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Re: Sennheiser MKH 418 and stereo recording

Subject: Re: Sennheiser MKH 418 and stereo recording
From: "Philip Tyler" macmang4125
Date: Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:33 am ((PST))
Hi Clint

I use two Sennheiser K6/ME66's - here is a recording I made with them a cou=
ple of months ago:

http://www.astd59.dsl.pipex.com/Nature%20III.html

The K6/ME66's I use I bought off e-bay as they seem to be on offer quite a =
bit and you can usually save yourself a fair bit on their cost new. In my c=
ase I sent them to Sennheiser as there was a problem with one of them which=
 they fixed free-of-charge!
My intention is to use them to record 'single' singing birds but though I w=
ould have a go at seeing how they performed working in a 'general' stereo c=
overage mode, I though they did not do too bad a job. They also seem to be =
very well matched but then I think Sennheiser keep pretty close tolerance o=
n their mics.


I use them mounted on a stereo bar using Rode shock mounts with short flexi=
ble tails which are then fixed to the handle I fashioned and I then plug in=
to these tails. That way it saves the weight of your main cable pulling on =
the mic in its shock mount. I use Rycote 'softies' as the windshield for bo=
th mics, the 'softie' works very well in all but the strongest of winds.

I am considering getting two ME62's myself which are the omni capsule for t=
he K6, these came out very well in a comparison done between them and the A=
T3032's. Unfortunately the person who did the comparison is no longer a mem=
ber of this group and the file is not on the remote server anymore. I don't=
 know if anyone else has a copy of it?

I have found that the K6 module performs best when 'phantom' powered, so if=
 you can that seems to be the best way to get the lowest noise. Running the=
 K6 on battery is OK and if using something like a mini-disc recorder actua=
lly makes for a very compact and lightweight bit of kit.

A resonable priced and reasonable quality figure of  8 microphone would see=
m to be the holy-grail.

There are these:

http://www.cascademicrophones.com/cascade_FAT_HEAD_II.html

Two of these as a stereo pair might be interesting, their noise floor spec =
is <17dBA not brilliant but usable I would have thought. If they were avail=
able over here in the UK I would consider trying them.

Phil


----- Original Message ----
From: artsonics <>
To: 
Sent: Monday, 19 November, 2007 6:41:12 AM
Subject: [Nature Recordists] Sennheiser MKH 418 and stereo recording

Hi folks,
Does anyone on this group have any experience with this stereo mic.
I read some where that the side capsule was a bit noisy. I would prefer
to use two mono mics in a stereo arrangement however this would then
require a larger suspension and as I already have a single suspension
I would prefer to avoid this extra expense of aquirring another. I can
appreciate the flexibility 2 mono mics would provide but the costs are
too prohibitive at this time. Maybe someone could recommend a good
stereo mic. I would like to hear from members of there stereo setup
preferences. I was going to use two ME66 (I have one at the moment)but
how do you ensure electrically similar spec pairs when purchasing even
if buying two mics of the same model and brand. I have not seen a
serial number on my current k6/62/66. Is it the k6 or the mic capules
that should be close. I have condidered this option also. I would
have thought Sennheiser and other top end mic manufacturers would be
much closer spec'd than be significantly different. How does one
guarantee this close tolerance. Is it not possible to adjust for some
allowances on preamp in this case 302. If I decide to go the two mono
mic in an M/S setup what is a suitable mic to use as a side mic that
is reasonable price. The Sennheiser MKH30 is too expensive so maybe
someone could recommend a cheaper alternative figure of 8 for the job.
I have considered one or two 62's but unsure of an omni for this.
thanks
clint






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