My vintage Rycote Zeppelin and matching Windjammer came in the mail yesterday. This eBay purchase cost $25. I know, I got a sweet deal. Upon delivery, It had a few cracks where the back cap meets the body. Hence the cap didn’t stay in place very well. This I remedied with Velcro placed around its perimeter.
I currently don’t own a shotgun mic and I’ve got wind protection for the existing microphones I use for field recording. Someday though, I want to pick up an ambisonic microphone. This housing and fur should help to keep it wind-noise-free.
I try to be careful with gear. This plastic zeppelin, while lightweight, is a bit on the fragile side. Not brittle, just thin. I’m worried it could easily break during packing and transport. I thought it best to give it a coat of modern-day armor. And so I present my do-it-yourself crush-proof zeppelin cover. I fashioned it from a 4-inch diameter PVC sewer pipe (new of course), a couple of 4-inch knock-out test caps, some Velcro bits and red tape. The caps were a whopping $1.02 with tax. The pipe, cut to size by a friendly mask-wearing garden center employee, was a couple of bucks for a 2-foot long piece. I had the Velcro and the tape and cut the PVC to size with my trusty Dremel tool. Grand total, less than $5, and about 45-minutes of work.
The 4-inch inside diameter pipe makes for a snug fit for the zeppelin. I considered using a 5-inch inside diameter PVC sewer pipe. This would have allowed me to keep the Windjammer on. The five-inch pipe is twice as thick as the 4-inch and so twice as heavy. Every ounce matters when you’re walking miles from the car.
Would my new cover have prevented the Hindenburg’s fiery demise? Most certainly not. But for my new zeppelin, it does the trick.
What sort of DIY containers have you come up with for your microphone blimps? What kind of bag are you putting your zeppelin in for transport? Please leave a comment below. And if you know how old this zeppelin is, I’m curious to know that too.
