For the past few years, URSA Straps has been one of the leaders in wiring accessories for lavaliers. Regardless of your favorite brand of lavalier, one down and dirty accessory that everyone should have in their micing kit is the URSA Foamies. They are great little expendable to add to your production sound kit.
URSA Foamies
The URSA Foamies are perfect lavalier micing accessories because they are easy to attach anywhere on talent. With their flat sides, they can be stuck directly to skin or costume. Foamies provide a soft, quiet buffer to reduce clothing noise and made from a very high-quality sponge. They can be purchased in packs of 12 in Black or White.
URSA Foamies (Regular Size)
24 x 17 x 9 mm (LxWxH)
2.5 mm diameter hole
Stretches to up to 6 mm
Compatible Lavaliers: Sanken COS-11D, DPA 4060/4071, Countryman B3, Sennheiser MKE2 & ME2, RØDE Lavalier
URSA Foamies in Action
When wiring dress shirts, the URSA Foamies work as a great buffer between your talent’s shirt and the mic. One great application idea is to insert a lavalier into a Foamie, followed by using an URSA Soft Strip over the top to attach it. Finish it off with a piece of strain relief underneath on the cable to keep the mic from sliding out from inside the URSA Foamie.
This method is one of my favorite methods for specific characters because the Foamies will act as a thick buffer, keeping the microphone isolated from the clothing and the actor’s environment. It will keep the lavalier safe even in difficult actor movements (our actor was crawling across a carpeted floor). It also helps when you hear your actor’s heartbeat. This is very common during high-action scenes by taking the microphone off the skin of the actor. This is an easier application than the old tried and true RM-11 option. Additionally, Foamies also help to absorb sweat, keeping your lavaliers dry and working for years to come. On higher action scenes, adding a small dot of Joe’s sticky stuff to the base of the Cos-11 will keep it from sliding out of the Foamie.
Mini Foamies
If you are into the smaller lavalier game, URSA also has a Mini Foamies version with a smaller hole, perfect for thinner mics like the Sanken COS-11D, DPA 6060 Series, and more.
Mini Foamies (The Smaller Ones…)
22 x 14 x 7 mm (LxWxH)
1.5 mm diameter hole
Stretches to up to 4 mm
Compatible Lavaliers: Sanken COS-11D, DPA 6060/6061, Countryman B6, Sennheiser MKE1
Other Options from URSA Straps
Overall, these URSA Foamies are great versatile expendables. They are perfect for the quick wiring job, or for those wardrobes that are noisy and just won’t quit being noisy! However, If you have talent in wardrobes for extended periods of time, they may not be your best choice. For the talent wearing the same thing all day, try a Mini Mount or something that is not considered single-use.
These accessories are just some of the items I go over in my Wiring Talent Masterclass, available on the courses page. It goes over all types of URSA Expendables, which should literally be in every kit around the world.
