Question regarding suspension and shotgun mics

[marsupilami_4]

Hello everyone,

The other day I was fiddling with my Rycote suspension in order to find the best setting for my MKH416 and as it turns out, in order for it to be perfectly horizontal the front suspension has to lay over the interference tube.

Do you think that this might affect sound quality or is the area covered too small for it to have a noticeable impact? I did some very quick testing and didn't notice any difference but I'd rather hear from others before trying it out in the field.

Thank you,
Alexis

 

[davefisk]

You shouldn't experience any issues mounting it properly in any suspension. That happens with all of them. Keep in mind the mic element is way down at the bottom. In the grand scheme of things, you aren't messing anything up.

 

[John Willett]

It makes no difference - this is the correct way of fitting.

Have the slots at the top may help as this is open all the way.

Correction to the previous post - the capsule is NOT down at the bottom, it's about half way along.

If you hold the 416 up against a bright light and let the light shine through the slots, you can clearly see where the capsule is.

If you have an old Rycote, I would strongly suggest you upgrade to the latest "Lyre" suspension - the upgrade kit is only £13 for a pair of "Lyres" or £40 if you want to include the ConnBox if your suspension does not have this (tjhe ConnBox is essential to prevent handling noises coming up the cable and is supplied as standard with new kits).

I hope this helps.

 

[marsupilami_4]

A bit late but thanks to both of you! That's what I thought but I wanted to double check.

John, I do have an old Rycote and the way I see it the only thing I would gain from the upgrade is a reduction in weight (I have an old old one with metal hoops and bar). In terms of handling I/my boom ops don't have any issues with it and the 416. Do you think I would see other improvements besides the weight loss?

 

[davefisk]

It makes no difference - this is the correct way of fitting.



Correction to the previous post - the capsule is NOT down at the bottom, it's about half way along.

If you hold the 416 up against a bright light and let the light shine through the slots, you can clearly see where the capsule is.


I hope this helps.

Hmmm....I've taken apart my fair share of shotgun mics, 416's , 60's, CS-1's, CS3e's, and the element has been down at the bottom. It's possible things have changed, but the whole point of the tube is to put the element at the bottom, otherwise the microphones would be half as long as they are.

 

[John Willett]

A bit late but thanks to both of you! That's what I thought but I wanted to double check.

John, I do have an old Rycote and the way I see it the only thing I would gain from the upgrade is a reduction in weight (I have an old old one with metal hoops and bar). In terms of handling I/my boom ops don't have any issues with it and the 416. Do you think I would see other improvements besides the weight loss?

The "Lyre" will give you much better shock protection - they don't break and they don't droop or bounce - so you get a big improvement from a small outlay to upgrade. The ConnBox helps a lot as well as it stops handling noise going up the cable - if money is tight the S-series XLR tails works very well as well.

Hmmm....I've taken apart my fair share of shotgun mics, 416's , 60's, CS-1's, CS3e's, and the element has been down at the bottom. It's possible things have changed, but the whole point of the tube is to put the element at the bottom, otherwise the microphones would be half as long as they are.

You have never looked properly at a 416 then, when you opened it. It's very clear where the capsule is when you hold it to the light. Yes, the capsule is at the bottom of the interference tube, but the outside slots on the tube are partly cosmetic to make it look better. If you look at the PCB, you will see that it is longer than the bit of the mic. that does not have the slots.

That's why the new MKH 8060 (in the shops immediately after NAB next month) is that much shorter than the 416 - same length interference tube, but modern electronics mean that the PCB is very much smaller and they can shorten the mic. without affecting the interference tube length. No pictures yet, but it should be on the website next month as the official release is at NAB (I have seen it as they were showing pre-production versions at shows last year).