Sennheiser ME66/K6 issues and questions

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gelojtaboada

Member
I recently made a great deal and bought a used ME66/K6 from BH Photo, mint condition, no signs of use, just like new...

My main problem here is... Im getting a very low audio signal from this mic... Im quite concerned because I've heard this is one of the hottest mics out there, with a 50mV/P, right? And im getting a very low low sensitivity from this mic... Either with my Nikon D800 and my Zoom H6.
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I'm mostly going to use this mic with my Nikon D800E, and got myself a Kopul LMT100 - Low to High Impedance Matching Transformer (1.5') to use with it. Yes, I know plugging a mic into a DSLR is terrible, but sometimes thats your only option...


The problem is that im getting very low levels from this mic, making me push the preamp gain almost to its max... And of course, I'm getting completely unusable audio from this setup... which is quite... disappointing. And I get it, DSLR preamps are BAD... but i was expecting a better result considering the high sensitivity of the ME66.
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Im also doing double system with my Zoom H6, which for documentary can be uncomfortable and slow at times... And here it comes my beggest concern:
When I use this mic with my Zoom H6 I'm still getting very low levels from it... Which makes me push the Zoom's preamp gain high, resulting in high noise and hiss audio.
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My settings pluging the ME 66 to the Zoom H6 are:
  • ME 66 plugged via XLR to one mono input in the Zoom H6.
  • 48V Phantom powered.
  • I made a custom XLR with a Rapco calbe and Switchcraft connectors.
  • Channel gain is 50%, which is the #5 in the gain knob.
  • No -20dB padding on the Zoom H6
  • Microphone placed 9in above my mouth pointed down
  • Closed room, quiet..
With this settings im getting a low level audio, about -18dB on the Zoom's monitor VU meter.
Yes, its low signal, Im boosting the earphones out to 100% and im hearing it low, even when I listen to it on my computer.

Going any higher in the gain knob will result in nasty noise showing up..

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I would really appreciate your thoughts, your recommendations, and your help to solve this problem.
I hope everything is clear, and understandable.

Thank you Thank you in advance!
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Im quite disappointed... Specially with the Zoom H6 ME66 combo... Noise floor is terrible, i have to push the gain to 50% on the zoom to get a still quiet signal, even when recording in a very controlled enviroment (Mic placed 9in away from my mouth, rigged in a boom pole, ponted down). If i push the gain knob on the Zoom just a touch higher, nasty noise start to show up, and my levels aren't enough...
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Pretty useless for field shooting, Im making a documentary, and its CRITICAL to get good quality audio without huge and advanced systems... the smaller, compact, and comforable, the better..... Im swithcing between tripod, glidecam, lens swaps, and moving at all times... all fits in a single backpack and a belt... No assistants, It's just me out there. Hope someone understands..

Im wondering if this is normal with this combo... if someone has the experience with using this combination. I want to avoid investing $350 on a JuicedLink preamp... I'm going to take a while to afford it!!
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Filmmakers out there who are using the Zoom H6 and the ME66/K6, is this normal?? Any advice on this combo??

Thanks for your support and help!




 
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I can't read the black (black) text w/o copy/paste, a PITA.
If the mic doesn't work with the H6, with a known working properly wired XLR cable with Phantom Power or battery (if that's an option). I would surmise it needs to go to the mothership (Sennheiser) for repair.
 
Rick R said:
I can't read the black (black) text w/o copy/paste, a PITA.
If the mic doesn't work with the H6, with a known working properly wired XLR cable with Phantom Power or battery (if that's an option). I would surmise it needs to go to the mothership (Sennheiser) for repair.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up with the text formatting!

The mic works with the H6, Im just getting low signal/sensitivity from the combo... Do you own any of this 2 pieces of gear??

Thanks, Angel.
 
I've used the ME66/battery powered K6 module with a H4n. Worked fine for me with levels set between 70-80 for a doc. I also have the non-battery module and from what I remembered as long as you are using phantom power from the recorder, the line level is the same. Maybe you expect to record at 50% and get a good usable signal? How about some samples?
 
Im on an editing session now, so i decided to make a quick test...

This test followed as specified:
  • ME66/K6 plugged into the 4th Channel of the Zoom H6
  • 48V Phantom power applied
  • I handheld the mic with a Shockmount about 9in above my mouth, pointed down.
  • Zoom's pre amp levels on 5-6 on the gain knob.
  • No -20dB padding.

Audio is straight out of the recorder, no filters, amplifiers, etc...

In the first section of the audio using #5 on the gain knob:
  • Average audio level on -12dB threshold
  • Noise floor on -45dB threshold

Second @ #6 on the gain knob:
  • Average audio level on -5dB threshold
  • Noise floor on -39 dB threshold

https://soundcloud.com/angel-taboada/sennheiser-me66k6-zoom-h6-test

Considering the proximity of the mic (its very close) and the loudness of my voice, i think the levels im getting are low... What do you think?

I also encountered at the end of the recording a weird noise when i lowered the levels on the 3-1 threshold on the gain knob, it was a "circuitry-electric-interference ish" sound, which the recording didnt picked up when transered to the computer.

Another thing, when pushing the gain higher, about the 70% a very dangerous screech pops in a very violent way, causing trouble afterwards. It makes the mic signal very... Dull, ill say, and flat... weird... Which after it makes me unplug the mic and reboot the Zoom to get it to work normally again... This also happen in the camera.

Again, I think this is a low signal considering the sensitivity of the ME66, what do you think?? I've seen people using NTG2's and other less sensitive microphones with this device getting good-low noise levels with not so high inputs...

Am I being a "complainy" diva?? Should I invest on a JuicedLink device??
Im a Cinematographer, and as it, I think audio has to be perfect on film, perfect.

Anyways, check the audio, and the parameters, and tell me what you think.

Thanks A LOT! Honestly.
 
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I'd be quite happy using what you recorded. Not noisy, sounds fine. I suspect you are just expecting a shotgun to be as hot as speaking into a handheld, close in. As an audio guy, I think pictures have to be perfect, so I'd like every dull overcast day to look like summer, with vibrant colours and nice shadows. This the what you are asking for, and it's not necessary. The audio sounds clean. Personally I'd rather record low and not have to risk one single crushed peak anytime. The only pain is that many of the portable recorders have very limited headphone outputs and to use this mic you MUST be able to hear it to aim it properly. I'd probably use some IEM headphones to cut out the outside noise.

No idea on the sudden screetch? It sounds like analogue or digital feedback - some of the out getting back into the in?
 
Probably my expectations were too high... :tongue:

And I think the biggest source of problems when getting good audio on the Zoom is the headphones preamp... Its terrible!! It creates a lot of hissing in the audio, A LOT!!

When monitoring with earphones, pumping the levels on the main channel gain makes you think your getting a very hissy, noisy audio file, useless... Which is not the case.
Very confusing...

Check out this test though... http://transom.org/2015/zoom-h5/
 
I didn't hear any real problems with your recording. -12 is not particularly low and -5 is about as high as you want to peak so?

Most of the "noise" I heard is room tone. If you want that to be lower record in a quieter place or get the mic closer.

I concerned, but maybe it's a language thing, that you keep saying the mic is pointed "down". I'm assuming you mean down AT your mouth. May seem silly but I was just at a conference where the moderator was holding a directional mic below speakers mouths and pointing it straight up at the ceiling creating a very low off axis sound.

"Perfect" is not going to happen on a OMB doc. People can only focus on one thing at a time and you, rightfully, will have to focus mostly on image and framing. So sound is going to take a back seat whether you want it to or not. So what you are really after are decent levels that sound good with as little ambience and room tone as you can get.

That will happen by getting the mic as close as possible (9 inches is a good distance but it would not be considered terribly "close", though it should be close enough) and by making sure that things that make noise are turned off and windows are closed. Shooting in rooms with carpeting and such will also help.

BTW the "noise" you heard that didn't transfer. That was in your headphone section. If it was in the audio chain to the recorder it would have been recorded. Headphone circuits are often not great in budget recorders and can not really be used to evaluate things like noise until you verify that what you hear is actually recorded. Generally you just have to know your equipment so you know when what you are hearing is a problem and when you should ignore it.

............
As a curtesy to readers I would recommend you just stay away from formating the text. Color and undulating font sizes are a PITA to read and really come off as being kind of over the edge. I know you are just trying to make the point but it really doesn't help. Many folks first instinct when encountering a post that looks like that just move on.
 
Thanks Scott!, I'm not an audio expert, so I have/had my concerns.. this was very helpful.
The noise (hiss) im getting is about -40dB, is that a good threshold? Ideal?

Yes, the mic was above my head, pointing (mic tip down) to my mouth, straight down to the floor.

I just noticed that the main source of my problems are the earphones preamp of the Zoom, TERRIBLE, they fool you... and because, when i double system with it, i usually plug the mic and buds and keep the zoom in a pouch on my belt, so im not looking at the meters, just guiding myself through the headphones.

(Just getting to know my audio gear)

Just off theme quickly, Im very tempted on acquiring a JuicedLink device for the matter, what would anyone recommend (experiences, and thoughts on it)
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...ney-other-options&p=1986531450#post1986531450

PS: Thanks for the text formatting recommendation on the forum.

Again, thank you Scott, very heplful.
 
"I just noticed that the main source of my problems are the earphones preamp of the Zoom"
- As I stated in another thread, the Zoom H6 has an anemic 20mW HP amp.
 
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