Sennheiser Previews MKH 8030 figure-of-eight RF Condenser Microphone

[IronFilm]

Quote

The MKH 8030 will become available during Q2 of 2024, and pre-orders will be accepted from the start of the show. Pricing: EUR 1,499 (MSRP) / USD 1,499 (MAP). Included will include an MZW 8030 foam windshield, an MZQ 8000 mic clamp and two Rycote back-to-back clips to create mic pairs.

https://www.newsshooter.com/2023/09/15/sennheiser-previews-mkh-8030-figure-of-eight-rf-condenser-microphone/

 

[Olle Sjostrom]

Nevermind this mic, I want the 15 year delay pedal they keep hidden away somewhere

 

or perhaps: better late than never

[Freeheel]

Ha!   Perhaps it was built for Avatar 2.   And on the same timeline.

[axel]

key question is how prone it will be to handling noise

 

[Throwback]

I've had a pre-production copy for a few weeks now, and have been testing it, and have written one of my usual blog post write ups, with plenty of embedded audio files. Doubtless it won't quite address everything you want to know about the mic, but I hope there is the odd bit there that might interest one or two of you.

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

 

https://drbadphil.com/sennheisers-new-fig-8-the-mkh-8030

[Throwback]

And here are a few close-up photos that I took of the MKH 8030 capsule: a couple in the blog post and a couple not. Not easy trying to get clear photos through the basket: I wasn't brave enough to pull the mic apart!

 

Cheers,

 

 

Roland

[IronFilm]

22 hours ago, Throwback said:

Not easy trying to get clear photos through the basket: I wasn't brave enough to pull the mic apart!

Your attempt at photos still got some beautiful pics! 

[Throwback]

9 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Your attempt at photos still got some beautiful pics! 

Thanks David!

Cheers,

Roland

[Throwback]

OK, have just added part two of my MKH 8030 tests: recording a bluegrass band in mid-side may not be entirely relevant here, but perhaps something might translate, I hope, and be useful to one or two!

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

 

https://drbadphil.com/sennheiser-mkh-8030-part-2-mid-side-recording

[Throwback]

And now I have just added part 3 of my MKH 8030 tests, probably a little more relevant here than part 2: in this case it is a series of MS tests with the MKH 8020, MKH 8040 and MKH 8050 - all field recordings/ambiences, not music.

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

 

https://drbadphil.com/sennheiser-mkh-8030-part-3-mid-side-field-recordings

[Fred Salles]

Thank you Roland for these extensive tests.

I enjoyed the bluegrass band!

 

I wish you had included the MKH30 for comparison but intuitively it seems to me that the MKH8030 sounds slightly warmer, but that's from abstract memory. What is your opinion?

 

Additionally,  if you love fig8 for music I recommend the Beyer M130 if you do not know it. Old concept ribbon mike but beautiful along with the M160 in an MS setup. They both have a very distinctive rendition of space that I have not encountered with any other mikes.

[inspire]

Birds, sea waves, Trains, sheeps, chickens, very impressive! This is something I also have always wanted to do - recording ordinary things. The illustrating photos are even more helpful. Thank you for sharing, very nice!

[DHB]

"..if you love fig8 for music I recommend the Beyer M130 if you do not know it. Old concept ribbon mike but beautiful along with the M160 in an MS setup.."

 

Shure VP-88. The description on Shure's - and others' - website doesn't do it justice: "The Shure Model VP88 is a single-point, stereo condenser microphone" ..no, it's more than that: it's a Mid-Side mic with one capsule pointing straight ahead, and a dual-element sideways capsule delivering stereo (adjustable) width plus that central cardioid capsule filling in the centre. Wonderful breadth and depth.

[Throwback]

12 hours ago, Fred Salles said:

Thank you Roland for these extensive tests.

I enjoyed the bluegrass band!

 

I wish you had included the MKH30 for comparison but intuitively it seems to me that the MKH8030 sounds slightly warmer, but that's from abstract memory. What is your opinion?

 

Additionally,  if you love fig8 for music I recommend the Beyer M130 if you do not know it. Old concept ribbon mike but beautiful along with the M160 in an MS setup. They both have a very distinctive rendition of space that I have not encountered with any other mikes.

Thanks Fred. Yes, I've given some thought to whether I should do an MKH30 comparison, but, for practical applications for many, this would mean mid-side MKH30 + MKH 20/40/50, even a second MHK 30 for fig 8 mid-side and Blumlein, and all the variations started to seem complex: I may get around to this in due course (it will involve me getting hold of an MKH 30). And, also, these tests are - somewhat inevitably - influenced by the mics in which I am interested in using: with the MKH 8030 appearing after so long, I am not that interested in the earlier and larger MKH mics, despite their excellent sound.

 

As for ribbon mics, yes that is something I would like to explore more for music. I only have one at present, but, of all the ones I've heard, I really fancy an AEA R88A. The M160 hypercardioid ribbon is an interesting mic though, as you say: I must try and hear one (or, rather, one paired with an M130) in action.

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

3 hours ago, inspire said:

Birds, sea waves, Trains, sheeps, chickens, very impressive! This is something I also have always wanted to do - recording ordinary things. The illustrating photos are even more helpful. Thank you for sharing, very nice!

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I like the recording of ordinary things: I sometimes wonder about mic tests with exotica in far-flung locations!

[Throwback]

1 hour ago, DHB said:

"..if you love fig8 for music I recommend the Beyer M130 if you do not know it. Old concept ribbon mike but beautiful along with the M160 in an MS setup.."

 

Shure VP-88. The description on Shure's - and others' - website doesn't do it justice: "The Shure Model VP88 is a single-point, stereo condenser microphone" ..no, it's more than that: it's a Mid-Side mic with one capsule pointing straight ahead, and a dual-element sideways capsule delivering stereo (adjustable) width plus that central cardioid capsule filling in the centre. Wonderful breadth and depth.

 

Hmm, while decent ribbon mics offer something different to the MKH 8030, I'd certainly far rather use the latter plus other MKH 8000 series mics for MS than a VP-88, which I have heard: not knocking the Shure, but the Sennheisers are a significant step up (which isn't surprising, given price difference).

[inspire]

Shure VP-88 I have and the biggest drawback IMHO is that you can't be very far from the source when recording, you have to be quite close to it! Sea waves, trains - yes, but sheeps, not unless you want to be right next to them! This is always a relative thing of course and some sheep have a beautiful loud voice but Just my experience with Shure VP-88 is like this. Otherwise a nice microphone, especially for recording music!

[DHB]

Add a couple of Fetheads?

[inspire]

Thank you, this is a good idea to try! TritonAudio - FetHead Phantom is available here, I think that should be appropriate? I have no experience, but I have studied that this could help.

[DHB]

If you're running a VP-88 on its internal battery, then ordinary Fetheads will boost the output but do NOT let phantom power go up the cable and to the mic itself, which is what you'd want (as if using non-phantom-powered dynamics or ribbons).

 

But if you're running the VP-88 - or any mic - on phantom power, then Fethead Phantoms WILL allow phantom power up the cable to power the mic(s).

 

I think they're pretty good ..same as 'Cloudlifters', but smaller and they fit inline just like normal XLR connectors. NOTE, though, that they'll amplify whatever's coming down the line from the mic(s), so if you've a lot of unwanted background noise they will, of course, also boost that, as they don't filter anything out. The boost effect is a bit like using a telephoto lens on a camera: the boosted audio seems to bring everything closer ..and certainly LOUDER!

[Throwback]

Not quite sure why this MKH 8030 thread has wandered into discussion of the VP-88, but, in an attempt to bring it back on subject, here's a photo of my mid-side test rig (not, I must stress, a regular set-up) for the MKH 8030 with the MKH 8020, MKH 8040 and MKH 8050 mics!

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

 

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

2 hours ago, Throwback said:

 

Didn't Electrovoice once make a similar shotgun?

 

Jez

[DHB]

EV made a few massive ones, plus the 644 (optionally) handheld ..ooh, mustn't go off-topic. I think we must admire the Franken-mic-assembly above.

[Throwback]

54 minutes ago, DHB said:

EV made a few massive ones, plus the 644 (optionally) handheld ..ooh, mustn't go off-topic. I think we must admire the Franken-mic-assembly above.

 

Haha! Not seeking admiration (or, conversely, any comments about acoustic shadowing) of the odd cluster of mics for testing, but just trying to keep thread on topic. Received the draft (and probably final) spec sheet today, with the only significant addition being the polar pattern graph: I have assumed that I can't share this until publication (at launch), but have asked for clarification. In the meantime, suffice it to say that it looks just as you would hope: very much as per the MKH 30 (i.e. symmetrical, deep nulls, and with a consistent pattern across the audible frequency range).

Cheers,

Roland

[Throwback]

And to add, Sennheiser have given me the thumbs up to use the polar pattern now (the specs sheet will be published in conjunction with the mic appearing at NAB 2024 (13-17 April), so I have updated my original blog post on the mic accordingly: https://drbadphil.com/sennheisers-new-fig-8-the-mkh-8030

 

Cheers,

 

Roland

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

5 hours ago, Throwback said:

And to add, Sennheiser have given me the thumbs up to use the polar pattern now (the specs sheet will be published in conjunction with the mic appearing at NAB 2024 (13-17 April), so I have updated my original blog post on the mic accordingly: https://drbadphil.com/sennheisers-new-fig-8-the-mkh-8030

 

Funny / interesting - it looks to be a 'perfect' figure of 8 plot at 32kHz and at practically everything lower (that is 125Hz to 16kHz) a 'fat' or 'wide' figure of 8 (ie to left and right if used as a side mic).

Since the cardioid and supercardioid sennheiser patterns are correspondingly somewhat 'tight' or narrow this may be quite a nice fit for MS with a 8040, 8050 or 8060. Blumlein crossed results?

(... whatever - the proof is always in 'but how does it sound' ... though it's impressive to see so much consistency in the polar pattern across the spectrum, coupled with the flat response ditto. 15 years work apparently ...)

 

Jez