I think the CM-61 may possibly be a discontinued model? It doesn't show up on the Takstar website TheDingo linked to upthread, and it's not available on the usual suspect sellers (eBay, Amazon etc.). Unless it's only available in China and they don't want to sell it outside for some reason, which would be odd but not impossible, I suppose. The strange part is that this would leave an omni gap in their lineup since both the CM60 and CM63 are cardioid.
Dialog Mic for Location
- Thread starter ric8138
- Start date
I think the CM-61 may possibly be a discontinued model? It doesn't show up on the Takstar website TheDingo linked to upthread, and it's not available on the usual suspect sellers (eBay, Amazon etc.). Unless it's only available in China and they don't want to sell it outside for some reason, which would be odd but not impossible, I suppose. The strange part is that this would leave an omni gap in their lineup since both the CM60 and CM63 are cardioid.
ddixon
Well-known member
I have both the 4053b and the AT875r. I like them both. The 4053b sounds fuller, richer, and I even use it for VO. The 875 is very good for the price, but it's much brighter and less rich sounding. It's always interesting how different voices sound though. Some women's voices need the mid range bumped up to give more presence on the 4053, but I always have to tone down the high range on the 875. Both are good, and if your budget won't stretch to the 4053 ($600), then the 875 is definitely a good value which can give good results. I got my 875 on sale at B&H a year or so back for $129 - a no brainer at that price.
Yeah, I saw those pages. But like I said, that leaves them without an omni in that category as both CM60 and CM63 are cardioid - maybe they'll come up with a new omni model? They have other mics, but those are in different categories (at least by how Takstar classifies them).
drapeama
Well-known member
That's a good thing for us! Time to buy!
I like Curtis Judd's videos. I almost bought the Samson mics after watching his video about it:
I eventually bought the Tascam TM-PC1 which appears to be similar.
I really like the built-in mics from the portable recorders (for LIVE event shows where you can't access the console for a clean track), so I hope that pair of mic will be just as good as the Samson!
I really want to thank everyone who chimed in on this question. I must admit I had reservations about spending $1200 on a mic, but I did it anyway on advice found here and bought a Sennheiser MKH 50. I shot my first indie film sequence this past weekend, and what a revelation! I used the MKH50 into a Rolls phantom power box into a Zoom H6 (I know, I know, everyone says the pre amps suck etc) at 24 Bit 96K. I used the back up file (-12db) feature as I was also running the camera on this no budget shoot, and could not ride levels. It was all studio blue screen, in a challenging audio environment (reflective surfaces in a hard cyc wall). The voice tracks sound great! Minimum room noise, rich voices even if slightly off axis, and much lower noise floor than I am used to. I ran one of my old shotguns on the camera (Sony FS700) to provide a scratch track to sync to and I cannot believe the noise and thin voices I used to think was "good"! I found the pickup pattern quite "forgiving" as I had the mic on a fixed boom (no operator) over the talent, which, although movement was not a big factor often consisted of 3 actors in a group. While volume levels varied a bit, the clarity and quiet recorded signal makes equalizing them easy enough. Thanks again for everyone's input.
Bruce Watson
Veteran
Yep. A really good mic sounds really good. Once you've experienced a mic on this level, it's hard to ever go back.
The thing that sets the pro level mics off from the rest are what you've identified. They are quiet, have excellent polar patterns, but most importantly, they stay uncolored as they go off-axis from the source. It's the lack of off-axis coloration that makes them shine as far as I'm concerned.
drapeama
Well-known member
I haven't tested it much, but so far, the quality is very nice! A bit more directional than the Tascam TM-PC1. I don't know if compared to these or the AT-875r, but for the price, it's a very decent mic! I'm impressed!
Thanks for the find guys!
drapeama
Well-known member
For 60$, the best investment was the Takstar CM-63. It's impressive.
I'm working on a video, demonstrating the different mics I have at the moment.