Sanken Cs-M1 new mike

[Eric Toline]

The shock mount is the Inv-6 HG as part of the Rycote Softie Kit for the Sanken CS-M1. $129.00 The Softie alone is $88.00.

[Kisaha]

There is also an interesting Cinela Cosi for this microphone. Has anyone used one? Is it significantly better than the classic softie design (and its variations)?

 

It is 4 times the price of the Rycote, costs almost as much as the mic itself!

[TimoK]

On 9/10/2018 at 4:08 PM, Eric Toline said:

I think that if you replaced the fur on the new windscreen for the CS-M1 with a BBG structure/frame of the same size you would have a winner in my mind.

Very interesting idea Eric, will give it a thought. Thank you

However, as we would need some new tools to make this happen it won't be an easy decision to take, and I'm afraid it wouldn't be available soon. Anyway, it's definitely worth considering.

 

Cheers

Timo

[Shastapete]

5 hours ago, TimoK said:

Very interesting idea Eric, will give it a thought. Thank you

However, as we would need some new tools to make this happen it won't be an easy decision to take, and I'm afraid it wouldn't be available soon. Anyway, it's definitely worth considering.

 

Cheers

Timo

Another vote for a 19mm BBG, that works on short mics. That diameter has MKH8050, DPA4018C, and the Sanken CS-M1. All of which are short body mics that need a good wind solution. (The Cosi looks great, but steep at $529) If you can get close to $250 for the mount, bbg, and furry, you'll really have a winner.

[Kisaha]

5 hours ago, Shastapete said:

Another vote for a 19mm BBG, that works on short mics. That diameter has MKH8050, DPA4018C, and the Sanken CS-M1. All of which are short body mics that need a good wind solution. (The Cosi looks great, but steep at $529) If you can get close to $250 for the mount, bbg, and furry, you'll really have a winner.

I own BBG and I like it, but if you add everything plus a Rycote low profile right angle XLR, it gets close to 300.

 

If the wind protection is better than a BBG then I would happily pay the premium, if it isn't, then yes, the price is too steep and I would prefer to invest similar money for a complete small windshield kit.

 

Edit: on NAB 2018 videos it fits an INV-Lite 19.

[TimoK]

Thanks All,

very good input, indeed. I will definitely have a play to see if we can make something happen.

 

I might come back to you and ask some more question when I'm dicing into it.

 

Cheers,

Timo

[Kisaha]

46 minutes ago, TimoK said:

Thanks All,

very good input, indeed. I will definitely have a play to see if we can make something happen.

 

I might come back to you and ask some more question when I'm dicing into it.

 

Cheers,

Timo

What about the INV-lite 19 that Sanken used in NAB?

[osborne456]

+1 INV-lite 19.     Wind bag- for Sanken Cs-M1 Cinela Leo-20

transparent & light.

Add fur for about 200. total.

 

[Kisaha]

On 9/11/2018 at 5:17 PM, Eric Toline said:

The shock mount is the Inv-6 HG as part of the Rycote Softie Kit for the Sanken CS-M1. $129.00 The Softie alone is $88.00.

 

Rycote classic softie 7cm (19/22mm)

1x7cm Classic softie, 1x INV-6 Heavy, 1xHot-shoe 3/8inch adaptor, 1xHair brush = 133euros in Netherlands. Not bad at all.

 

Is the INV-lite comparable to this classic softie solution?

 

To be honest there are too many options on Rycote at the moment, it would be nice to have an official table to scientifically explain all the options we have (from classic softie to Cyclone e.t.c).

[Glen Deakin]

The softie is not designed to be used with the Inv-lite but some have done it. 

[Kisaha]

3 hours ago, Glen Deakin said:

The softie is not designed to be used with the Inv-lite but some have done it. 

I saw the INV-lite mount being used from Sanken in the NAB videos, but without any extra protection.

 

If it has any considerable advantage vs the classic softie, then it may not be a big deal for Rycote to introduce a specialized INV-lite softie (like the ones it has now for the INV-lite 19/21).

 

Also my main concern is the too many products that overlap in the line up. I used the first version of Cyclone and didn't like it at all, so I am a bit sceptical of the new designs (the new 3D printed softie as well).

 

There is also the acquisation by Vitec, it will change some things for sure.

 

Anyways, I see the M1 being advertised in some shops in Europe, I hope some reviews will be available soon.

 

[Samuel Lehoczki]

I'm still waiting for a good review 😕

[r.paterson]

6 hours ago, Samuel Lehoczki said:

I'm still waiting for a good review 😕

As a big Sanken fan i thought this must be a Killer mic at the launch news,  but the lack of reviews on any forum would suggest either no one has one or it isnt the Killer Mic the initial launch seemed to suggest..

[Jim Feeley]

2 hours ago, r.paterson said:

As a big Sanken fan i thought this must be a Killer mic at the launch news,  but the lack of reviews on any forum would suggest either no one has one or it isnt the Killer Mic the initial launch seemed to suggest..

 

Maybe they aren't widely available, only a few are out in the field, and they're currently backordered. As seems to be the case.

[Eric Toline]

The backorder problem should be cleared up in about 2 weeks. There are very few out on the job right now. Reviews from those users are few and far between which is not to be taken as a sign of less than stellar performance.

[hobbiesodd]

I love mine. It’s been on the end of my KTek for a few months now— putting it to use in various docuseries environments. I spend a majority of time indoors so the small footprint is perfect for low ceilings. I recently had it out on a fishing boat in the open ocean and was impressed by the isolation and tonal color. There have been a few times where I wish I had used my CS-3e instead, but on nothing critical so I rode it out to test it’s efficacy in different environments. 

 

The majority of my work is with wireless  lavs so I don’t swing the boom around often, but so far I’m very happy with my CSM1.

 

cheers,

evan

[Kisaha]

1 hour ago, hobbiesodd said:

I love mine. It’s been on the end of my KTek for a few months now— putting it to use in various docuseries environments. I spend a majority of time indoors so the small footprint is perfect for low ceilings. I recently had it out on a fishing boat in the open ocean and was impressed by the isolation and tonal color. There have been a few times where I wish I had used my CS-3e instead, but on nothing critical so I rode it out to test it’s efficacy in different environments. 

 

The majority of my work is with wireless  lavs so I don’t swing the boom around often, but so far I’m very happy with my CSM1.

 

cheers,

evan

Thank you very much for your review.

 

Do you normally use a smaller hyper for indoors? Can you compare the CS-M1 with any other mic for in/out-doors?

[VASI]

22 hours ago, r.paterson said:

As a big Sanken fan i thought this must be a Killer mic at the launch news,  but the lack of reviews on any forum would suggest either no one has one or it isnt the Killer Mic the initial launch seemed to suggest..

 

We are not a video community. I wonder how many years or months or days has been passed when MKH 416 was labeled as "a standard" weapon.

 

 

[John Blankenship]

 

Please don't count this as a review as I've not had occasion to properly put mine through its paces yet. 

 

 In a brief comparison I found it rather similar to a Schoeps sporting an MK41 capsule. The comparison was made with the two mics recording side-by-side with the sound coming from a TV several feet away. I then recorded my voice both close, and also at about an eight or nine foot distance.  I was surprised at how similar they sounded. A quick comparison revealed the pattern on the M1 to also be similar to the MK41.

Of course, an important aspect of what makes a Schoeps so special is how uniform its off-axis response is and how natural it sounds under a wide variety of acoustic conditions.  On set a day or two later I put the M1 up for a female talent. She sounded too shrill so I swapped to a 641 which was smoother on her voice.

 

These are just some initial impressions. 

 

Keep in mind there is no such thing as a magic mic that sounds best on all voices, at all distances, with all acoustics, with all off-axis sounds, and to all ears.  A mic is just another tool and an important aspect of being a professional is to pick the right tool for the job. 

[Affinity]

5 hours ago, John Blankenship said:

 

Please don't count this as a review as I've not had occasion to properly put mine through its paces yet. 

 

 In a brief comparison I found it rather similar to a Schoeps sporting an MK41 capsule. The comparison was made with the two mics recording side-by-side with the sound coming from a TV several feet away. I then recorded my voice both close, and also at about an eight or nine foot distance.  I was surprised at how similar they sounded. A quick comparison revealed the pattern on the M1 to also be similar to the MK41.

Of course, an important aspect of what makes a Schoeps so special is how uniform its off-axis response is and how natural it sounds under a wide variety of acoustic conditions.  On set a day or two later I put the M1 up for a female talent. She sounded too shrill so I swapped to a 641 which was smoother on her voice.

 

These are just some initial impressions. 

 

Keep in mind there is no such thing as a magic mic that sounds best on all voices, at all distances, with all acoustics, with all off-axis sounds, and to all ears.  A mic is just another tool and an important aspect of being a professional is to pick the right tool for the job. 

 

Thanks for these initial thoughts. If one already has the Schoeps and the MKH50 do you see this complementing those in any way or is too similar to the MK41? 

 

How did you find the reach compared to the Schoeps? 

 

[John Blankenship]

1 hour ago, Affinity said:

 

Thanks for these initial thoughts. If one already has the Schoeps and the MKH50 do you see this complementing those in any way or is too similar to the MK41? 

 

How did you find the reach compared to the Schoeps? 

 

 

Reach is one of those subjective qualities that requires practical experience in actual locations to form any kind of a useful opinion. I haven't done that yet with the CS-M1.

 

As I am quite pleased with the various Schoeps in my mic locker, it remains to be seen if this new tool offers anything I would find useful. I look forward to the time when I have a gig that will be appropriate for some experimentation.  I can't say when that'll be.

[hobbiesodd]

19 hours ago, Kisaha said:

Thank you very much for your review.

 

Do you normally use a smaller hyper for indoors? Can you compare the CS-M1 with any other mic for in/out-doors?

 

 

I normally swing the CS-3e for my doc work. (I love that mic dearly— It replaced over a decade of MKH416 adoration.) However I really wanted something lighter and smaller. I tried the MKH50 for a few days, but ultimately didn’t buy one as I felt it’s tonally quality didn’t quite match my CS3e or my COS11s. Especially when I had one scene where 8 of 12 people were mic’d around a table and I used the M1 to grab the other 4 who were of course scattered amongst the group. It’s pickup pattern was a huge advantage over the CS3e and made for smooth transitions between talkers and it’s low profile kept me out of the ceiling fan over the table.

 

So far, the M1 has been a great choice in/outdoors. However... although it’s been my daily driver for a few months now, I also do my best to NOT have to use it— and only swing the boom when it’s absolutely necessary. So my ability to give the mic a thorough run of its strengths/weaknesses is limited to my need to use it. 

 

I hope this helps!

 

Cheers,

Evan

[John Blankenship]

A comparison of published pickup patterns and response curves confirms what my ears have told me -- quite similar in pattern to an MK41, but with a rising response in the high end. This mic should be really good on a smooth or mellow male voice, and a bit much on a shrill female voice.  Putting it in wind protection that dulls the highs a bit makes the high end somewhat smoother.

 

My take:  A best buy mic that is receiving lots of positive comments -- understandable since it mimics a Schoeps as much as it does. A little excessive on the high end for some voices. 

 

[Vincent R.]

On 10/18/2018 at 6:12 PM, John Blankenship said:

Putting it in wind protection that dulls the highs a bit makes the high end somewhat smoother.

Or Post EQ?

[John Blankenship]

5 hours ago, Vincent R. said:

Or Post EQ?

 

The problem with that is, if I don't like the way a mic sounds I don't want to count on post to fix it -- I would rather do my job well.

 

Also, for many gigs there isn't proper post, just editing.