Top of Sidebar
Mission Statement
Do It Yourself Tips and Tricks
Books, Equipment, Software, and Training Reviews
Film Critiques
Community Section
Savings and Links
Editorials
Archives
Bottom of Sidebar
Back to the Home Page
   Equipment Review
   K-Tek Shotgun Windscreens
 
   Company: K-Tek
   Website: http://www.mklemme.com
   Type: Shotgun Windscreens

   MSRP:   $85 - K-FLCY-L (Fleece Slip-On)
               $250 - Z-FM-M (Combo Windscreen/
                Shockmount)

   Expected Release: Available Now
   Review Date: December 15, 2007
   Reviewed By: John Howard



Final Score:
8.5

I'm sure for most, reviewing windscreens is about the most boring thing a person could do. For a borderline OCD audio geek who has freaked out in the field because he just could NOT keep that [expletive deleted] wind out of the takes, this is like sweet redemption!

Setting up the screen
Being of scientific mind, I wanted to make sure our tests here were as complete as possible. As such, I tested four versions of this setup for the most verifiability and comparative information. For the control setup, I used a bare shotgun mic. Then, to show what many people will initially try to use, my second setup was with the foam windscreen that is included with any of Sennheiser’s shotgun mics. (In this situation, the windscreen was designed to fit the ME-66) Then, for the third setup, I went to the K-FLCY-L, to showcase K-Tek’s more basic windscreen option. Finally, for the fourth setup, I went to the Z-FM-M windscreen, to showcase K-Tek’s more comprehensive windscreen option.

I used a Sennheiser ME-66, mounted to a short mic boom stand (for consistency). I then placed the pick-up end of the mic (not the tip of the windscreen) 12" away from a typical household box fan and recorded it on all three speeds (Low, Medium, and High) for each test. When listening to the audio clips, pay particular attention to the bass frequencies. That's where the rumble from our test "wind" is most evident, as there are a lot of mid/high frequencies produced by the fan itself.

Test Results

Bare Mic:
I'm pretty sure you already know this, but this is a no-no in nearly every case when you record sound outside. Though, as I mentioned before, it provides a control baseline for our experiment. Turn your speakers down when you play these clips -- lots of rumble with all settings on the fan, but it’s pretty unbearable on High!

Foam Windscreen:
Substantially better than a bare mic, but still inevitably noisy when our "wind" picks up.

Mission | Tips & Tricks | Equipment & Software Reviews | Film Critiques
Groups & Community | Links & Savings
| Home


Contact Us Search Submit Films for Critique