Sennheiser MKH30 microphone

 
microphones

Apologies for the lack of new material but the mobile and the studio are so busy at the moment that weve just not had time to put any new stuff up. We have some great new sessions waiting to go up and a sneak preview of a fantastic new compresser but thats all to come!!!!! In the meantime have a read about the first in our series of great mics under £100

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CHECK IT OUT............

 

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Sennheiser MKH 30

The Sennheiser MKH 30 figure-8 microphone is unique in that it is the only true, single diaphragm design, figure-8 condenser microphone on the market. Normally figure-8 condenser microphones achieve their pattern by manipulating two, out-of-phase back-to-back cardioids but the MKH series of microphones use Sennheiser’s unique and revolutionary symmetrical push-pull capsule charged by low voltage RF. Besides the normal back plate, this capsule is fitted with an additional front plate and the diaphragm suspended between them. Both of these plates are acoustically transparent so that any impedance changes in the air gaps between the diaphragm and the respective plate are opposite and therefore cancel each other out, leading to an unchanging acoustic impedance. This unique design produces extremely low distortion figures and a higher capsule output that gives a much lower noise figure. The equivalent noise is astonishing - 10 dB, A-weighted! (Remember a completely quiet studio has about 20 dB background noise) and with a frequency range that begins at 12 Hertz the result is a microphone really one of the finest microphones available, justifying its hefty price tag. A case of you get what you pay for.

 

Recording
I have used a pair of MKH 30s as a blumlein pair out on location with the mobile for over a year now and they really are very special mics. I match them to a Focusrite isa 428 pre amp but I have used them with cheaper preamps and the results are always quite stunning. Mics come in two distinct types. Most studio mics have a deliberate lift or contour to their sound to make them more suitable for particular applications but for orchestral or choral work you really want a mic that is as perfectly tranparent as possible and these mics belong to that category. Of course they are expensive but engineering at this level costs money. I have them set up in a stereo cradle as shown in the header image above and as with all Blumlein pairs you really have to take care with the positioning of the mics to get the balance between the direct and ambient sound. I recently got hold of a Sennheiser MKH 40, the cardiod model in the same range, and am really looking forward to trying that out with a MKH30 as a mid side pair. Check out the different stereo applications on the recording tips page.
All in all expensive but brilliant. JR

 
 
 
 
Microphones and recording 2008. Sennheiser MKH 30 Microphones