My plan is to take the capsules and boards out of the NT1-As and put them inside a large birdfeeder (105mm diameter, 230mm length), suspending the capsules with silicone bands in an ORTF configuration (so the birdfeeder will be horizontal, with its side as the ‘front’). I’ll then add a dead cat, and hopefully it’ll be a nice robust setup, that’s as portable as can be. I’m still in the planning stages (having a hard time finding a preamp that’s good enough for not too much money), but I’ll send you a picture or something when it’s done as it’s something that you’ll probably find interesting.

Matt

In terms of the quality the NT1As compete very well with the AT4022s. They have a slightly warmer tone whereas the frequency response of the AT4022s is a little more clinical. The main advantages of the AT4022s are the portability and also better resistance to wind noise. Based on sound quality alone I would probably have been quite happy sticking with the NT1As!

Tom

Lovely sound recordings! I’ve been thinking about getting some NT1A’s to do some nature recordings. If the NT1a’s had the same portability as this rig, would that make them fairly ‘equal’ in terms of which one you’d use most often, or is the quality of this rig significantly better to warrant its use over the NT1a’s?

~Matt

I watched the video of your high wind test. The Rode blimps seem to do a very good job, much better than my home-made windshields.. The problem with the NT1A in windy weather is that they have such large diaphragms (2.54cm) that they are very sensitive to any vibration of their support structure, even if the wind doesn’t reach them directly. You could try using a thinner elastic in the SM6 shockmounts to see if that transmits less vibration, but probably the best thing you can do is try and position the mics in the most sheltered position possible!

http://www.klang-manufaktur.de/rode-nt1a-ortf-wind-test