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How to Make Your Own Mic Boom Stand

Boom microphones are an essential requirement for anyone interested in creating professional-quality audio recordings. Though the quality of the microphone itself plays an important part in the final sound quality result, it is the nature of the boom stand itself that frees up actors, musicians, and other performers to not worry about handling a microphone and instead concentrate on their performance. Though some boom microphone stands can be quite complex, even their nickname, fish poles, belies the inherent simplicity in their design, meaning anyone can easily make one themselves for a fraction of the cost of a store-bought design.

Things You'll Need

  • 3/8-inch-by-2-inches hanger bolt
  • 5/16-inch drill bit
  • Microphone thread adapter
  • Painter's pole
  • Power drill
  • Shock mount
  • Two 3/8-inch hex nuts, 16 threads per inch
  • XLR cable
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Instructions

    • 1

      Gather all of your parts together. The painter's pole can be whatever size best fits your needs; 8- to 10-foot poles are common and should be sufficient, especially for most indoor shooting, although the larger 12- to 24-foot poles may be required for some of the more difficult outdoor shots. Regardless of the material making up the body of the pole itself, ensure that the threaded end is made of plastic.

    • 2

      Attach the drill bit into your power drill, and bore a hole down straight through the center of the threaded plastic end of the painter's pole. Once finished, securely attach both nuts to your hanger bolt and then screw the hanger bolt down into the new threading of the hole in the painter's pole you just created.

    • 3

      Secure the thread adapter to the end of the hanger bolt. Once finished, screw the shock mount onto the thread adapter so that it fits snugly.

    • 4

      Insert your microphone into the shock mount. Attach the XLR cable to your microphone and run the rest of it down the body of your new boom stand.

Recording Music

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