot of problems here, but mic stands ain't one anymore... -EDIT- Holy crap, did I have a brain fart? I thought I paid around $300 for my 1100 stand. I just looked on Sweetwater and they're over $500 now! When did that happen? |
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Post by Ward on Sept 19, 2023 15:13:40 GMT -6
The latchlake looks like it's great but I can't really swing that much on a single stand. I do have an old K&M from the mid-1970's. Kind of slips now but maybe I can get it going again, of just get a new K&M. When I said "Never let me down" . . . I can't believe chessparov or ericn or drbill weren't quick on the recoil with a better joke on top of that. Johnkenn, maybe I am getting old after all. |
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Post by mike on Sept 19, 2023 15:47:33 GMT -6
While they are more than $200, if I needed something that holds heavy tube mics solidly but can fold down for storage, I would buy Triad-Orbit again. I use a 47/67 on mine.
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Post by rowmat on Sept 19, 2023 16:00:33 GMT -6
The best heavy duty mic stands I found that weren’t $500 plus are Century Stands (C-Stands) used for film lighting. They easily take shot bags on the legs if you really need to make sure they don’t move and the clamps don’t slip or creep. To be frank most mic stands don’t cut it for use with extended booms with heavy mics unless you are prepared to spend big.  |
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Post by the other mark williams on Sept 19, 2023 16:02:06 GMT -6
While I know it's annoying and even difficult to pay that much for a mic stand, the Latch Lake 1100 is just exceptional. I don't use anything else for LDCs anymore. I had an Ultimate MC125 fall over with my Soyuz 017FET on it. Sure, I'll use one of my K&M stands for SDCs or dynamics or lighter ribbons, but the Latch Lake sees tons of use, and I haven't even had to think about mic stands anymore since I got it. It's worth saving up for. EDIT: I just saw rowmat 's post above, and he's got a great point. A C-stand can absolutely work, and you can easily sandbag the tallest leg if you need even more stability. They're easy to store, too, and quite affordable for the cheaper models. They look different than mic stands, but they're sturdier than all but the very best mic stands. Here are 3 different ones I just found on Amazon: Here's one from Neewer
Here's one that's even cheaper but would certainly do the job
And here's a cheaper one still that even comes with a sandbag
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Post by rowmat on Sept 19, 2023 16:09:43 GMT -6
While I know it's annoying and even difficult to pay that much for a mic stand, the Latch Lake 1100 is just exceptional. I don't use anything else for LDCs anymore. I had an Ultimate MC125 fall over with my Soyuz 017FET on it. Sure, I'll use one of my K&M stands for SDCs or dynamics or lighter ribbons, but the Latch Lake sees tons of use, and I haven't even had to think about mic stands anymore since I got it. It's worth saving up for. I have a pair of Ulimate MC125’s and I had a couple of close calls with them. |
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Post by drumsound on Sept 19, 2023 17:37:55 GMT -6
I have an AtlasIED SB11WE that I bought on sale for around 200$ on Ebay. I also have some On-stage weighted booms, model SMS7650, that have worked out pretty well and don't sag because they have toothed adjustments instead of the usual rubber washers. I have a pair of those On-Stage stands, and I've been nothing but happy with them. I'm also a big fan of the On-Stage mini-booms. To keep my booth from feeling cluttered I often use a straight round base stand with a weight and the mini boom for cutting vocals. |
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Post by drbill on Sept 19, 2023 18:30:23 GMT -6
I have an AtlasIED SB11WE that I bought on sale for around 200$ on Ebay. I also have some On-stage weighted booms, model SMS7650, that have worked out pretty well and don't sag because they have toothed adjustments instead of the usual rubber washers. I have a pair of those On-Stage stands, and I've been nothing but happy with them. I'm also a big fan of the On-Stage mini-booms. To keep my booth from feeling cluttered I often use a straight round base stand with a weight and the mini boom for cutting vocals. I've got several 7650's as well. They work great for overheads and high up room mics for me. Too big and bulky and heavy to put up for a vocal or guitar mic though. |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 15,006 
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Post by ericn on Sept 19, 2023 19:01:19 GMT -6
The latchlake looks like it's great but I can't really swing that much on a single stand. I do have an old K&M from the mid-1970's. Kind of slips now but maybe I can get it going again, of just get a new K&M. When I said "Never let me down" . . . I can't believe chessparov or ericn or drbill weren't quick on the recoil with a better joke on top of that. Johnkenn, maybe I am getting old after all. The only stand that I have never seen droop is the Latch Lake, K&M is probably the most roadworthy of your standard stands. |
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Post by eyebytwomuchgeer on Sept 19, 2023 19:58:53 GMT -6
It is hard to beat a Latch Lake. Even at $500 for the 1100 (I'm pretty sure they just recently had a price increase) it will be worth it. One of the few things I've found in the pro audio world that is actually really worth the cost.
Before I went to the Latch Lakes myself, I was using DW Drums 9000 series cymbal stands with the mic adapter boom arm. You don't get a lot of boom length, but they are rock solid, and you can load up the legs with sand bags if you need to. By the time you get the stand and a few DW Dogbone extensions to get some extra boom length and angle options, you're basically in the Latch Lake price range.
But the DW stands are cymbal stands technically, and they will fold up nicely.
Just found this one: DW DWCP9700XL
This is much beefier and heavier than the ones I was using. DW 9000 series stands are NOT lightweight, so I'm guessing this model is an absolute beast. I'm pretty sure you can buy a cheap DW adapter to swap the cymbal post for a mic post.
And now that I think about it, I did try the Tama Ironworks stands at some point. They are great for certain things, but the boom stands are JUST a bit not good enough for really hanging bigger mics. I like their ultlalow boom stands for kick mics and heavy mics that go closer to the floor.
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Post by sirthought on Sept 19, 2023 20:34:46 GMT -6
I've never used a stand like these, so ignorant question: does a mic clip screw on to these threads? Or do you have to buy a usable boom? |
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Post by christophert on Sept 19, 2023 22:06:15 GMT -6
I'm looking at more boom stands. I need something that holds heavy tube mics solidly but can fold down for storage. What I have (in order of price): 1) AtlasIED SB36W Studio Boom - fine, just big, but the pole unscrews from the base when loosening the height adjustment 2) Ultimate Support MC-125 - ok but big and can fall over when moving 3) Tama Iron Works Studio MS756BK - the boom is great but the stand height adjustment feels like it will break before holding the stand up - thought I broke it on the first session. Plastic - ugh 4) DR Pro Tripod Mic Stand - can't hold a large tube mic without drooping (fine for an sm58) maybe I just need to work on the rubber parts so they don't slip as much 5) Gator Frameworks GFW-MIC-2020 - really doesn't hold up a mic and the base is a bit light 6) typical on-stage booms - just horrible So, I still have not found a stand for under $200 that works well for my mics. Anyone have a recommendation? I hate watching an AEA R84A sagging towards the floor. Happens way too often and I need a better solution. None of the stands I have are perfect. The Atlas is just huge and hard to move around. The Ultimate isn't bad but also a bit more bulky than I want. I usually have multiple ribbon and tube mics setup during sessions, so I'm always in need of stands that don't suck and don't cost a fortune. What say you? The Tama stands do not break. They are rock solid, and I have been using some for two decades. My studio is now full of them. Never had a failure, and they can hold very heavy mics. |
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Post by notneeson on Sept 19, 2023 22:25:20 GMT -6
While I know it's annoying and even difficult to pay that much for a mic stand, the Latch Lake 1100 is just exceptional. I don't use anything else for LDCs anymore. I had an Ultimate MC125 fall over with my Soyuz 017FET on it. Sure, I'll use one of my K&M stands for SDCs or dynamics or lighter ribbons, but the Latch Lake sees tons of use, and I haven't even had to think about mic stands anymore since I got it. It's worth saving up for. EDIT: I just saw rowmat 's post above, and he's got a great point. A C-stand can absolutely work, and you can easily sandbag the tallest leg if you need even more stability. They're easy to store, too, and quite affordable for the cheaper models. They look different than mic stands, but they're sturdier than all but the very best mic stands. Here are 3 different ones I just found on Amazon: Here's one from Neewer
Here's one that's even cheaper but would certainly do the job
And here's a cheaper one still that even comes with a sandbag
Someone asked me for a “stinger” last weekend when we were plugging in a guitar amp on a session. I said “you’re lucky my dad was a gaffer, otherwise I’d have absolutely no idea what you were talking about.” |
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Post by yotonic on Sept 19, 2023 22:31:32 GMT -6
Latch Lake. Or waste your money on a clone.
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kelk
Junior Member
Posts: 85
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Post by kelk on Sept 20, 2023 2:08:14 GMT -6
Another Latch Lake 1100 vote. Never have to doubt my stands again.
They are pricey but i've found the most expensive thing has been having to buy twice or thrice.
I'd rather save up and buy once.
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Post by reddirt on Sept 20, 2023 3:49:31 GMT -6
Latchlake sounds like confirmation of the old saying , " we didn't have much money so we bought the best "
I remember the Oliver Archut and Terry Manning forum spruiking Latchlake quality
Cheers, Ross
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Post by Quint on Sept 20, 2023 7:10:36 GMT -6
I have a pair of those On-Stage stands, and I've been nothing but happy with them. I'm also a big fan of the On-Stage mini-booms. To keep my booth from feeling cluttered I often use a straight round base stand with a weight and the mini boom for cutting vocals. I've got several 7650's as well. They work great for overheads and high up room mics for me. Too big and bulky and heavy to put up for a vocal or guitar mic though. Same here. I've got a couple of those On Stage 7650 booms that work just fine. They never sag (because of the teeth) and I've never had an issue with them toppling over. Those bases are heavy and so are the counterweights. I've also got a lot of Triad Orbit stuff that gets used a bunch in a lot of different places. |
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Post by notneeson on Sept 20, 2023 8:25:53 GMT -6
I've got several 7650's as well. They work great for overheads and high up room mics for me. Too big and bulky and heavy to put up for a vocal or guitar mic though. Same here. I've got a couple of those On Stage 7650 booms that work just fine. They never sag (because of the teeth) and I've never had an issue with them toppling over. Those bases are heavy and so are the counterweights. I've also got a lot of Triad Orbit stuff that gets used a bunch in a lot of different places. The medium duty Triad Orbit stuff is really good. Almost as much money as Latch Lake though. |
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Post by Quint on Sept 20, 2023 10:28:10 GMT -6
Same here. I've got a couple of those On Stage 7650 booms that work just fine. They never sag (because of the teeth) and I've never had an issue with them toppling over. Those bases are heavy and so are the counterweights. I've also got a lot of Triad Orbit stuff that gets used a bunch in a lot of different places. The medium duty Triad Orbit stuff is really good. Almost as much money as Latch Lake though. Regardless of where Triad falls in the price hierarchy, the reason I use Triad as much as anything isn't because of the build quality, which is nice, but because of the way it allows me to use up less floor space and easily make adjustments to mics. Those things are what make Triad attractive, even if it's nearly Latch Lake prices. I've got those ball joint boom arm things from Triad all over the place in my studio. They're so easy to make mic adjustments with and I have a lot of them clamped to various things like the piano, shelves, other mic stands, etc. This means less mic stand bases/legs in the way on the floor, which is worth a lot to me. Matter of fact, other than immediately around the drum set, I only have two mic cables out in the open on the floor anywhere in the tracking area and only two traditional free floating mic stands with legs/bases out in the open on the floor in the tracking area. And that's for 40 inputs live at all times (26 mic inputs, 14 DI inputs). It's been nice to have nearly zero opportunities for trip hazards remaining, and every bit of extra space is appreciated. Triad was a big part of achieving that. |
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Post by Omicron9 on Sept 20, 2023 10:34:17 GMT -6
I have three of the OnStage 7650s that I've had for at least 10-12 years. Never an issue. Nice counterweight, and the clutches are toothed/geared, so it's sag-proof. I paid less than $200. each back then; no idea of the current price, but if I needed another major stand, I'd buy another one. Much better than the usual OnStage quality. on-stage.com/products/view/12624-09 |
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