DIY Oball windshield for spaced microphone setups
Recently I’ve been researching wind protection solutions for my Sennheiser MKH8020 microphones. I use the excellent Cinela ALBERT for ORTF, but wanted something more flexible that would allow me to record using spaced omnis and other mic arrays. Eventually I’d like to get a pair of Cinela LEO windscreen balls but I needed something cheap for now, and after coming across Sara Lana’s DIY Oball windshield I decided to try making my own.
The basis of the design is an Oball children’s toy, which makes a perfect frame for a small windscreen. Where Lana’s build uses a moldable glue to fasten a rubber microphone shockmount to the Oball, I’ve used a large rubber grommet that fits neatly into one of the spaces in the sphere without the need for adhesives. I tried a few different sizes until I found one that gives a snug fit around the tiny 8000 series mics (I’ll link the products I used at the bottom of this page). It’s a neat solution with only two parts—the Oball and the rubber grommet—and as it relies on a mechanical connection I don’t need to worry about it failing over time.
I cut the toes off a pair of tights which I stretched over the assemblies, leaving them a little long so that an elastic band can be used to secure the material at the base of the microphones. This should provide some transparent protection from light wind. For more extreme conditions I can add a pair of Rycote Windjammers.
And that’s it! These can be used when I want an ORTF solution that is a more compact than the ALBERT by using a stereo bar, or the mics can be mounted separately for a spaced setup. The total cost per unit is ~$10 without the Rycote furs. Even with the Rycote’s the total is about $80/unit which is still half the price of the Cinelas.
DIY Oball windshield materials
- Bright Starts Oball childrens toy - $4.99 each
- Rubber grommet (19mm inner diameter) - $7.75/pack of 2
- Women’s nylon/spandex tights - $10.45 (I used size M)