Rode TF 5: Disappointment!

[twotoedsloth]

Hello,

We purchased a pair of Rode TF 5s this week for recording student recitals.

The mics themselves are very impressive, comparing favourably with our DPA 4011s, Neumann KM 84s (and 184s), Peluso CEMC-6s and AKG c451s and c480s. So far I've used them to record a 2 tuba and piano trio, solo tuba masterclass, and a violin and piano recital.

However, they did not arrive in a case! Just a cardboard box with with foam cutouts for the mics. I could have done without the included stereo bar, which fails the look and feel test - cheap, but I would have appreciated a case. Even the much cheaper NT 5s came with a (huge) case.

So, be forewarned, you'll need to budget for a case if you're buying these mics.

Best,

Peter

[Hugh Robjohns]

I like the stereo bar. Yes, it's plastic but it's quite nicely engineered and more versatile than most.

The box is sturdier than it looks, too, and I've been pulling the mics out of it and putting them back for quite a while now without any problems... but I take the point about a nice wooden box or peli case.

Great sounding mics, though. Perhaps Rode felt they don't need fancy packaging to impress...

[Bob Bickerton]

I can understand the reaction, but often I'll replace the supplied case of decent mics, including fancy wooden cases, with a Pelican case anyway.

If they're worth using, they're worth protecting fully.

Bob

[sonics]

Indeed. This type of mic tends to be used as part of a kit or collection, so a case for the two mics alone is usually worthless, I find. Perhaps that's the thinking behind the packaging?

[Arpangel]

Box? what is this "Box" thing?
I don’t have any mic boxes, my mic's live in my mic draw on a thick layer of foam with a few silica gel bags, boxes get thrown away or put in the loft, who can be bothered putting mic's in and out of a box?

[adrian_k]

I did when location recording!

[Arpangel]

I did when location recording!

OK, I get that, a decent customised foam lined flight case fits the bill, unless you’re me, where a Sainsbury’s carrier bag is often used, I remember a location gig I did, I turned up with a posh flight case and everyone took the mickey out of me, after that I stuck to my carrier bags.

[adrian_k]

I did when location recording!

OK, I get that, a decent customised foam lined flight case fits the bill, unless you’re me, where a Sainsbury’s carrier bag is often used, I remember a location gig I did, I turned up with a posh flight case and everyone took the mickey out of me, after that I stuck to my carrier bags.

They were just jealous

[Arpangel]

I did when location recording!

OK, I get that, a decent customised foam lined flight case fits the bill, unless you’re me, where a Sainsbury’s carrier bag is often used, I remember a location gig I did, I turned up with a posh flight case and everyone took the mickey out of me, after that I stuck to my carrier bags.

They were just jealous

Of course they were.
And, to make it worse, I was the assistant on that gig, I turned up early, set-up, and waited for the engineer, he never turned up, I ended up recording the whole gig on my own, talk about the deep end.

[rggillespie]

I agree with the OP everything thing about them was wonderful apart from coming in that cardboard box. Like a fool I sold mine as I didn't use them often and I wasn't playing any acoustic guitar at the time. This year I'm playing nothing but acoustic and do regret selling them, hopefully one day they'll be available singlely and with a proper case!

[Sam Spoons]

If they came with a nice box they would have to cost more so budget for a PeliCase when you buy them?

[Hugh Robjohns]

Fewer than half my mics have good quality boxes, either because I bought them used without, or because I discarded the boxes early on.

When recording on location, the last thing I wanted was dozens of individual mic boxes to try and manage — just not practical, and they make the mics more noticeable and far more nickable.

Instead, multiple mics are stored together in anonymous flight cases with foam inserts, making carrying in/out far easier, any absences instantly obvious, and drawing far less attention to their presence!

One case has 6x MKH20, 4x MKH40, 3x MKH30, 3x KM184, 2x KM84, 3x KM183 and 2x KM185.

That's a lot easier to wrangle and faster to rig/derig than 23 separate boxes...

[sonics]

When recording on location, the last thing I wanted was dozens of individual mic boxes to try and manage — just not practical, and they make the mics more noticeable and far more nickable.

That's my point. Individual, small boxes are difficult to carry around and easy to lose/forget/have stolen. Someone walking off with a big case is also much easier to spot. Having the mics together also means an end-of-session check is much easier to perform.

I prefer quite visible cases, as I think they deter theft.

[tacitus]

I always intended to get cases for more mikes at once, but TBH, out of my 65-70 mikes (depending how hard I scrape the bottom of the barrel) only a small proportion tend to be appropriate for a given gig. So I have a combination of original packaging that has survived well, abd a couple of bigger boxes or crates for the rest. I find the mike cases that survive longest aren’t always the ones you think. It’s not hugely convenient but neither is it a total pain. As I say, most gigs only require a modest subset of my arsenal, and I’m not out recording so often I have to spend a lot of time sorting stuff out. On top of which, I hardly do any sound reinforcement any more, even if the other Mrs T volunteered me for a job yesterday and forgot to tell me. Easily sorted, and if I did have to drive 20 minutes each way, usually I can walk to our village hall or church with my kit for PA jobs …

But I digress. If I find I’m doing bigger jobs and needing more, and different, mikes, I will most certainly aggregate mikes into aome bigger case(s). What do people use and recommend for a collection consisting largely of SDCs of various lengths and diameters?

Of course, other restrictions apply, eg for my cycle-portable rig. The little plastic boxes the Line Audio mikes come in are great there, for example, whereas carting stands around in a slimline rig is a bit more challenging …

[Arpangel]

I always intended to get cases for more mikes at once, but TBH, out of my 65-70 mikes (depending how hard I scrape the bottom of the barrel) only a small proportion tend to be appropriate for a given gig. So I have a combination of original packaging that has survived well, abd a couple of bigger boxes or crates for the rest. I find the mike cases that survive longest aren’t always the ones you think. It’s not hugely convenient but neither is it a total pain. As I say, most gigs only require a modest subset of my arsenal, and I’m not out recording so often I have to spend a lot of time sorting stuff out. On top of which, I hardly do any sound reinforcement any more, even if the other Mrs T volunteered me for a job yesterday and forgot to tell me. Easily sorted, and if I did have to drive 20 minutes each way, usually I can walk to our village hall or church with my kit for PA jobs …

But I digress. If I find I’m doing bigger jobs and needing more, and different, mikes, I will most certainly aggregate mikes into aome bigger case(s). What do people use and recommend for a collection consisting largely of SDCs of various lengths and diameters?

Of course, other restrictions apply, eg for my cycle-portable rig. The little plastic boxes the Line Audio mikes come in are great there, for example, whereas carting stands around in a slimline rig is a bit more challenging …

My friend used to do gigs on a motorbike, most of the time.
He had a collection of expensive mic's, and used to wrap them in bubble-wrap and put them in a well padded back-pack, he used lightweight foldable boom stands, less fragile stuff went in pannier cases.
His regular bike rig was a couple of handy recorders, either Zoom or Olympus, a pair of headphones, couple of stands, some mic's, plus cabling, which was on miniature cable drums capable of runs up to about 150ft.

[Sam Inglis]

I have a large Peli case, which I used to use to house the majority of my mics. I spent ages figuring out the most efficient arrangement within it! But in the end I found it was a bit more trouble than it was worth for most location gigs. It's easier just to take the mics I'm going to need, and I nearly always want to bring some that don't fit in the Peli case anyway.

My pet hate is cases for valve mics that don't quite have enough space for the cable...

[ConcertinaChap]

I'm not happy with cardboard boxes, but OTOH Neumann's wooden boxes for microphones are overpriced and frankly shoddy. £120 for a U87 box is typical, yet the lid isn't screwed to the body of the box, it's just hammered in tines. Be careful with them, they're really not very strong.

CC

[sonics]

What do people use and recommend for a collection consisting largely of SDCs of various lengths and diameters?

Amazon Basics supplied a couple of nice cases to me in Canada. I also use Nanuk, which are like Canadian Pelicans.
You can buy replacement foams, and thus have different arrangements if needed.

One of the long, slim gun cases would be perfect for a large selection of SDC mics, but you might get some "funny" looks if using one, I suspect.

[Arpangel]

I'm not happy with cardboard boxes, but OTOH Neumann's wooden boxes for microphones are overpriced and frankly shoddy. £120 for a U87 box is typical, yet the lid isn't screwed to the body of the box, it's just hammered in tines. Be careful with them, they're really not very strong.

CC

50 years ago you’d have got a nice hand crafted box with strong solid hinges all held together by brass screws, just as much care went into the box as in the microphone, makes you wonder what else they’re skimping on.
It is a bit much when the quality of the box is no different between a Neumann and a cheap Chinese mic.

[tacitus]

Hm, yes - the best made mike case(s) I have are the aluminium flightcases for my Rode original NT2s, which you will recall was the final Rode model made in China. Despite that, the NT2s are some way off being my best mikes, though people are often impressed by their looks. While using them as a stereo pair at a reasonable distance isn’t what they were designed for, at least it makes the treble lift work its passage …

Maybe I should refoam them to hold half a dozen SDCs each?