Save Your Body! Boom Swinger & Boom Buddy - Sound Speeds Review

Being a boom operator is an extremely physical job - perhaps the most physical at times. Thanks to digital recording, takes are getting longer and longer so we boom operators need to take advantage of anything we can to do our jobs while keeping our bodies from being torn apart. In this video I review two products made by Fleetwood Films designed to help boom operators and ENG sound mixers to do their jobs without killing ourselves.
The Boom Buddy and Boom Swinger are available exclusively in the US at Gotham Sound:
[e-mail] [phone] or
[e-mail] [phone].
To see their listing of the Boom Swinger: www.gothamsound.com/product/b...
And their listing of the Boom Buddy: www.gothamsound.com/product/b...
UPDATE FOR 2022!!!
The Boom Buddy and Boom Swinger have been bought by Mack Sound Ltd. To make a purchase, visit: www.boom-buddy.com or email: [e-mail].
For more information about either product, goto: www.Boom-Buddy.com
Thank you to fellow boom op Hugo Kundert for his assistance with the location shooting.
Full Disclosure:
Fleetwood Film did send the Boom Swinger and Boom Buddy in exchange for a fair review. I do get to keep them following the review but I'm not going to allow it to influence my review in any way so you can expect it to be an honest review.
To buy the C-stand I used in this video: geni.us/CStand
To watch my King and Worker Bee Review...
• Neat Microphones King ...
To Watch Me Try To Destroy The EV 664:
• Can I break the EV 664?
Gear Commonly Used In My Videos:
Panasonic Lumix FZ-80: geni.us/SoundSpeedsLumixFZ80
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7: geni.us/SoundSpeedsLumixDMCG7
Aputure Amaran AL-MX LED Video Light: geni.us/AputureLight
Tascam DR-40: geni.us/TascamDR40
Sound Devices MixPre-6: geni.us/SoundDevicesMP6
Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links and if you purchase something using one of these links, you'll pay the same price that you'd find on Amazon if you looked it up yourself but Amazon will pay me a small referral fee for sending you there to make a purchase.
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[@audiobassment]

I have both of these products and they are brilliant 👍

[@SoundSpeeds]

I've used the Boom Swinger quite a bit on a show I wrapped back in January. It really is awesome for stand and talk scenes.

[@audiobassment]

Absolutely. The boom buddy is especially good for interviews when the talent is sitting. I originally put it on a microphone stand, but now I use a lighting stand. Saves those arms for those long interviews.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Yes indeed. As long as it's stable and weighted, you're good.

[@curtisjudd]

Both look really useful. Thanks for covering them!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Glad to. Thanks for watching Curtis.

[@Podcastage]

The #triggered bit gave me a good chuckle.

[@SoundSpeeds]

The first take I barely hit him and he shrugges it off so I warned him that I'd nail him the second take. I did... caught him off guard and I'm sure that reaction started genuine.

[@nathanksimpson]

I think a videography monopod with the triple foot attached could be an interesting option to add to the boom swinger. They have ball heads at the bottom that van be loosed or locked for changing/fixing the angle.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Yeah but the K-Tek interview pole or another boom pole is lighter, more versatile and doesn't require carrying an extra piece of gear.

[@DeityMicrophones]

Omg. This looks awesome

[@SoundSpeeds]

I love mine. :-)

[@wileyjohnwright9857]

Thanks for covering this. Both of these will come in handy and save my arms on set. I plan on ordering both ASAP. 👍

[@SoundSpeeds]

You can't use them all the time but when you can, they help.

[@rahoolsyam9538]

these r amazing very much valuable

[@SoundSpeeds]

I really like mine! Shoulder and back savers.

[@XingcaiSun]

Just bought a boom buddy from Gotham Sound (NYC) and love it! Works better than my bulky Auray boom holder. Also learned so much from your channel during the pandemic quarantining re: production audio (didn't know anything about boom quick releases until ur video) and esp, the COVID prod stuff. Keep up the great work!!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you! :-) Just trying to help.

[@xujedy1740]

this is great!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Yes indeed!

[@Mile26point2films]

I want both these toys! Allen you review some of the best toys out there!!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you.

[@DavidHarry]

Two fantastic and simple to use aids for booming, I personally think the Boom Swinger is the more useful of the two. Fleetwood will be over the moon with what you’ve done here, great informative video. Cheers, Dave.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Fleetwood did good work and deserve recognition for it. Thanks for watching and good to see you around!

[@fiercesound2138]

Such a simple but brilliant design

[@SoundSpeeds]

I was impressed. ;-)

[@fiercesound2138]

@@SoundSpeeds I ordered the boom buddy

[@soundmixervegas]

Boom mate is the best!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Honestly, I was too but after trying the Buddy, I'm converted.

[@jeremyevantaylor1724]

Both products look super helpful. But with the Boom Swinger, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable putting that much vertical pressure against the locked knuckles of the boom pole that is being used as the fulcrum. I feel like that would ultimately lead to the pole not lasting as long.

[@SoundSpeeds]

It's not that much weight. I've done it for a couple years now and the vertical weight isn't nearly as punishing as 15 pounds of weight bending the boom over: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKSqaItua5hpock

[@jeremyevantaylor1724]

@@SoundSpeeds Thank you for your reply. I'll keep that in mind. It was brought to my attention that there is a need for a local sound recordist on productions here in Central Oregon vs. always bringing one in from Portland or LA. I've been a one man-band a few times on short films and low budget features, but am definitely still a white belt. Anyway, I've totally been nerding out on all your videos and have been watching Ken Strain's stuff as well. I really appreciate not only your sharing of knowledge in your videos, but how you always reply to people right away. Thank you so much for providing this invaluable resource!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Sure thing. Thanks for watching too. :-)

[@igorzhidkov1957]

Recently bought boom-buddy holder, and in my opinion, for its price, I think it is not sturdy enough. My main concern - it is mostly made of plastic: clutch gear is plastic, and part that goes to the spigot is made of plastic. Putting on this thing any pole that longer than 6 feet is very scary. So in my opinion this product is not very good, especially for its price. Sad thing - there is not so many alternatives, and from this standpoint it is maybe best thing on the market right now. I hope some chinese company will be inspired by this thing, and will figure out cheaper or sturdier alternative in the future.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I wonder if the new owner changed the design. What I reviewed it most was metal

[@marcusfrombespokeaudio5372]

Want.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Available exclusively in the US at Gotham Sound!

[@The-Logician]

I would order but the shipping to Canada seems to be up to 4 times the cost of the product.... so.... no. Guess I'll have to design and make one of my own.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Yikes. Sorry.

[@The-Logician]

@@SoundSpeeds The design is not hard to make just need to find some balls…… rubber ones.

[@SoundSpeeds]

👍

[@nebojsasimic1371]

Can both of those buddies be used with regular mic stand? I would like to try it for a movie recording so what do you suggest swinger or buddy?

[@SoundSpeeds]

Mic stand, no. Buddy would be for sit down interviews while a Swinger is to help boom ops hold a boom during long takes with minor movement.

[@nebojsasimic1371]

@@SoundSpeeds so definitely I will take swinger. What kind of stand then I need to attach to it? Thx alot

[@SoundSpeeds]

The Swinger mounts to a boom pole. Watch the video again and all of your questions will be answered.

[@PIan3t]

what is the best mic for gameplay

[@SoundSpeeds]

Live or prerecorded and processed after in post?

[@PIan3t]

prerecorded

[@eliasfuentes5096]

Looks like I will not not use anymore my grip head.... thanks

[@SoundSpeeds]

Certainly!

[@lesabiggs8349]

I see the person pivot the pole on it. Can anyone comment on the amount of handling noise it might cause when the pole moves on it? If it has to be perfectly still to be quiet then it’s less useful. Of course, handling noise is relative to the amount of signal your getting from the speaker but in general terms, has anyone heard problems with it?

[@SoundSpeeds]

I welcome other opinions but in my experience, it's dead quiet. I use only Ambient boom though and they're very premium and much better at handling noise than many.

[@lesabiggs8349]

Good to know. Thanks for the reply. I have a KTek stage pole w internal cable and I love it.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I couldn't measure both internal straight and coiled cables without changing out booms. I started with just QS series poles except the QS with extension.

[@lesabiggs8349]

I’ve had my K-tek for 15 years so I’m due for a new one even though it’s still in great shape. I’ve used ambients a lot but I’ve never liked the knuckles on them. Petty preferences. The stage pole is great because it is only four sections. Lots of sliding room and it hardly ever bows. Now to see if I can get the boom swinger shipped to the US.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I haven't approached vendors due to the shut down but I'm about to start approaching manufacturers about the Boom Swinger. I expect vendors to start selling them soon.

[@redjrjames]

well.. I didn't need to buy the k-tek airo until I saw this video...

[@SoundSpeeds]

👍

[@redjrjames]

@@SoundSpeeds now that I think about it.. would that boompole hold up that weight? I know sometimes I'm holding like 20 lbs on my leading hand

[@SoundSpeeds]

They aren't designed to hold that kind of weight because even light weights start weighing a lot when you put it on the end of a boom pole. A half pound shockmount and mic can easily weigh a few pounds so a 20 pound weight would snap a premium boom. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKSqaItua5hpock

[@redjrjames]

@@SoundSpeeds hmm then I would have to get a monopod at that point.. time for more research I guess 😂😂

[@SoundSpeeds]

What are you trying to hold?

[@Dallen9]

??? I'm so confused. half way through the video the video just desyncs. it's like the editor went on strike or is protesting the producer.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Must have been a KZbin glitch. The video is in sync all the way thru.

[@franciscocraesmeyer6193]

Oh man... Googling for Fleetwood Swinger takes me to some NSFW results... Add up some audio related terms when you do that, so you don't need to have some awkward conversation with you partner or boss... :-)

[@SoundSpeeds]

Oh yeah, I can imagine that's probably going to skew the ads you see on every webpage you go to also. Fun.

[@jurgenschuler8389]

God, I'm not a native speaker and obviously sometimes very slow: "sound advice"🙄😄

[@SoundSpeeds]

:-)