Paul White explores the versatility of the AKG H30 elastic microphone suspension.
There's no doubt that a proper elastic mic suspension both reduces stand‑borne noise and significantly increases pose value, but I've always been horrified at the high price of 'name' shock mounts, some costing upwards of £100. Once again Studiospares have come to the rescue by sourcing a relatively inexpensive shock mount from AKG (part no. 409‑451 in the Studiospares catalogue). The cradle itself is a straightforward plastic moulding coupled to a swivel stand adaptor and the mic is held in place by means of four toothed rubber belts. The teeth allow the belt tensions to be adjusted to accommodate anything from a pencil mic to a wide‑bodied studio capacitor model (any mic, in fact from 15mm to 33mm in diameter), and because of the ribbed construction of the belts, the mic is held very securely. There are also two moulded clips which may be used to secure a loop of microphone cable in order to provide a degree of immunity from vibrations in the cable itself.
In practice, this mount works every bit as well as any of the more expensive models I've tried, and indeed, it has far less tendency to droop under the weight of the mic than many I have tried. The degree of vibration rejection is good in both horizontal and vertical planes, yet the suspension is tight enough to keep even a fairly heavy mic centred in the mount, even when tilted at extreme angles. In all, a most worthwhile accessory, whether you're using a stage‑type dynamic model or a sophisticated studio capacitor mic.
Thanks to Studiospares for supplying the review model.