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REVIEW

RYCOTE INVISION USM-LF inally a reasonably priced universal shockmount that does what it’s supposed to.

Text: Greg Walker

The microphone suspension mount is something we tend to take for granted in our recording

environments. We screw them onto our mic stands, securely or dubiously clamp our microphones into them, and away we go. It’s only later during mixdown that we sometimes discover hideous gremlins lurking in the sound waves, revealed by compression and EQ: the ugly broad-spectrum low frequency thud of a singer or guitarist’s tapping foot, the insistent clomp of a kick drum that’s somehow escaped the confines of the drum room and lodged itself in the violin track, or maybe it’s the distant pitter patter of drunken band members’ feet as they wrestle the table soccer levers in the adjoining recreation room during a sensitive vocal take. One way to attenuate these types of sounds is by engaging a high-pass filter, which may work fine on the aforementioned violin track but can rob you of valuable bottom end if you’re recording double bass or acoustic guitar.

There are many factors involved in the transmission of thumps and bumps into your microphone’s sensitive electronics and many of these can be eliminated by careful studio design and recording smarts, but given that many of us record in less than ideal spaces with a great variety of performers, the suspension mount is one of our main weapons of choice for avoiding these nasties and deserves a little more attention than we sometimes give it.

UNIVERSAL LOVEThat’s certainly the view of Rycote; a UK-based company that’s been combating the ravages of wind, weather and other atmospherics with its windshields and other accessories for over 30 years. The company’s popshields, shockmounts and windjammers are arguably the industry

standard in its specialised field, and with the release of its new InVision USM-L (Universal Studio Mount) it can justifiably claim to have dragged the suspension mount kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Gone are the elastics that many of us spend so many fiddly minutes trying to re-attach, and in their place are four quite imposing U-shaped ‘lyres’ (made from the space-age composite material, Hytrel, used on snowboard bindings… and now suspension mounts) that connect together two concentric plastic rings. The inner ring is home to four nifty stainless steel screws with soft rubber grips that, together, secure your microphone in place. The design is quite simple and rather imposing with an overall diameter of 120mm and length of 170mm.

Another key feature of the USM-L is a small cable clip near where the mount attaches to the stand, dampening any vibration transmission along the cable itself. The Rycote USM-L, which features fire-engine red lyres can theoretically cope with microphones only weighing up to 400 grams, with diameters ranging from 18 to 55mm in round, square, straight and tapered shapes mounted in horizontal or vertical positions. If you need to suspend a heavier mic than that you’ll need to consider instead the similarly named (but black lyred) ‘USM’ model, which is designed for mics weighing between 400 and 750 grams.

Rycote also recommends you keep the microphone’s centre of gravity level with the outer ring for horizontal positioning, which keeps the pressure from the four screw-pads even, to prevent drooping. It should also be mentioned that Rycote has tried to bring the USM-L in at a price-point that brings it within range of the home

Price

Contact Syntec Internat ional sales@syntec.com.au www.syntec.com.au

ProsUp to dB more noise reduct ion.Universal mount fits a wide variety of microphone types.A decidedly modern, pro look.

ConsRed Lyres unnecessarily showy.Large mount unsuitable for t ight corners or unobtrusive stage placements.

SummaryAn invent ive and well-built new shockmount that reduces low-frequency thumps and bumps while securely support ing many di erent types of microphones. With up to dB of extra isolat ion, the Rycote InV ision USM-L may herald the death knell for our -year love a air with elast ic suspension mounts.

NEED TO KNOW

recordist as well as the pro sector.

Rycote provides detailed information on the performance of the USM including a frequency response chart to support its claim, the most significant of these being that the USM provides up to 12dB more isolation (below around 170Hz) from unwanted vibrations than equivalent mounts – a considerable reduction.

WOU LD I LYRE TO YOU?The Rycote InVision USM-L is eye-catching to say the least. Personally, I would have preferred its lyres to be the same neutral black as the surrounding plastic elements but no sooner had I started grumbling about this than I discovered the USM-L to be simply the ‘lower tension’ lighter carrying capacity model. The red lyres of the USM-L are supposed to easily distinguish this model from the higher tension USM version – I think they’ve succeeded – the lyres for which are black and consequently far easier on the eye. This misgiving aside, the USM-L is a very nice bit of kit: lightweight enough not to drag down your boom arm unnecessarily but sturdy enough to inspire confidence.

The first mic I set up was my old Octava ML53, a 570 gram, medium-sized cylindrical ribbon mic that always demands a good mounting situation. It takes a little longer to mount a mic with the four screws than your standard clamp arrangements but once snugly tightened, the grip of these four rubber pads is rock solid and I immediately felt at ease hanging the mic upside down or sideways, despite it being 170 grams overweight! I wished I’d had the USM for comparison purposes but nevertheless the mount seemed to work fine.

In case you’re wondering, the mic is totally secure long before there’s enough pressure from the screws to create any kind of damage to a mic’s casing – although obviously if you kept tightening the screws for long enough something would have to give… but you wouldn’t, would you? It’s worth noting also that the mount itself has quite a large ‘skirt’ so it needs a little extra space in which to operate, though in most situations that’s really not an issue. I tried various other mics in the USM-L: a Neumann U87, a BeesNeez Arabella and, because it has a square body, a Sennheiser 441. In each case the Rycote provided robust support, which often meant I could elevate the mic capsule further away from the surrounds of the mount than with conventional suspension cages.

GOOD VIBRATIONSI tried to upset it with some thumps and bumps but found the USM remarkably effective at neutralising these sounds. Eventually I resorted to veiled threats, muttered oaths and outright abuse, but still the Rycote held firm. The more I used it the more I found the USM-L to be a handy tool in the studio – not just because of its abilities as a noise reduction tool but simply because having a top quality shockmount in the studio is a good thing. One that can fit a large variety of mics is even better – if you need to try out a few different mics on a vocalist for example, the whole swapping out process is much quicker, moreover it’s easier to keep consistent heights and distances as well. So, all in all, high marks for Rycote’s new offering. It’s thought outside the square and come up with something that’s simple and works better without breaking the bank. You can stamp your feet as you applaud if you like!