Sanken Cos-11 - Bit of advice please

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leeburnett

Active member
Thank to all the extremely helpful people here I'm getting closer to knowing what audio gear to invest in.

I think I'm going to sell my Roland r-05 and rode videomic and invest in a Tascam dr-40 to allow some XLR input, the Sanken cos-11 and a decent shotgun mic. Then later down the line I'll invest in a JuicedLink if I'm really having issues. But for now, the portability suits me well and I've heard many examples using just the Sanken cos-11 and a recorder and I think it sounds great.

The only thing is that I've found a few different versions of the cos-11, so need a bit of help deciding which to get.

I've found the COS-11XPT, the COS-11DPT. What's the difference between the D and the X? Both of these come with either pig tails, or ready for XLR... I don't know if it's just different shops having extremely different prices, but the XLR-ready mics seem a lot more expensive. How easy and expensive is it to wire up the pigtails for XLR myself? Is it risky in terms of getting a bad connection? Am I completely missing something out of the process, or can I just get an XLR mount, and wire the cables to it, then I'm ready to plug this straight into the Tascam dr-40?

Thanks for the help guys.
 
I've found the COS-11XPT, the COS-11DPT. What's the difference between the D and the X?
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This question comes up now and then, so use the search function in the future. The short answer is that the X was the first design, replaced with the D in 2009. Looking at the sanken homepage, the only difference seem to be that the new version "overcomes digital transmitter RFI (radio frequency interference)".
 
leeburnett said:
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I don't know if it's just different shops having extremely different prices, but the XLR-ready mics seem a lot more expensive. How easy and expensive is it to wire up the pigtails for XLR myself? Is it risky in terms of getting a bad connection? Am I completely missing something out of the process, or can I just get an XLR mount, and wire the cables to it, then I'm ready to plug this straight into the Tascam dr-40?

cThanks for the help guys.
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Lavs need a voltage of about 5 volts in order to operate. The phantom power supplied by an XLR mic input is usually 48 volts. The "XLR ready" lavs include a power supply module built in to the connector that drops the 48 volts down to the 5 volts the mic requires. Getting a mic with bare pigtail ends on the cable and wiring it to an ordinary XLR connector is going to totally fry the mic as soon as you plug it in to a conventional mic connection supplying phantom power.
 
The DR-40 does not have plug in power (which is what the 5V is), but your roland does (though it's closer to 0,9 or 1,2V). You need the XLR module if you want to use the cos11 with the DR-40.

Though it's nice that you've learned to appreciate a good lav, since your budget seems to be low it might be better to invest in a rode lav (that can have different connectors bought separately) or a lav from Oscar sound tech. That would leave you some more money towards a good shotgun or a mixer like the mixpre-D.
 
Thanks for the responses. That all makes sense, but now I've carried on researching I'm just at a loss as to the benefit of me buying both a lav and a shotgun mic? I understand that many people have said that shotguns are no good for indoors, but also many people say that it requires a bit more thought. Maybe I should just go straight in for a decent shotgun and skip the lavalier for now? It seems like I'll have more flexibility with a shotgun with regards to the types of things I can shoot with it? Besides, I think my first project (about homelessness) is going to have a lot of outdoor shoots.

I know I'm being a bit of a forum noob asking all these questions, so I apologise. Am I missing something in the benefit of a lavalier over a shotgun? Except maybe ease of use and size, considering I'll mostly be a lonesome videographer without any helping hands.
 
Just my opinion but I think a basic kit would consist of a shotgun chosen from among those that are better than average behaved in an interior - the Rode NTG-3 is one such, better still but above your stated budget would be the Sanken CS-3. Also a hard-wired lav such as the aforementioned Sanken COS-11 with XLR module. You might consider purchasing the lav with an eye toward a eventual wireless kit in the future so it might have a connector for that transmitter and an XLR adapter/power supply that it plugs into. And finally, something you haven't mentioned that you're looking at as yet but IMHO part of the basic kit, a reporter's dynamic stick mic, such the Electrovoice RE-50 or the Sennheiser MD46.
 
Thanks Steve. My thinking is that I'd like to buy the best quality I can, but get my kit slowly. No doubt I'll be able to afford some more kit in a month or two, so it's not the end of the world if I don't get everything now. If this is true, then surely I have more use with a decent shotgun mic over a lav or a mic stick? I plan on shooting some short film as well as doco interviews. A shotgun is surely the best option for film scenes with more than one person, plus it seems above average for interviews as well? Or am I missing something? I like the thought of a lav just because it's so small and quick to set up. I just feel that if I had to get one of the 3 now, then a shotgun would be more flexible?
 
leeburnett said:
...A shotgun is surely the best option for film scenes with more than one person...
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Not true. A shotgun has a narrow zone of optimum pickup and can only cover one person properly at a time. Other people in the scene besides the one directly in front of the mic will sound "off-mic" and their voices won't be usable. Indeed, that's why shotguns were invented ... to reject sounds arriving from any direction except from directly where they are aimed. Covering multiple subjects is possible, but only with a skilled boom operator constantly moving the mic to follow the conversation.
 
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Re "shotgun" and indoor vs. outdoor usage, the OP should be aware there are various polar patterns amongst directional mics and some are OK to use indoors. That's been discussed frequently here and probably in a sticky.

Re the DR-40, it does provide phantom power and I use mine with a COS-11sBP frequently.
 
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