robertw Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Last week, I purchased a pair of Scheops MK 2 omnidirectional microphones. Compared to MK 41 hypercardiods, I am struck - "blown away" is pretty much the right phrase, as unscientific as it is - by the depth, breadth and presence of the sound that I'm getting from them when placed close to the sound source. In the dark ages, before Lavalier omnis, were there times when these mics were hidden to record talent, and if so, in what circumstances and how? And a question for those of you who are using them today. What are you using them for, apart from voice over? No doubt ambient and sound effects are on the list. Anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Collins Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 On set years ago they wouldn't work because the 16 mm and 35 mm coffee grinders were so damned loud. This was in spite of what the Austrian DOP said " I put ground glass in front of lens it make it quiet " it didn't. Bathrooms would also be an issue for omnis. Also whispering camera ops and noises off set are not friends of clean dialogue. They have their place but on a film set there will be issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I never used an omni in my life for voiceover. It was almost always a cardioid, typically a U87, about 2 feet away. Omnis would pick up too much of the room for me. I think omnis are useful for music recording in some cases, particularly classical or acoustic music, and they benefit from having very even, uncolored response at different angles. And they're ideal for sound effects gathering when there's no camera or crew around. But there's a lot of "it depends" associated with any mic selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I've had an MK2 for many many years. I treasure it for its wonderful sound, as you say, very uncolored, so natural. But on the sort of jobs I work on, video and music, I need reach and pattern--the recording environments and situations are far less than ideal. So my MK2 hasn't worked very much over the years…. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertw Posted February 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I've had an MK2 for many many years. I treasure it for its wonderful sound, as you say, very uncolored, so natural. I purchased a pair of MK2s because I think that they will be suitable for some recordings that I want to do (very influenced by the UK sound recordist Chris Watson), but did not anticipate how much fuller and more natural they sound, close miked to a human voice, than an MK 41. Which doesn't change the fact that in many circumstances, if not most, they are impractical for recording voice in the context of a film or video. But still, it's quite an eye opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering Ear Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I've really enjoyed using an omni in the studio for recording vocals. Don't have a use for it the field though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Interesting. I have never considered using an omni for work. I can definitely see using one for vocals or music recording, but I supose there could be times it could be used at work. I'd love to hear one. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 The more directional a mic, the more compromises that need to be made. All other factors equal, that's why an MK4 sounds better than an MK41, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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