Specifications

6
Guidelines for Selection
Choosing a microphone
A microphone that offers natural sound quality will be
suitable for almost any instrument, voice or ensemble.
To achieve this, smooth frequency response at all angles
of sound incidence is a fundamental requirement along
with excellent transient response, wide dynamic range
and low distortion. We specialize in small, single-dia -
phragm condenser microphones – the kind of micro-
phone that can most closely approach these ideals – and
we offer some twenty different capsule types. A few
are designed for special purposes but most have a very
wide range of applications.
Often there are many possible ways to make a good
recording, and many microphone types that might be
chosen. The recording location, the positions of the
sound sources and microphone(s), the character of the
program material and the desired effect must all be
considered. Audio engineering is a job for human beings,
not rulebooks, and the suggestions which we offer here
are meant only as points of departure.
For near-to-medium-distance pickup, especially in
the studio, the cardioid is the most commonly used
directional pattern. The MK 4 single-pattern cardioid
of the Colette series is our best-selling capsule. It has a
clear, natural sound character without harshness or
artificial coloration. Unlike large, dual-diaphragm micro-
phones, its pattern is well maintained at low and high
frequencies, not just in the midrange. We also offer the
MK 4V, a laterally-addressed cardioid capsule with a
gentle high-frequency response elevation. It, too, has
smoother polar response than any large-diaphragm
cardioid, so that sounds picked up from the sides of
the capsule blend in with on-axis sound in a natural
sounding way. For this reason the MK 4V is a special
favorite for two-microphone stereo recording. It is the
capsule used in the CMXY 4V stereo microphone and
in several of our surround microphone sets.
Patterns other than cardioid may be preferable in
many situations, however. For example, when there is a
need to focus especially on one source of direct sound
while reducing the pickup of other sound sources and
room sound, a supercardioid capsule (MK 41, MK 41V)
or even a ”shotgun” microphone (CMIT 5) may be
useful. In addition to providing a clearer and ”drier”
pickup for a given miking distance, supercardioids can
give more accurate stereo imaging than cardioids when
they are used in coincident stereo pairs. For more even
pickup of broad sound sources, on the other hand, our
MK 21 ”wide cardioid” capsule might be considered.
It has remarkably uniform response at all angles of inci-
dence, plus a warm sound quality with rich, but not
exaggerated, low-frequency response. A pair of wide
cardioid capsules with appropriate spacing between
them can be an excellent choice for stereo recording.
For recording in concert halls, churches and other
venues with good natural reverberance, many stereo
and surround pickup techniques have been developed;
please see the charts on pages 131 and 132 for some
well-established examples. Many such methods involve
microphone patterns other than cardioid (e.g. ”Decca
Tree” or ”Blumlein” stereo), but the ”ORTF” stereo
recording method, developed using the forerunner of
the Colette-series MK 4, is recognized as one of the
most generally useful. (Our MSTC 64 stereo microphone
is the definitive implementation of this recording
method today.)
Sometimes the choice of a microphone is dictated
by practical aspects of the recording environment. For
example, directional microphones when used at close
range tend to have elevated low-frequency response;
this ”proximity effect” is sometimes desirable as a spe-
cial effect but can also be quite a problem, especially
with male speaking voices. Proximity effect can ordi-
narily be filtered or equalized out, but specially-made
speech capsules, with suitable compensation already
built in, offer a simpler alternative especially for fixed
installations such as sound reinforcement and public
address systems. Such capsules are also less sensitive
to breath noise (“popping” on spoken consonants),
handling noise and room rumble generally. Or to take
another case, outdoor recording with directional micro-
phones can be ruined by wind noise; windscreens are
effective only to a certain degree, and have adverse
effects on directivity and sound quality. A pure pres-
sure transducer such as our MK 2S is inherently resist-
ant to wind, and may allow recording to proceed
under conditions that would prove impossible for a
directional microphone.
A recommended starting point: If there is one SCHOEPS
microphone type that is simultaneously as versatile, as
economical and as high in performance as possible, it
would be our model CMC 65. With its switchable
two-pattern MK 5 capsule (omnidirectional or cardioid)
and CMC 6 amplifier (for 48-Volt or 12-Volt phantom
powering, with extra RFI protection built in) this micro-
phone offers the capabilities needed in the greatest
number of practical recording situations. Unlike the
dual-diaphragm capsules of other manufacturers, the
single-diaphragm design of the MK 5 makes no com-
promise in performance, quality or reliability, yet its cost
is distinctly lower than that of two separate capsules.
With the CMC 65 as the starting point, other capsule
types and / or SCHOEPS Active Accessories can be added
at any time for further flexibility.