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thoughts on a sanken CUB-01


Bob

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Thinking of getting a boundary mic to use as a plant mic.  I had a job the other day, reality show, where there were 7 people sitting around a picnic table, three cameras one on an extremely wide shot so booming was not an option. I wired 4 main talkers and it turned out just OK. So I was thinking if I had a CUB-01 I could have put that out in the middle of the table and may have had better results. Would that have been a better option?

Other than that shoot I don't think I have a lot of use for one but I'm assuming that if I get one - like most things - I would use it more often.

I was thinking about the CUB-01 - how does the that compare to other's boundary / PZM mics?

How often, and in what situation do you use it in?

Bob

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I have a cub wired for my Lectro UM Tx and I don't use it often but man does it save me when I need. I mainly got it because a few years ago I was doing a Doc that required filming  different speakers in small venues with either no P.A system or one of those Podium boxes with no outputs on it.  So I was able to attached the Cub to the podium and pick up anyone who spoke at it without any issues. I learned this trick from Paul Graff a mixer on here. I also have used it as a plant microphone as well. Worth picking up for sure if you can afford it.

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The CUB is a great mic to have and, like Whitney, this has saved me on many occasions. I normally use this as an in-car mic when we're recording interviews on the move. We're shooting a doco right now that involves a lot of interviews being shot in the back of the car as we drive around different cities. I mount the mic on the ceiling/roof of the car and have been really happy with the sound that I've been getting so far. It has also worked as a great plant mic on drama shoots and has been in places where a mic that was any way larger than it simply wouldn't go. The small size also makes it very easy to dress into a scene when it's needed.

I'd like to try the equivalent mics from Schoeps and DPA just to get a comparison as the CUB is the only boundry mic that I've used, but as I like the results  I've been getting with it, I'm very happy to recommend it.

And yes, you'll find lots of uses for it once you have it. It's a great mic to have in your kit.

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I am also a big fan of the CUB-01. I have a couple and use them fairly regularly. For example, yesterday we had a wide master with four guys on a couch watching TV. They were eating, horsing around and generally very lav unfriendly. Two CUBs hidden on the messy coffee table covered the action very nicely until we moved into booming range.

One thing to keep is in mind is that CUBs really only work well on hard surfaces. Even though they are enclosed they still need a broader surface to do their PZM/boundary layer magic.  Like one of the posters in a discussion about micing in cars the other day, I have a several squares and circles of plexi (1/4" thick), including a few that I've screw tapped to be mountable with standard hardware (magic-arm, etc.). Double stick the CUB to the plexi and mount where you need it.

The Schoeps BLM-03 is a great solution but very expensive. A couple of CUBs in the kit is an affordable way to expand your repetoire of tricks. Well, thats my two-cents.

Bruce

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I will be recording bells in a church tower in the near future. One source from my research suggests using PZM equipment.

Has anyone made recordings of carillon music? I would suspect that a fair amount of experimentation will be in order to find the correct placement and mix of microphones, but any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Fred

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Anyone know please - does the boundary layer effect depend at all on very firm fixing and vibrations being directly delivered to the mic. or not at all, and to do with how the sound reflects off a hard surface? I'm just wondering whether fixing with velcro insulates the mic too much from the hard surface or lifts it too far off (by millimetres) or if velcro is perfectly OK?

thanks

Mick

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I dont think using velcro or any kind of double stick will effect how the mic sounds. It does not need to be rigidly stuck to the surface. It just needs as big a flat area as is available to work as a boundary mic. Plexiglass or what have you is better as its more reflective than the absorbent fabric of car headliners for example.

As for those bells! I would go for something like 2 ORTF pairs of omnis like Schoeps MK2 or DPA's. A closer pair and a more distant pair. Then maybe a pair of dynamics as well for safety?

I dont think the cub 01 would be ideal for anything musical and its freq response is only 60Hz to 15kHz.

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Hey Fred

That sounds like trying to mike an orchestra! Maybe try distant mic'ing from an adjacent building at the same height as the bells? I would think that 1 or 2 stereo pairs of Schoeps or DPA's would give you a nice image..maybe cardioids to minimize any reflections from behind? To close mic them all and then try mix it later would be hard work. Sounds like a fun challenge though.

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CUB-01's are amazing when applied right

I carry two and love them when I use them.

Have amazed a number of sound mixers here with a demo of them.

Did a police/drugs/alcohol testing commercial

Had 4 young folks in car ad-libbing

Used my 2 CUBS one forward of gear change other rear of hand brake

Amazed by the result - caught the chatter and great ambient feel even driving

A must have!!

mike

www.mikewestgatesound.co.nz

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have used my new CUB on my recent shoot on three occasions so far and it sounded amazing. Two times on a table for a wide shot where it sounded nearly as rich as a boom and one time attached to the ceiling of a small room, where the actress delivered one line only in the background.

Director doesn´t mind actors watching playback on video village, so I often listen to the scene just shot on small speakers placed on VV. Me and my boom op were really amazed how good it sounds. Will buy a 2nd one as the cardioid pattern calls for two when you have people sitting in opposite directions.

One of the items you will get much value for the money you´ve spent!

Matthias

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  I've noticed my sound always sounds amazing out of those video assist speakers...

  Anyhoo I too have two CUB-01s, wired with a breakaway TA5 so I can go tx or 48v hardline.  I freakin use them everywhere.

  The pickup pattern is distinct, kind of a diagonal cone going up in the direction of the red dot.  I found it very very useful to know this "sweet spot" to place it accordingly.

  I don't believe it's really a boundary layer mic but more of a little cardioid.  Just sounds roomy when on a flat surface, maybe the axis gets a little wider, and also without foot foam or something on the bottom it transmits room and furniture movement.

  I also find it has a much reduced low end, I have to jack up the bass EQ & lower the hi-pass (take it away completely sometimes) to get it to match a DPA 4060 plant mic.  It also has a very hot high-midrange & treble response, I always gotta EQ the treble way down, and with these two EQ tweaks they match the booms and other plant mics better.  For voices without these tweaks it sounds very wirey to me.

  The best use of this mic consistently has been to mic tailpipes!  It never distorts and thanks to the freq responses I mentioned above it makes all motors sound sexy.

  Dan Izen

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I love this mic! used it as a plant mic the other day in a wider than wide shot, I had little time so I stuck a Cub01 on a NP1-battery (for weight and reflective surface) and hid it behind an actress sitting on a couch. The actor had 2 lines while leaning over her.. it sounded very rich with lots of bottom end. Impressive..

Next thing, the mic was still stuck on the NP1, I placed it near the back of the body of a guitar, while booming with a schoeps mk41 for a vocal delivery of an actor (singing while accompanying himself playing the guitar), the combination of the two mics was pleasing to the ear. This was a wild-recording, off camera..

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  • 2 years later...

Just cleared my shipment from customs yesterday. Was quite blown away by what I hear from the mic today (shooting interior, old VW van) I think it could've been the first time I actually am smiling while rolling sound for car shots :)

 

One thing that is very handy, the mic (if you purchased with a Lectro TA5 connector - I got mine from Pro-Sound) is that you can use it on a UM200C without the need to apply phantom power (such as the UH200D).

 

This will be my miracle-worker mic for car tracking shots and office-sit down interviews. Planning to get another unit once next feature is confirmed
 

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