Audio Gear

Rycote BD-10: the final production version

June 26, 2024
The final production version of the BD-10 with its laser-etched alignment markings on the end.

Back when I was testing the Rycote BD-10 production version fig 8 mics with a Blumlein recording of Lucy Grubb’s band, my ageing eyes struggled rather with aligning the two black mics end-to-end at ninety degrees: what should have taken a couple of seconds seemed to take an age in subtle studio lighting. The fairly standard dot indicating the front lobe of the BD-10 is great for orienting the mic for mid-side recording, but I began to think how a few more discreet markings on the end of the mic body would help hugely with Blumlein or, indeed, mid-side with a pair of fig 8s. I sent off a quick Photoshop mock-up to the folks at Rycote and, a little to my surprise, they have run with the idea, laser-etching the four markings as shown in the photo above. I was so chuffed when a pair of the updated mics winged their way from Wilsonville, Oregon (where the Rycote mics are now made in the Audix factory) to rural Norfolk here in the UK. But I should say sorry, though, to those of you who had to wait a little longer for the BD-10 to start shipping as a result! A tiny detail, and a short post, but I hope others find the markings useful too.

Using the markings to rig a pair of BD-10s end-to-end.

NB see this post for my original review and tests of the BD-10

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1 Comment

  • Reply Field recording with a Blumlein pair of Rycote BD-10s – Dr Badphil June 26, 2024 at 3:57 pm

    […] a pair of the final production versions of the BD-10s in hand, I thought it was high time that I followed up my earlier studio tests of the mics in a […]

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