Some little pieces of useful gear I've bought recently.

[honeyiscool]

As usual, no, I'm not sponsored by anybody.

 

 

WindTech PopGard 2000 - $29

 

 

Absolutely genius! I hate cheap fabric pop filters, I think they do more harm than good, so I've been using a nice Stedman Proscreen XL metal windscreen for a while. However, I really hate using gooseneck filters because they're so bulky and ugly, so I've been looking for some alternative solutions, and I found this little gem. This thing is tidy! It's very small, stays out of the way, fits on just about any side address microphone, and looks very nice! The material is sort of hard to describe. It's definitely not fabric, but it's not metal like the Stedman, it feels almost like someone wove a plastic mesh or something. Either way, it looks more durable than your average fabric pop screen, and should be easily washable. And you can always keep it on your mic and it should protect it nicely from bursts of air.

 

 

On Stage TM03 Table Microphone Clamp - $7

 

 

Attach a 19" gooseneck to this (the cheap Musicians Gear ones from MF are actually very stiff and very nice) and you have the best desktop mic stand money can buy, no footprint, and you don't ever have to worry about it tipping. I have been able to use these to attach mics from ceiling and wall studs in my garage, very useful for room mics. A tripod to microphone adapter allows you attach small cameras as well. I really like the Edirol stand adapter. It's made for their digital recorders but they work for standard cameras as well.

 

 

On-Stage Stands Speaker Wall Mount Bracket - $59

 

 

Such a simple idea! These things rule! Pretty cheap, for what they are, and very useful. If you have PA speakers in your practice space and you hate how bulky (and sorta unstable) tripod stands are, just put one of these up. Problem solved. Probably safer, too!

 

 

All Parts Chrome On-On-On Switch

 

 

I use a fair number of mini DPDT switches in my various wiring projects, and I've always considered those 1/4" switches to be a bit of a necessary evil. I've tried many kinds, from the expensive DiMarzios to the cheap Chinese bulk switches on eBay. I have to say, this switch is the best I've tried. It has very satisfying, clicky feel, like a good high-end toggle switch, instead of that icky flimsy feeling that lot of mini DPDT switches have. I use these for the series/split/parallel operation, and I can wholeheartedly say that these deserve a chance.