Looking for a Hypercardiod to complement MKH-416, less money than CMC641.

D

Dustin P Wilson-Henry

Member
Hello fellow sound guys, I've been doing mostly outdoor lower budget doc shoots, but am getting started working on shorts with some buddies of mine, and we're also doing a pilot for a series for a local station.

Both of these are going to be primarily indoors, and I don't feel like the 416 I already own is as ideal of a mic for indoor, highly reflective, no place to put blankets kind of sets.
I'm in Indiana, and will be doing protracted shoots, so renting isn't exactly in the picture for me. Also if a gig to be doing audio for a PBS show pulls through for me, I wanted to own a few more versatile mics for a more complete self-rental package.
I currently don't have enough spare cash from the day job to spring on a CMC641 combo, as much as I'd love it, or for the MKH-50 for that matter either.
I've read about MBHOs and Neumanns and some Gefells that could be in my price range. Ideally though I would want something withing the $500-800 range, at least until I can make enough money doing production sound to buy good gear alongside my FR-2 and FP-33(lucky used find.)
I also can't spend too much as I need somehow to budget for Lectro 195s or 210s as well.
Thanks to anyone who can help me out. Oleg's opinion is valued greatly, as well as Dan( I got a lot of use out of the newest article.)
 
Seconding sane's suggestion of the AKG Blueline for a decent budget hyper.

Also the AKG ULS series C480/CK63 combo, AudioTechnica AT4053a, and the new Sennheiser 8000 series are worth considering.
 
The 2 previous posters know what they are talking about. For my 2 cents I needed a budget hyper to compliment a 416 and bought the blueline ck93 and don't regret it. Great for the money.
 
You may want to get a k-tek kssm shockmount and a 20mm Rycote Baby ball Gag (BBG) too while you are at it.

I also second Steve's other suggestions, especially the new Sennheiser 8000 series sounds intriguing though I have not heard it.

I know the AKG ULS w/CK63 is very popular for it's low noise floor although it suffers from being quite expensive in the US. I knoe that there are very knowledgable people here that swear by it. You can get a european version for half that much (and that is what I would do if I wanted this mic). I was ready to buy one, but couldn't wait a month for it to get here. I am not sure that the ULS is worth $1050 compared to the blueline at 1/3 the price. For that money I would just step up to the Schoeps and never ever need to think about upgrading, but Schoeps is just about to raise the price of the cmc641 kit by $350 tomorrow (Feb 1, 2008) ($2000) so if you are going to get one, call Trew now!
 
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Yep I've used the AKG on several low budget features (one shot on 35MM) and no complants from post or above-the-line. You might also look at the Russian mics Oktava and (I have the) Elation, they are very good for the money. I got mine from soundroom.com
 
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I had looked at the blueline Ck-93 previously as well as the Oktava that I've heard a lot about, the Elation is completely new to me. How does the oktava hold up to the Ck-93? If I can get away with(as much as I hate using that phrase) the Oktava, I can still shell out a bit more for better shock and wind(handling noise) protection.
 
elation is one man band - so dont thinl it world survive for long time - they not have site anymore so dont really know if thy still ticking
tryid one - very good , about the same as the others for clarity .
mbho are the most wersatile mics for good price ,
also you can use their capsules with geffel preamps .
forreally low budget i would go with my chiniz friends - cheaper then oktava , about the same preformers .
but if you have brad mbho,geffel or akg uls neuman 185 or ak-50 with km 100f preamp stage (low fq cut off).
schoeps - waist of money
 
Dustin P Wilson-Henry said:
I had looked at the blueline Ck-93 previously as well as the Oktava that I've heard a lot about, the Elation is completely new to me. How does the oktava hold up to the Ck-93? If I can get away with(as much as I hate using that phrase) the Oktava, I can still shell out a bit more for better shock and wind(handling noise) protection.
Click to expand...

If you do opt for the Oktava, you absolutely MUST get the best shock protection and wind handling protection. It is particularly sensitive to handling noise. Tediously repeated on this forum, but I find that the K-tek ksm or kssm shockmount with the softer isolating bands are very effective. It is a very pleasant, clean, effective mic for the money. Above that, you are paying a lot of money for subtle improvements/ differences which may not increase your production value, or even be noticeable to an untrained ear. IMHO, until you are recording for a big screen cinema projection feature film, many of these pricey mics are a bit of a waste of money, except the 416 which is worth it because of it's off mic rejection and nice sound in noisy environments.
 
Look for a used Schoeps - even a 441 or 541 will work for you. I picked up a 441, with a GVC and a collette cable (16') and even with a cleaning and a service, the whole thing was $500 (got this from Trew).

Phil
 
Oleg 2 said:
elation is one man band - so dont thinl it world survive for long time - they not have site anymore so dont really know if thy still ticking
tryid one - very good , about the same as the others for clarity .
mbho are the most wersatile mics for good price ,
also you can use their capsules with geffel preamps .
forreally low budget i would go with my chiniz friends - cheaper then oktava , about the same preformers .
but if you have brad mbho,geffel or akg uls neuman 185 or ak-50 with km 100f preamp stage (low fq cut off).
schoeps - waist of money
Click to expand...

So Oleg between the mbho hyper and the microtech gefell hyper which do you prefer? I see the gefell is more expensive but is it worth the extra money? Also which of the possible pre amps for the mbho do you like the best? Talking sound quality in all cases.
Bernie
 
not really big difference
some voices sounds better with mbho some with gefells

a gefell abit wider patern more like the mkh-40
the mbho is better bang for the buck , as much versatil mic., more capsules

also abit shorter( 604) and has the ability work with swivel
the 604 and 603 preamps havemore gain then 648 and sound better
dont know what you ca find in states
but 604 with 500 hyper capsule and cardioid 200 new - cost here -750 euro
50 euro less with 603
the geffel same with hyper or cardiod only
 
Oleg 2 said:
not really big difference
some voices sounds better with mbho some with gefells

a gefell abit wider patern more like the mkh-40
the mbho is better bang for the buck , as much versatil mic., more capsules

also abit shorter( 604) and has the ability work with swivel
the 604 and 603 preamps havemore gain then 648 and sound better
dont know what you ca find in states
but 604 with 500 hyper capsule and cardioid 200 new - cost here -750 euro
50 euro less with 603
the geffel same with hyper or cardiod only
Click to expand...
Thanks Oleg,
Just the kind of info I was looking for!
Bernie
 
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