Hi tapers,
first post here…. been lurking wildely here for some time. A goldmine of information, no doubt. Found you while trying to sort out a few M10 wonderings. Just got my first one. That's where I am. My first post will be a bit longwinded in broken english I'm afraid
Ok, I'm not a concert taper. But I'm a field taper like you all, so the information found here fits me perfectly well. I'm recording ambience to be used later to mix with slideshows. Citysounds, locals, interviews and documentary work.
As for now I'm hooking the M10 up with a Rode NT3 mic. Which has it's own 9v battery power inside. Makes things easier.
I'm using the M10's own preamp which works wonderful in combo with the NT3. I'm planning to add a stereo mic from Rode later (NT4). Perhaps also getting some shotgun like any of the Audi-Technicas M66 or 416. The NT3 is perfect for me as a standardmic.
I would be very happy to get a helping hand from you for some very basic questions.
1)
Mic sens switch on the M10: Low and high….. default is the high according the manual. Concerts and live music is loud by nature and everyone here is running on low mic setting. That makes sense.
Apart from that, does anyone know if the Mic Sens Switch really is triggering more amplification or if the amplifier actually is running full all the time? I mean, does the switch just add resistance before the levelknob/pot…. making the knob working in another "range" on the knobscale. ( Instead of having two long travel turns on the knob
Using internal mics or the Rode NT3, for example, running on high gives me a setting of 3. Switching to low needs a 2x on the scale = 6, to deliver aprox the same levels. A setting of 4 high = 8 low etc.
Comparing the noisefloor and characteristics of the sound gives that the noisefloor sounds - at least by ear - roughly the same at the same levels regardless of high or low. The high sens setting is slightly sharper/distinct with voices, a little, little bit less body in the low reg. Barely noticeble with closed referenceclass headphones. It's hard to believe that the amp is pumping and bumping more under the hood in the high setting…. shouldn't it be more noise up in the face then….?
Bottomline: does it really matter (on the M10) which setting on the Mic Sens Switch – in situations when/if the levels can be set within it's knobs range using any of the two?
2)
A perfectionist's question: Knobwheel on the M10. Nice and firm. I like it as is.
However, one little thing pokes me in the side. Despite the firm and robust feeling, a little "play" in the circular movement can be disturbing. No, the wheel is not wobbling sidewise. Not at all. It's just a 1-1.5 mm gap when rolling back and forth before it moves the real pot beneath the knobwheel. Adjusting levels doesn't need any precision, it's a long travel on the wheel, it's just a matter of feeling. Especially when using the numbered scale on the knob for fixed settings. It takes some back and forth rolling to know where the real center is…..
Bottomline; is this just my M10 – or is it everyones typical M10 behaviour? I can live with it if it doesn't get worse, nothing I would send it in for. Been there since the M10 came out of the box, from first movement on the wheel. I guess this is normal, but want it to be confirmed.
Ok, thanks for reading this far! And thanks for all the information I allready sucked up from this forum. Much appreciated.
All the best,
Jack