Indy Mogul
Wesley's Weekly HOW TO: Super-Cheap Shock Mount
All of us want great sound in our films, but unfortunately not all of us can afford a professional boompole, much less boompole accesories. This is one such accesory. Shock Mounts go at the end of boompoles, suspending the mic (usually from elastic or rubber straps) in the center of a mount, keeping it isolated from vibrations from the boom grip. This allows you to move the boom around more, and pick up far less noise, which is ideal for any on-site Sound Recording. This is by no means a professional-mount, this is just a quick (very quick) and cheap (very cheap) accessory for your homemade boompoles, it may not be perfect, but for quick shoots where you need some cleaner sound, this could be helpful and won't strain your budget.
Start with a tin can. This was a can of chopped peaches, before I washed it out. I'm using a tin can, rather than something like a soda can, because tin offers the necessary strength and thickness to support the tension of the straps i'm going to install in it. BUT this also causes some issues with cutting it, so make sure you get help cutting this if you're worried about being able to do it on your own. (The edges are sharp so BE CAREFUL, and wear work gloves if possible).
Now, cut both ends off of it and wash it out.
Now, tag two points on one side of the can. Tag the same two points on the opposite side of the can. Then go to the halfway mark between the opposide points, and make two additional points, then mark points the opposite of THOSE points. So you should have 4 sets of points marked on your can, roughly equal distance apart.
Now, cut segments into the can. You want to cut like a square shape into each point, but with one side still attached, so you can...
Flip them up like this. So this to all sides of the can, where you marked the points. BE CAREFUL, like I said, the edges can be sharp, so maybe go ahead and cover them with little pieces of duct tape (just on the edges, keep the holes open.)
Now, take a rubber band, and string it across the holes. The way I did this is I would...
Hang the first end onto the flipped up part of the can, then I would grab the end of the rubber band sticking into the can, and I would pull it across and stick it out the other hole, where I would pull it out some more, and pull it up and over the tin segment like hanging it on a hook...
Like so.
Repeat on the other side of the can, so you have these plus-shaped arrangements of rubber bands stretched across both ends.
Now, just gently peel the rubber bands apart, and slide it inbetween them, and it'll be suspended without any direct contact to the edges of the can.
Now, it's a question of how to attach it to the end of your homemade boompole? That is an excellent question, which really depends on what path you want to follow. I got this little mic mount at my local music store for two dollars (More expensive than the cost of the shockmount, which I literally constructed out of stuff I found in a garbage can). You could easily put a bolt through this and attach it to your mount, and have an up and down adjustable shock mount, but if you're low on time, and budget...
I found that some simple duct tape will suffice. This is by no means professional, and it won't last forever, but if you need a quick shockmount for your project, and you're running out of time, this can save your butt, and will last at the very least a few hours while you record your sound. For a more permanent fixture, I would suggest attaching a solid strip of wood or plastic to the top of the mic mount, and bolting/epoxying it thoroughly in place, then bolting that to your shockmount. It'll be FAR more secure, and not look like crap that you built out of garbage, but it will cost you a few dollars more and take some extra time.
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