Review: Rycote InVision USM-L

The microphone suspension mount is something we tend to take for granted in our recording environments. We screw them onto our mic stands, securely or dubiously clamp our microphones into them, and away we go. It’s only later during mixdown that we sometimes discover hideous gremlins lurking in the sound waves, revealed by compression and EQ: the ugly broad-spectrum low frequency thud of a singer or guitarist’s tapping foot, the insistent clomp of a kick drum that’s somehow escaped the confines of the drum room and lodged itself in the violin track, or maybe it’s the distant pitter patter of drunken band members’ feet as they wrestle the table soccer levers in the adjoining recreation room during a sensitive vocal take. One way to attenuate these types of sounds is by engaging a high-pass filter, which may work fine on the aforementioned violin track but can rob you of valuable bottom end if you’re recording double bass or acoustic guitar.

There are many factors involved in the transmission of thumps and bumps into your microphone’s sensitive electronics and many of these can be eliminated by careful studio design and recording smarts, but given that many of us record in less than ideal spaces with a great variety of performers, the suspension mount is one of our main weapons of choice for avoiding these nasties and deserves a little more attention than we sometimes give it.

UNIVERSAL LOVE

That’s certainly the view of Rycote; a UK-based company that’s been combating the ravages of wind, weather and other atmospherics with its windshields and other accessories for over 30 years. The company’s popshields, shockmounts and windjammers are arguably the industry standard in its specialised field, and with the release of its new InVision USM-L (Universal Studio Mount) it can justifiably claim to have dragged the suspension mount kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Gone are the elastics that many of us spent so many fiddly minutes trying to re-attach and in their place are four quite imposing U-shaped ‘lyres’ (made from the space-age composite material, Hytrel, used on snowboard bindings… and now suspension mounts) that connect together two concentric plastic rings. The inner ring is home to four nifty stainless steel screws with soft rubber grips that, together, secure your microphone in place. The design is quite simple and rather imposing with an overall diameter of 120mm and length of 170mm.

Another key feature of the USM is a small cable clip near where the mount attaches to the stand, dampening any vibration transmission along the cable itself. The Rycote USM can cope with microphone diameters from 18 – 55mm in round, square, straight and tapered shapes mounted in horizontal or vertical positions. Basically the USM is – as it says on the pack – a universal solution (well almost) that covers the majority of modern microphone sizes and shapes. There’s also a USM-TLM model which specifically caters for Neumann’s TLM range of screw-mount microphones. Rycote also recommends you keep the microphone’s centre of gravity level with the outer ring for horizontal positioning, which keeps the pressure from the four screw-pads even, to prevent drooping. It should also be mentioned that Rycote has tried to bring the USM in at a price-point that brings it within range of the home recordist as well as the pro sector.

SPLENDID ISOLATION

Rycote provides detailed information on the performance of the USM including a frequency response chart to support its claim, the most significant of these being that the USM provides up to 12dB more isolation (below around 170Hz) from unwanted vibrations than equivalent mounts. At first glance 12dB mightn’t sound like much until you remember that a drop of 10dB more than halves the volume, so it’s quite considerable.

WOULD I LYRE TO YOU?

The Rycote InVision USM-L I was supplied recently came with bright red lyres, which are eye-catching to say the least. Personally, I would have preferred them to be the same neutral black as the surrounding plastic elements but no sooner had I started grumbling about this than I discovered them to be the ‘lower tension’ type – a higher tension black set can also be supplied apparently, which would be a little easier on the eye. This misgiving aside, the USM is a very nice bit of kit: lightweight enough not to drag down your boom arm unnecessarily but sturdy enough to inspire confidence.

The first mic I attached to it was my old Octava ML53, a fairly heavy medium sized cylindrical ribbon mic that always needs a good mounting situation. It takes a little longer to mount a mic with the four screws than your standard clamp arrangements but once snugly tightened, the grip of these four rubber pads is rock solid and I immediately felt at ease hanging the mic upside down or sideways and quickly took a shine to the contraption.

In case you’re wondering, the mic is totally secure long before there’s enough pressure from the screws to create any kind of damage to a mic’s casing – although obviously if you kept tightening the screws for long enough something would have to give… but you wouldn’t, would you? It’s worth noting also that the mount itself has quite a large ‘skirt’ so it needs a little extra space in which to operate, though in most situations that’s really not an issue. I tried various other mics in the USM: a Neumann U87, a BeesNeez Arabella and, because it has a square body, a Sennheiser 441. In each case the Rycote provided robust support, which often meant I could elevate the mic capsule further away from the surrounds of the mount than with conventional suspension cages.

GOOD VIBRATIONS

I tried to upset it with some thumps and bumps but found the USM remarkably effective at neutralising these sounds. Eventually I resorted to veiled threats, muttered oaths and outright abuse, but still the Rycote held firm. It’s a simple design that looks set to improve our lot in the studio in meaningful ways – I for one won’t miss re-attaching elastics or trying to source them for my U87 at exorbitant prices on eBay. The more I used it the more I found the USM to be a handy tool in the studio – not just because of its abilities as a noise reduction tool but simply because having a top quality shock mount in the studio is a good thing. One that can fit a large variety of mics is even better – if you need to try out a few different mics on a vocalist for example, the whole swapping out process is much quicker, moreover it’s easier to keep consistent heights and distances as well. So, all in all, high marks for Rycote’s new offering. They’ve thought outside the square and come up with something that’s simple and works better without breaking the bank. You can stamp your feet as you applaud if you like!