Jump to content

Using shotgun mic indoors


Viscount Omega

Recommended Posts

12 minutes ago, Viscount Omega said:

Hey Jim...   What do you know about the MKH 435?  Ever used one?

 

I am listening to one as I type, seems to have those qualities you seek, edgy and big low end.

1 minute ago, Viscount Omega said:

 

 

Please expand on this if you can.

 

Thanks.

I have 2 of them, one sounds like it needs help, kinda wonky, hollow mids, the other one seems better. These are T powered mics though so you'd need a mixer that can provide T-power or get a P2T converter. These are not made anymore and not readily available on the used market. Back in the day they were held in high regards for their low self noise and ruggedness, good choice for what you're trying to do although most location sound pros have moved on to MKH 40s and Schoeps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually I’ve never used an MKH 435 but just judging from what Werther has said I presume it is the same capsule/electronics ‘guts’ (or at least very similar) to the MKH 416 (or 415 or even 406) in a body that creates a cardioid or hyper-cardioid pattern. It might be just the very ‘sound’ you’re looking for, so might be worth looking for one on eBay or consignment...

 

Covering up the slots in front of the capsule of a 416 will render it somewhat like a cardioid with a tube in front of it. Covering also the slots behind the capsule will make it back into a curiously focused omni. Neither would sound great across its frequency range.

 

I’ve never taken apart an MKH 416 but I have mutilated an MKH 805 ... and as such I found out that the ACTUAL interference tube was not the fancy upper slots (in the case of the old 805) but a series of holes along the top. No idea how interference tubes have changed or advanced over the years ...

 

Viscount, I would follow Werther’s suggestion I think and have a listen to the 435 if you can find one.

 

Best, Jez

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Viscount Omega said:

As for the books? Fuck all them.


A sure fire recipe to stay in the Dark Ages!

 

10 hours ago, Jay Rose said:

I imagine you'd need The Hulk to run boom. 

 

It's easy to come up with materials that absorb sound, in the sense of letting it pass through the material's surface and not be reflected. The problem is,  what do you do with that energy after you've absorbed it? Something's going to have to vibrate, letting the energy turn into heat, followed by a barrier so the vibrations don't emerge on the other side. That's usually done either by mass or decoupling, either of which will make your zeppelin a lot bigger and heavier. (You can also use a vacuum, but I'm not sure how you'd accomplish it.)

 


I reckon he should make a blimp out of aerogels

Sure, it would cost several orders of magnitude more than any other blimp ever made before, but why not? Sanity is not part of this equation, just do it!
 

9 hours ago, Viscount Omega said:

Well, I didn't think this thread would ever devolve into the line-by-line analysis of crack-heads


I do agree that I'm tending to believe now that this thread has at least one crack head in it

 

 

8 hours ago, Dalton Patterson said:

 

 

 


What happens if I stir it clockwise?
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I just bought this bad boy MKH 435 from The Netherlands.  Will have it modified to run on 48V.  (thanks for the tip, Jim).  And also thanks to Werner for bringing it up.

 

Won't know if I like it for about 3 weeks.  Should be fun.

 

I suppose I could have blown the money on crack but this is more fun in the long run.

 

(To me, for others, I'm not so sure.  LOL)

cTgfjr (1).jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Viscount Omega said:

So I just bought this bad boy MKH 435 from The Netherlands.  Will have it modified to run on 48V.  (thanks for the tip, Jim).  And also thanks to Werner for bringing it up.

 

Won't know if I like it for about 3 weeks.  Should be fun.

 

I suppose I could have blown the money on crack but this is more fun in the long run.

 

(To me, for others, I'm not so sure.  LOL)

cTgfjr (1).jpg

Please let us know if this does what you'd like it to do. Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just in case you haven't worked with T-power before... (I have no idea)...

Before you spend the money on Pete's T-to-48V conversion (which I'd guess is around $200), maybe buy a PSC barrel converter for under $50 or a Denecke small-box converter (which works fine in a bag; I have one) for um maybe $100 new or used? That is, of course, if you don't have a mixer that will supply T power (such as a Sound Devices 302 or 442).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Viscount Omega said:

So I just bought this bad boy MKH 435 from The Netherlands.  Will have it modified to run on 48V.  (thanks for the tip, Jim).  And also thanks to Werner for bringing it up.

 

I didn't recognize the mike until I saw the picture of it. (It's been a very long time since I used an MKH 435)

 

As it happens, I own an MKH 435; I've had it for more than twenty years. It's a very nice microphone with, as I recall, pretty good reach and some of the characteristics of a hypercardioid.

 

But there is a liability that I should bring to your attention if you still have the option of returning your purchase:

 

Sennheiser no longer makes the capsule used in the MKH 435. If the capsule were to require replacement for any reason, you would not be able to make a good repair. You could choose to install another capsule but the microphone would never again perform as it was originally designed.

 

Capsules can last a very long time, and your purchased example may have many years of service left, so this may not be an issue for you.

 

David

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have always been curious about the practical differences between the 406 and the 435.  The patterns don't look terribly different in the manuals and they are both called cardioids.  I have one of each, but haven't really evaluated them for relative rejection.  They sound very similar on-axis.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, David Waelder said:

Sennheiser no longer makes the capsule used in the MKH 435. If the capsule were to require replacement for any reason, you would not be able to make a good repair. You could choose to install another capsule but the microphone would never again perform as it was originally designed.

 

Well, when I get the mic and if I fall in love with it and the capsule fails I'll just have to buy another one.

 

If I hate it, it's going in a box on the shelf or on ebay.  LOL.

 

I won't know for another 3 weeks at least.

 

 

Jim, if I do Pete's T-to-48V conversion, I wouldn't need a barrel convertor.  What are you talking about?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Viscount Omega said:

Jim, if I do Pete's T-to-48V conversion, I wouldn't need a barrel convertor.  What are you talking about?

he meant that you could get a barrel for 40ish bucks instead of sending it to Pete for 200ish bucks is you so desired. Just another option.

 

I’m another happy customer of Pete. He does really great work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Viscount Omega said:

Jim, if I do Pete's T-to-48V conversion, I wouldn't need a barrel convertor.  What are you talking about?

 

A PSC barrel will be $40-50 (perhaps less used?). Might work fine for you if you're OK with the total length. And would be a less-expensive way to find out if you even like the 435.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jim Feeley said:

 

A PSC barrel will be $40-50 (perhaps less used?). Might work fine for you if you're OK with the total length. And would be a less-expensive way to find out if you even like the 435.

 

Okay.  It's a way to save costs in case I really hate this mic.  (which I probably will, based on what you guys are saying).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tuchel to XLR adapter at first seems like a deal-breaker because it adds bulk and weight to the mic.  It just creates an untidy mess to deal with and makes it less discreet to use in public, but then I think, "What about the 200 lbs. guy with the headphones and boom pole standing over there?  What is he, Mr. Fucking Invisible?" 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jim Feeley said:

 

Ah geez. Tuchel and the 435 are pretty much before my time. Are all 435s Tuchel? 

 Looks like the picture he posted has a Tuchel.

There are (were)  Neutrik Tuchel/XLR adapters with built in P48 to T12.

25 minutes ago, Viscount Omega said:

Tuchel to XLR adapter at first seems like a deal-breaker because it adds bulk and weight to the mic.  It just creates an untidy mess to deal with and makes it less discreet to use in public, but then I think, "What about the 200 lbs. guy with the headphones and boom pole standing over there?  What is he, Mr. Fucking Invisible?" 

 

Find a Tuchel cable, and use the adapter near or on your recorder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Viscount Omega said:

Like this?

 

It would be cool if someone invented a little black box you could stick on the end of these type of mics that did everything in one shot--i.e.converted it to XLR and 48V power.

s-l1600 (1).jpg

 

Exactly like that, although if you can get / find a cloth-cabled one you might like it even more ... that’s what I have for my two working 805s ... (I also have a completely dead 805 and another which was briefly working fine until I decided it was a spare and took it apart to try making a three quarters length barrel! ... )

 

Of course, the benefit here is that it is a boom / zeppelin short cable which is desirable anyway, not an extra length to the actual mic body.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...