Microphone Stands, Clips, and Adapters
Back in 2007, when I was a newbie to remote recording, I showed up for my first author interview with two cardioid mics and two tabletop stands. I intended to record my guest with one microphone and record myself with the other. The author’s two enormous cats looked on with classic cat curiosity as I set my equipment on the dining room table—no doubt the cats were hoping something would fall that they could bat across the hardwood floor. They almost got their wish when I dropped a mic clip. I had to dive under the table to grab it as they lumbered toward me.
In my imagination, this interview was a relaxed conversation about the author’s books and writerly lifestyle. My pre-event planning did not factor in a room full of hard surfaces that created echoes. It did not include all the thumps and booms that were recorded every time one of us touched the table. Just so you know, sitting at a table without touching it is nearly impossible.
At the time, I didn’t know enough to scout the location before I showed up to record so I’d know exactly what equipment to bring. Or, that if it wasn’t possible to scout beforehand, I should bring floor and tabletop mic stands, as well as long and short microphone cables. There was so much I didn’t know back then.
My plan to record an interview with this author also did not include cat meows sprinkled throughout her brilliant responses to my questions. I learned a lot that day.
I had conducted many interviews before that nerve-wracking experience, but most of them took place inside a recording studio or on location with a sound engineer who set up and ran the equipment.
If anyone had told me that my interview in the author’s home would be the first of hundreds of solo remote recordings, I might have panicked and quit my job. But making hundreds of recordings on my own is exactly what happened. Those experiences unfolded over months and years, however, giving me lots of time to make mistakes—some inconsequential and some catastrophic—and get smarter.
Part of what I learned was to use the proper mic stand for each situation. Here are the basics:
Straight floor stand: The most traditional stand. It has a solid round base or a tripod base. It’s used mostly for onstage singers and speakers. The straight floor stand features a straight pole with a mic clip on top. This stand works well for recording a person who is standing, so it’s fine for short recording sessions. However, if the person is seated, they would need to straddle the stand—put one leg and foot on each side of the base—to get close enough to the mic, which makes it difficult not to kick or bump the stand. I don’t recommend a straight floor stand for any recording sessions longer than a few minutes, unless there are no other options.
Boom floor stand: Unlike straight stands, boom stands have an extendable arm. This gives you many set-up possibilities. Your interviewee(s) will be able to sit comfortably in any sort of chair because you can adjust the length of the boom arm to accommodate their position. As with the straight stands, boom stands have a solid, heavy base or a tripod base.
Overhead floor stand: Overhead stands are similar to boom stands, but they’re larger in diameter and height and have a much longer extension arm. An overhead stand is best for when you have many voices to record, such as a small choir or a roundtable discussion. Your omnidirectional microphone will point downward to record the group. Most overhead mic stands have a tripod base or a four-pronged base with wheels. The wheels are necessary because these stands are large and heavy, which makes them more difficult to move around.
Low-profile / tabletop stands: Low-profile stands are shorter versions of floor stands. They are small and easy to pack and carry, but they have a couple of disadvantages. First, no one can touch any part of the table. If they do, those sounds—booms and thuds—will travel from the table, up the mic stand, into the microphone, and onto your recording. Those sounds cannot be edited out if they occur while you or your interviewee is speaking. Second, you and your guest must sit very close to the table to be near the microphone, which makes it more difficult to remember not to touch the table. You can buy straight and boom arm tabletop stands. It’s easier to sit a short distance from the table using a boom arm stand.
Lavalier (clip-on, no stand): Convenient for live speakers who need to move around a room. But they are the most unreliable microphones for personal interviews because the recording can get muffled by clothing and the mic can pick up unintended sounds. Also, whenever the person wearing the lavalier mic moves their head, the sound fades or gets louder as the distance between mouth and mic changes. Variable levels and rustling sounds create editing challenges.
Mounted stands: The most commonly used mounted stands are attached to a wall or a table. Obviously, if you’re doing remote recordings a permanently mounted wall stand won’t work, so you’ll need one with a table clamp. The table clamp is adjustable to accommodate the thickness of various table tops. These stands have a flexible arm that can extend across the table for better mic placement. However, because they are attached to the table, some of the same tabletop microphone issues apply (see above).
For ninety percent of my recording projects, I use a boom floor stand. When space is limited—such as recording two-person interviews in a small space where there isn’t enough room to extend two boom arms—I’ll use tabletop stands and instruct my participants to keep their hands off the table. But, as noted earlier, sitting at a table without touching it is nearly impossible, especially if one of you tends to use hand gestures.
Ideally, you’ll make a simultaneous choice when you buy a microphone and mic stand. Sometimes you can get a better deal on the prices when you buy both together. For example, if you purchase a pair of cardioid mics, other items might be included in the package, such as tabletop stands.
If you purchase mics and stands separately, make sure a mic clip is included. A mic clip is the physical mount that holds the microphone in place. Clips and mics come in several widths, from narrow to wide. You’ll need the proper clip for the width of your microphone.
Most mic clips come with an adapter, which is the piece that connects to the mic stand—but you’ll need to check for that, as well. Most adapters are metal with threads that screw into the top of the microphone. The top of the mic stand and the threads of your clip must match. Obviously, stands and clips purchased together will be compatible.
But not to worry! Unless you buy an unusual or non-standard piece of equipment, the mic clip should easily thread onto the mic stand. If you’re in a store, you can ask the salesperson. If you’re shopping online, read the product description and specifications carefully. `It’s also wise to read the return policy, just in case.
