buy the correct screw threaded adapters to mount a microphone and GoPro on a tripod or stand
GoPro, microphone and camera fittings are so ridiculously different, so here are some pointers to help buy the right bits to mount them. In all cases, even a GoPro (below) the device will have the female part of the fitting while the stand or mount you need to fix to will have the male part.
![](https://www.rogerfrost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/what-to-know-about-fixing-audio-video-gear-screw-threads-1024x530.jpg)
what to know about audio & video 1/4″ 3/8″ and 5/8″fittings
- there are three common thread diameters 1/4″ 3/8″ and 5/8″. There’s also a 1/2″ thread but it’s rare. These sizes don’t mate with the bolts and screws in a hardware store – unless they have these threads per inch: 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 and 5/8-27 threads per inch.
which thread size do I have?
If you have a microphone stand you might need to know the thread size for an adapter. A microphone will usually have a 3/8″ or 5/8″ threaded hole. If you can fit a finger in this hole it’s 5/8″ (just over half an inch).
If you can’t fit your finger in the microphone fitting hole it’s 3/8″. You may find the hole already contains a removable 3/8″ female adaptor (shown below) inside a bigger 5/8″ male thread.
![](https://www.rogerfrost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/fit-a-microphone-to-a-stand-1024x461.jpg)
All one really needs to know is this:
- to fit microphone with a 3/8 inch hole on a 5/8″ male end of a microphone stand you’ll need a 3/8″ male to 5/8″ female adaptor.
- to fit a microphone with a larger 5/8 inch hole on a 3/8″ male end of a microphone arm you need a 5/8″ male to 3/8″ female adaptor.
how can I fit a microphone to a camera tripod?
Cameras, halo ring lights and some audio recorders come with a 1/4″ threaded hole which is perfect for a tripod. However, to fit a microphone to a tripod you need to make the microphone’s bigger threaded hole into a small 1/4″ hole to fit on the 1/4″ male bolt of a tripod. You can combine adapters but this is what you need to do the job with one:
- If a microphone has a 5/8″ threaded hole (your finger will fit inside this) you need a 5/8″ male to 1/4″ female adapter to fit a tripod.
- If a microphone has the smaller 3/8″ threaded hole you need a 3/8″ male to 1/4″ female adapter to fit a tripod.
how can I fit a camera or halo light ring to a microphone stand?
Cameras and some lighting gear have a 1/4″ threaded hole. To fit a camera to a microphone stand requires an adaptor to add a larger ‘hole’ to it.
- To fit a camera to a microphone stand with a 3/8″ male bolt would need a 1/4″ male to 3/8″ female adaptor.
- To fit a camera to a microphone stand with a 5/8″ male bolt would need a 1/4″ male to 5/8″ female adaptor.
a way to understand the Go-Pro mount
The Go-Pro camera often has no mounting points but it’ll come with a frame or waterproof case which will give it a two-pronged fitting. I call this two-pronged fitting ‘the female part’ – I call the three pronged part it connects to ‘the male part’. As I said above all devices have female parts so our GoPro will fix to a support with a three-prong part.
A Go-Pro fittings kit will always have (male) supports with three-prongs that the two-prong camera part fixes to. The supports include a chest harness fitting, a head strap, a bicycle clamp, an arm strap, a yellow floating bulb and a helmet fitting.
When you mount a camera on a bike helmet, you’ll often find that your camera doesn’t point in the right direction. To point your camera 90′ in another direction, you add in an extra piece with 2-prongs at one end and three prongs at the other. The 3-prong end always faces the camera and the 2-prong end faces the mount or fixing. Adding yet another piece like this will give you the flexibility to point the camera in any direction.
![mounting pieces have 3-prongs the camera ha only 2-prongs](https://www.rogerfrost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/mounting-pieces-have-3-prongs-the-camera-hs-only-2-prongs-1024x461.jpg)
how can I mount a GoPro on a camera tripod?
You can get a good value set of GoPro mounting pieces eg on Amazon and it ought have a GoPro piece with a 1/4″ female threaded hole to fit on a tripod. This piece will have a 3-prong male to mate with the 2-prong part of the GoPro camera.
![GoPro mounting pieces have 3-prongs](https://www.rogerfrost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GoPro-mounting-pieces-have-3-prongs-1024x461.jpg)