As a sound recordist I have often done battle with wind.
This conflict reached a pinnacle during the filming of “The Burrowers” for
CBC’s the Nature of Things in Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan in 2010.
There were times when those prairie winds whipped up with such unbelievable
force that my Rycote suspension and wind jammers were clearly not up to the
task of recording clean audio without that telltale rumble. As a consequence
for the past two years I have been actively looking for an alternative to
Rycote. For years Rycote have
owned the market for wind jammers and microphone suspensions. The company’s
products are ubiquitous in the kits of location sound recordists so it seems
somewhat like heresy to state their product is somehow inferior and not up to
the task but I strongly feel this is the case.
Rycote has stuck to the same patterns and designs of
windscreens for decades, only modifying materials used and streamlining some
mounts. I sensed that over the past few years there has been a drop in the
quality of their products. I was never really a fan of their Lyre mounts as
they were not an improvement over what went on before for handling noise and
balance. The fact that they were a universal mount for a multitude of
microphones had little attraction for me as I preferred to have individual
mounts and zeppelins for all the microphones I own. I looked at it as more of a
marketing ploy to push more product. I was also annoyed that Rycote in a recent
corporate consolidation ceased to have a Canadian distributor preferring
instead to have a North American distributor, Redding Audio LLC located in Wallingford, Conneticut in the
United States. This move saw a drop in service for those of us in Canada and an
increase in hassle if wanting parts as there was no longer a Canadian
warehouse. We are now at the mercy of a network of resellers who seldom stock
more than the bare essentials if even that.
A couple of years ago I started hearing about an Italian
company called Cinela. I managed to buy an OSIX mount for my Schoeps CMIT
microphone that also fit my Sanken CS-3e. The mount was a beautiful work of art
with two fine wire arcs under tension suspending a microphone. In terms of
handling noise it was the quietest mount I have ever owned. What was frustrating
about the OSIX mount for the CMIT and Sanken CS3e was that Cinella had no
windjammer or zeppelin for the
mount. In periodic e-mail exchanges with the company they stated that they were
working on a system for exterior use but that it wasn’t ready yet. This went on
for several years. Fortunately for much of the time I was engaged as a sound
recordist on shows that relied a lot on sit down interviews so I was able to
put the OSIX mount to good use.
The net can be a most useful source of information. For
sound recordists the motherlode has to be the site jwsound – www.jwsoundgroup.net . It is a discussion
forum with 5, 152 sound professionals literally from around the world. As a
source of information and a fount of lively discussion for all film and
television audio related matters it has no equal.. Earlier this year while
perusing various chats on this site I came across an announcement that Cinella
had come out with a new mount and wind protection for the Super CMIT, the CMIT
5u, and the Sanken CS3e. Right away I went down to Trew Audio in Toronto to
inquire about this as Trew carries the Cinela line of products. Imagine my
surprise when Tyler Wade, who is the manager there, said he had one in stock.
Turns out it was the demo unit. Tyler didn’t even have a price. I was so
excited I took the demo unit and the 3 furs Tyler had. The Cinela windjammer, called the
“Piano” ships norally with only 2. I ended up buying the third as well. To date
I mostly use the medium fur. Since this purchase I have not experienced winds
of the type I encountered shooting “Mighty Ships” or “The Nature of Things” in
Saskatchewan. What I find most remarkable about the Cinela Piano is the total
transparency. There is absolutely no colouring of the audio. Numerous times I
have fired up the boom and have to generate some noise myself to establish that
the mic is live.
This is a photo of the structure of the Cinela Piano zeppelin uncovered. The mic in the photo is one of my Sanken CS3e's.
In conclusion, the Cinela Piano is the best wind protection
I have seen and heard to date. It is about twice the cost of a Rycote mount
with windjammer. I paid close to $1,500.00 for my Piano with 3 furs and an
extra mount. Normally the Piano with 2 furs and a single mount retails for
about $1,200.00. The Piano is not as versatile as a Rycote mount. One cannot
simply slip off the zeppelin and use it indoors as one would a Rycote mount.
Deconstructing the Piano and changing mics can be an involved process that
might take a good 3 to 5 minutes. Since I own 2 Sanken CS3e’s, I keep one in
the Piano and the other on a Rycote mount with a softy or foam cover for indoor
work when doing docs. I have also become adept at swapping out the Sankens for
the Schoeps CMIT or Super CMIT when necessary. By paying close attention to
call sheets I can usually anticipate what mic I need when and where. Despite
this hassle, the Cinela Piano is simply the best mount and windjammer I have
worked with.
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