This summer, Sennheiser announced an analog to digital converter
accessory for the 8000 series microphones. It's called the MZD 8000.
The theory is that digitizing the signal right at the microphone
capsule creates a more accurate representation of the sound, avoiding
any alteration in the signal by interference in the mic cable. The
digital signal can be transmitted with almost no signal loss.
The MZD can digitize at rates up to 24/192. The MZD includes a low
cut filter, attenuator and limiter. The digital output is in AES42
format. The MZD unit is about the size of a long XLR connector and
attaches directly to the mic. Power to run the MZD comes from the
recorder.
Read about it here
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/product.html?ReadForm&path=
=3Dprofessional_wired-microphones_studio-recording-mics_mkh-8000&product=3D=
502097
or
http://tinyurl.com/3p7acc
Sennheiser joins Neumann and Schoeps in the microphone A/D product
arena. Neumann introduced their System-D earlier this year. Schoeps
has offered the CMD 2U since 2005.
Sound Devices has promised a firmware update for the 788t recorder
that adds support for AES42 microphones. This will allow you to
control A/D features like digitizing rate, low cut filter on/off,
attenuator on/off and limiter on/off from the 788t. Otherwise, the
A/D features have to be set through a computer interface and software
provided by the mic manufacturer.
Moving the A/D and some preamp functions to the microphone means that
the recorder can be made simpler and smaller. The recorder becomes a
digital "bit-bucket" and battery for the mic.
For example, Len Moskowitz of Core-Sound took his extremely portable
recorder (an HP iPAQ h2215 and Core-Sound PDAudio-CF card) to AES and
got it working at 24/96 with an SPDIF signal from the Schoeps digital
mic. The M-Audio Microtrack II (about $225) has a SPDIF input, too.
--oryoki
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