From: "feith" <>
>
> Greetings-
> I currently use a Sennheiser K6-ME67 long shotgun microphone and I'm
> mosly pleased with it. Its self-noise is rated at 10 dBA.
> Senheisser's MKH70 noise floor is rated at 5 dBA. Does anybody have
> recordings done with these 2 microphones of the exact same source in
> a super-quiet environment? I'd like to match the levels and hear what
> the microphone self-noise sounds like in both mikes (one costing
> $500, the other $2000...is a 5dBA noise difference worth $1500?). I
> think microphone companies should publish WAV recordings of the self-
> noise of their mikes while capturing a pre-determined, normalized SPL
> sound. The self-noise specs don't tell you the frequency spectrum of
> the mike's noise (i.e. a single self-noise dB value is not very
> useful - anybody from Sennheiser listening?).
I have a MKH70, bought used with a rycote softie suspension and
windcover off ebay, for $830, so don't be so sure about price. There was
a virtually new one with the full rycote setup that went for $1400 on
ebay about a week ago, a really high price for ebay.
In comparing a ME67 with the MKH70 don't just compare noise levels. The
difference you state is not what Sennheiser states for self noise: ME67
is 16dBA, MKH70 is 5dBA.
The MKH70 is also a more sensitive mic, 50 mV/PA vs ME67's 35mV/PA, that
effectively makes it's self noise even less in comparison. It will also
give you a lower gain setting for the same sound level, so any pre noise
will be less.
Finally, take a look at the polar patterns of the two mics. Off axis the
MKH70's polar pattern is much smoother than the ME67. In this sense the
MKH70 is a newer generation interference tube than the ME67. The sound
you get will just sound a little cleaner as a result.
Before getting too deep into believing self noise can be properly
described in numbers, you need to get out and record. Really
characterizing self noise is done by getting out and recording your
normal subjects. Over time you will have a very precise idea what you
can do with the mic. Far better than any amount of lab testing.
> I am also curious about the Neumann KMR82i- anybody prefer it to the
> MKH70? Anybody in the Madison, Wisconsin area have fancy shotgun
> mikes that I could test-drive?
>
> I know that 80% of the time other background noise such as leaves
> rustling or a road 1 mile away will often be much louder than the
> mike's self-noise. But I can be a lazy sound recordist and am often
> much more than 30 feet away from a singing bird- it would be nice to
> be able to record distant sounds without microphone noise in those
> rare windless and quiet conditions sound recordists dream of.
A shotgun mic is a tool for cutting out off axis sounds, it provides no
real gain over a bare capsule of the same design. The idea it's the
desirable tool for distant recording is somewhat a error. You have to
provide amplification to get distance with it, same as ordinary mics,
which also amplifies the self noise. Lower self noise will allow some
greater distance, but it's not all that much more.
The real tool for distant sounds is the parabolic mic. This provides
considerable gain in sound levels before it reaches the mic. So that's
gain that did not increase the mic's self noise contribution. You still
need a mic with good self noise, but it's not as critical.
Walt
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