Jesse Flaitz Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 I have the opportunity to test out a neumann kmr 81 on an upcoming shoot and I'm interested to see how it compares with my 416. I don't think I've seen many (any?) discussions about this mic and I was wondering if anyone has had much experience with it and their impressions. From the description and specs it seems like it would be a great interior mic. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsnd Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 I used it a few times in my old music days and really like it. I have never used it for movie stuff though. Not very helpful, I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Rillie Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 Hey Jesse, The 81 in my experience is a friendlier mic than the 416. The audio pickup on the edge of the pattern is what I'm talking about. The 416 , while very directional and environmentally bullet proof, has a drastic drop of frequency response just off the pick-up pattern. The 81, and many other mics made by Schoeps, Neumann and others have a smoother off axis response, making the pick-up pattern in our uses a useful tool. The lower talker on the beam has the gain to make it work, and the louder talker just off pattern will have a reduced level, but good sounding, natural frequency response. I hope this is clearly understandable, as it is one of the basic principles we all use daily, and why we are not all proponents of any particular mic. They all have their strong points. If you are working in a rain forest, these esoteric ideas may be tossed out the window for practical reasons. My 2cents... Jim Rillie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Collins Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 Not a great interior mic, like most shotguns you get weird cancellation and inconsistent reflections on a set when the mic is moving. The ambient sound behind the dialogue seems to change. Better outside, less weight than an 82, but the 82 does a better job than the 81. Let us know what you think, but those are my opinions. Your 416 will pick up far less rf from camera tx's, the 81 may have to be re-positioned to get away from the hum. I have worked with mixers who used them as their primary on set mics. Schoeps is what I prefer in studio, but there's no accounting for taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Faison Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 An 81 is my main shotgun. I would say that while I do get a good 'warm' sound compared to my 416, it does pick up a good bit of RF when next to my Zax hops in my bag. Just a generic observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 my thoughts: " I have the opportunity to test out a neumann kmr 81 on an upcoming shoot and I'm interested to see how it compares with my 416. " BINGO... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominiquegreffard Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 The 81 is also my main mic. Sounds great outdoors, probably better than a 416 to my ears. I also own a cs-3 that s great for noisy locations. Soon i will grab a mkh40 for echoey interiors and i ll will hopefully be set for most situations. The 81 does pickup a bit of rf yes, but nothing that s been an issue for me so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCarew Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 I've been using the 81 as my main mic for a few years. Lovely outdoors but can be quite RF prone - it can be virtually unusable near large power lines and masts in my experience. Condensation is another issue to be mindful of, but as long as you know to keep it in a warm dry place overnight and not leave it in a damp rycote (oops!) it'll be fine. Those things aside I much prefer it to the 416. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nika paniashvili Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 81 is superior to 416 imho. of-axis response is much better (as well as on-axis to my taste). everything sits right in its place in perspective. has great "reach". yes, it sounds thin in reverberant interiors, but that's the same with most shotguns, isn't it? I had it on one project and never had any issue with condensation or RF. main mic's where schoeps, but everytime I pulled out the neuman it was on top of it's game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armin Siegwarth Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 I have used it quite some times interior for sitdown interviews and had very good noise rejection. KMR 81 has a soft neumann sound - especially good for female voices with lots of s and z sibilance. sounds a bit like Rode NTG-3 with tighter pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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