The Audio-Technica High Sensitivity AT 4080 Ribbon Mic

Two Audio-Technica AT4080 in Blumlein

Ribbon microphones have been in service since the 1930s. RCA mics like the 44B and 77DX are now considered vintage. You can spend $1200 to $1500 or more for one. The trick is finding one in good shape because the original ribbons are relatively delicate. Not because of age. That’s just the way they were originally designed. Or, you can try a new Audio-Technica AT 4080 bi-directional (figure of eight), dual ribbon mic that streets for about $999. Seven years in the making, it boasts a 150dB SPL level and the sensitivity of a studio condenser.

Why bother with a ribbon? Well, for one thing, it sounds fundamentally different than dynamic or condenser mics. That’s why recording engineers have continued to use ribbon mics all along. Ribbon mics use a different principle of physics to capture sound than dynamic and condenser mics. Ribbons are rectangular strips of metal, usually aluminum, in a magnetic field. 

Sescom Adapters Keep RF Out Of Audio - OR NOT!

Nothing hurts your location audio day more than cell phone warbles. You can tell clients and crew to turn them off, but more often than not, they don't until you hear THAT SOUND and have to tell the producer you can't use that take because someone's cell phone got polled from the mothership.

I have a client with an iPhone that used to cause interference. I wired a Neutrik EMC XLR on a cable and "Poof" RF-BE-Gone!

[Update: 8/31/2013 The RF was blocked going into a Millennia Media STT-1 and Greg Hanks BA-660. It was not blocked when going into my GML preamp. So soldered on EMC connectors help prevent RF from getting into your audio, but the front end of the preamp also needs to be designed to block RF.

Now Sescom has them as inline adapters; one with the filter on the male side, the SES-INLINE-EMCM, shown directly below. Before you buy, read on!

and one with the filter on the female side (SES-INLINE-EMCF). 

Two days after I got these my client came in and we tested them under the same conditions in which the XLR connectors were working. The Adapters were NOT able to block his cell phone's interference. I"m breaking away from our session right now to report this. It may be because the the shields are lifted on the adapters. I have contacted Sescom to see if they can find a solution. [Update: They seemed disinclined to take any action.]

So, RF blocking is apparently the result of soldered on EMC connectors and the design of the preamp they are plugged into.

Technique, Inc. © Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved

Ty For may be reached at tyford.com.

Sescom TRS to TRRS Adapter for iPad & iPhone

Sescom IPHONE-ADAPT-1

If you have audio gear with an 1/8" mini TRS output, like a Rode VideoMic, that you want to get into your iPad or iPhone, how do you do that?

With the IPHONE-ADAPT-1 adapter cable from Sescom! A foot-long cable that does a simple job to get your audio from Point A to Point B.

I couldn't really write a lot about it. What is there to say about a simple piece of gear that solves a problem. You probably won't see it mentioned as a MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH, but it may be just what you need unless you're very handy with a soldering pencil.

Look for it at about $22 at all the usual places.


Here's the cable working with a Makayama Movie Mount for iPad mount with wide angle lenses, MicroPro LED light and Rode SVM. The IPHONE-ADAPT-1 allows the mini 1/8" stereo Rode SVM mic to be connected to the iPad.

Schoeps SuperCMIT DSP-steered Digital Shotgun Mic

Schoeps Super CMIT

I just started seeing the unmistakable Schoeps blue shotgun recently on TV during some media circus press event. It was probably the earlier analog version, but the point is, since no other mic has this blue metallic finish, Schoeps gets “recognition points” for daring go other than grey or black. Actually, putting out a shotgun mic, regardless of color, was some thing that Schoeps had not considered until they received solid input from the US market that one would be well received. That’s how the first CMIT came to be.

In another daring move, Schoeps released the SuperCMIT digital shotgun with a two-position, DSP circuit to tighten the pattern and lower ambient noise.

Tascam iXJ2 Multipin Audio I/O for iPhone and iPad

TASCAM iXJ2 Audio Adapter for iPhone and iPad
seen here with a Sennheiser G2 receiver.

It just showed up this morning. For $79 at places like B&H, there's another way to push 16-bit/44.1 kHz audio into your iPad and iPhone.

There are two mono input jacks, one on the top and one on the side. The Sennheiser G2 receiver shown to the left plugged right in.

Rode iXY Stereo Mic unlocks 24/96 Audio for iPad and iPhones

Rode iXY Stereo Mic

My Rode iXY just came in recently and I plugged it into my iPad 3 right away. I downloaded the Rode recording app from iTunes and began reading the manual to find out which gestures did what. Do that first and you'll get a lot more fun out of yours.

Not that there's a lot to read, but knowing that spinning your iPhone or iPad 180 degrees puts you in and out of edit mode is not something you might think of.

The iXY supports 24/96 recordings and also lower sample rates. More on this $199 wonder as I have time to work with it. 

Rode NTG-3 Shotgun Mic

NTG-3 and MKH 416 open for close inspection

A $699 USD street, the Australian-made Rode NTG-3 seems extremely well-placed for its price and performance. Like the Sennheiser 416, the NTG-3 is an RF-condenser that combines a somewhat sophisticated RF circuit with the capsule to reduce the deleterious effects of high humidity. Tricky to design, but worth the effort. That design element has contributed greatly to the 416ʼs “bullet proof” reputation and should do the same for the NTG-3.

FEATURES

The RF environment is growing significantly more hostile, though, and Rode seems to have taken shielding a bit farther than Sennheiser did back in 1974 when the MKH 416 came to market. Attention to the mechanical and electronic lay out of the NTG-3 including the surface mount technology (SMT), PCB layout, component selection and dual chamber design of the internal brass tube that appears to separate most of the circuitry from the tunable RF section and capsule, all contribute to RF resistance and mic performance. Sennheiser has also gone to SMT and other upgrades with all of their later model MKH 416 mics.

Centrance MicPort Pro - 24/96 Audio On A Stick

This product has been out a while since my review, but people keep asking for this type of solution, so I thought it worth bringing it back to the surface. In my never-ending search for neat audio toys to talk about, Centrance’s diminutive MicPort Pro caused an instant smile. 24/96 audio from any mic level source you can put in your pocket; all for $150.

Product Capsule Centrance MicPort Pro

Mic level 24/96 USB Converter-Works with any XLR mic or mic level
-Phantom Power
-No latency-No power required

Not Your Father's AKG C 414 XLS and XL II

For the last ten years, established microphone companies have had to find a way to fill the product lines with low cost mics to meet lowball trigger prices. 

Something has to get lost when you're forced to make mics that cost 1/2 to 1/4 of the standard line. It's not all bad though. 

That challenge teaches you how to economize and streamline manufacturing procedures. But in the end, you're making hamburgers and hotdogs instead of steak. I'd like to think we're coming out of that dark period and that the lessons we learned will result in better microphones. 

I see these two new AKG C 414B mics as evidence that this is true. Technically, this new breed of C414B is more sensitive, has less selfnoise, has better capsule isolation and has more features.

Application: Studio and live recordings or PA.

Key Features: Five patterns, multiple roll-offs and pads, low selfnoise, high sensitivity, includes suspensionmount, pop filters and hard case.

Price: $999 for the XLS, $1,099 for the XLII