Taperssection.com
Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: tobydodds on October 16, 2022, 10:54:25 AM
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I've linked an audio file, recorded last night at the 930 Club of Black Angels.
http://toby-dodds.com/content/sample.mp3
This audio was recorded using:
Sennheiser MKE 2-EW Gold - attached to left eyeglass
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/clip-on-lavalier-microphone-live-speech-instrument-mke-2
This was powered with a:
SP-SPSB-10 – Micro-mini 12v microphone power supply
This was connected to a Sony PCM A10 and recorded with low levels max peak at -20 and at 24.96. And yet the audio sounds crunchy and distorted (sample attached). This is my second failed capture in a row both times about 50' back from PA with loud sound (100+dbs).
In my research before buying, I found great sounding recordings made with this Senn mic in a rock concert setting.
My questions.
- Is there a setting I'm missing in the A10? I've set the mic in to manual and ran the levels on the low side.
- Possible 12v's is too high - even though Sennheiser recommends 9-12v?
- Mic is too sensitive or damaged somehow?
I would really appreciate some advice on what my next move is here. I guess I'll try a different power supply, any advice? I ordered a Church Audio Ugly Battery Box but that was a month ago and never heard back (yay).
Thanks all!
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I think you wanted to go Audio In not Mic In?
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This was powered with a:
SP-SPSB-10 – Micro-mini 12v microphone power supply
Check that the battery is in the correct orientation. Like most electronics, the spring usually goes on the negative terminal, but embossed instructions show it the opposite. Going by the instructions ruined my recording.
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I have the MKE-2 ew (x2) are you using a single? If so i strongly recommend getting another to pair with it.
Anyways these can handle any stack metal show there is with a battery box with no chance of distortion(i'm using church ugly or https://soundprofessionals.com/product/SP-SPSB-8-MKII/
Maybe your batteries are dead in your battery box.
Im usually on Line In not Mic input.
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I think you wanted to go Audio In not Mic In?
Beat me to it. Mic in with a battery box, especially with an omni mic, is likely to make for a mess even if the recorder itself isn't clipping.
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I think you wanted to go Audio In not Mic In?
Beat me to it. Mic in with a battery box, especially with an omni mic, is likely to make for a mess even if the recorder itself isn't clipping.
Can you elaborate? I've heard folks say this a few times with the Sony a10, in my experience I just have a more audible noise floor going line-in instead of mic in.
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With a Battery Box, Mic In or Line In?
I hate to give a lawyerly answer, but it depends. My Baby NBox sounds better with Mic In rather than Line In, so the answer isn't clear. I would record a bunch of shows or stand in front of your stereo speakers at a reasonably high volume and do some tests.
The battery polarization is another issue, and without seeing your battery box, the springy thing is usually on the negative terminal (-) and the flat part is usually on the nipple looking terminal (+), but again, I don't know your battery box. Try out different directions. I would think that one would work and one would not.
Bottom Line: Test.
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I think you wanted to go Audio In not Mic In?
Beat me to it. Mic in with a battery box, especially with an omni mic, is likely to make for a mess even if the recorder itself isn't clipping.
Can you elaborate? I've heard folks say this a few times with the Sony a10, in my experience I just have a more audible noise floor going line-in instead of mic in.
Well it depends on the mic sensitivity, every set of mics is going to be different. If the mic output is too hot for the recorder preamp it's going to distort no matter what. That this recording was mic-in, with the levels set low, and the meters registering -20 dB, would all seem to point to that mic output was too hot for the recorder mic preamp. Needed to be line input ("audio in").
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This was powered with a:
SP-SPSB-10 – Micro-mini 12v microphone power supply
Check that the battery is in the correct orientation. Like most electronics, the spring usually goes on the negative terminal, but embossed instructions show it the opposite. Going by the instructions ruined my recording.
Just to elaborate, I use the same battery box as the original poster. Here's a sample of my ruined recording, with the battery installed per instruction but obviously incorrect. The distortion sounds pretty similar.
https://soundcloud.com/roffels/bon-iver-bad-battery
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I think you wanted to go Audio In not Mic In?
Beat me to it. Mic in with a battery box, especially with an omni mic, is likely to make for a mess even if the recorder itself isn't clipping.
Can you elaborate? I've heard folks say this a few times with the Sony a10, in my experience I just have a more audible noise floor going line-in instead of mic in.
Well it depends on the mic sensitivity, every set of mics is going to be different. If the mic output is too hot for the recorder preamp it's going to distort no matter what. That this recording was mic-in, with the levels set low, and the meters registering -20 dB, would all seem to point to that mic output was too hot for the recorder mic preamp. Needed to be line input ("audio in").
If that was the case, wouldn't we see brickwalling in the waveform?
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I have the MKE-2 ew (x2) are you using a single? If so i strongly recommend getting another to pair with it.
Anyways these can handle any stack metal show there is with a battery box with no chance of distortion(i'm using church ugly or https://soundprofessionals.com/product/SP-SPSB-8-MKII/
Maybe your batteries are dead in your battery box.
Im usually on Line In not Mic input.
Thanks and the line vs mic sensitivity has to be it. I was recording using MIC IN. As a MKE-2 EW taper can you explain the advantage of the second mic?
This place rocks thanks for all the replied! It's a shame I muddled through four live shows before getting this key piece of info in but oh well! Of course the manual says nothing about using AUDIO IN for recording with a mic in a loud concert setting...
I'll get out there and record another show with AUDIO IN and share my results. Hopefully that's it!
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If that was the case, wouldn't we see brickwalling in the waveform?
Not necessarily, if it wasn't actually clipping but just freaking out the preamp. Though I will say that that waveform — with the bottom half of the wave severely unbalanced relative to the top — looks a lot like I've gotten at times with failing batteries, so it's possible this was an underpowered-mics issue too.
Question for the OP: What gain setting did you have the A10 on, do you remember? That would go a long way toward helping figure out if the problem here was the preamp being overloaded or the mics.
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Question for the OP: What gain setting did you have the A10 on, do you remember? That would go a long way toward helping figure out if the problem here was the preamp being overloaded or the mics.
I had the MIC IN set to MANUAL and then rode the levels super low, based on feedback I saw elsewhere - the peak levels was about -20 in that sample I provided. The Auto-Gain settings on the A10 are HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW but I didn't use them.
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(most) battery boxes arent preamps, and dont make the signal louder
that said if you had the battery in the box and had mic in you were putting plug in power to an (already compromised) circuit and perhaps that would cause the results
as someone mentioned, test at home.
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Question for the OP: What gain setting did you have the A10 on, do you remember? That would go a long way toward helping figure out if the problem here was the preamp being overloaded or the mics.
I had the MIC IN set to MANUAL and then rode the levels super low, based on feedback I saw elsewhere - the peak levels was about -20 in that sample I provided. The Auto-Gain settings on the A10 are HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW but I didn't use them.
Sorry, I wasn't clear: I meant what number did you have to set the recording level to on the A10 to get it to peak at -20? That wouldn't have affected the recording, but it would tell us whether you were getting a fully powered signal or not.
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I was at 11 or 12 but the sample I provided had been boosted using Audacity > Effects > Amplify to get to that level. I really do think the MIC IN setting was the issue. I can't wait to go back out and try again.
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why wait? easy to troubleshoot at home
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You make a good point. I will crank some tunes and make a sample for us to listen to. THANKS!
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Is there a difference between the mic in on the M10 and A10? If not, I'm skeptical that the mic in on the A10 was the issue. That sounds like improperly powered mics to me
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Is there a difference between the mic in on the M10 and A10? If not, I'm skeptical that the mic in on the A10 was the issue. That sounds like improperly powered mics to me
You deserve a prize I think and also kudos to the push towards testing at home. Why on Earth I felt like I could only test at a show is something I'm kicking myself over. So I just bought this new rig of Senn mic (do I need two really?), A10 and SP power supply, but after doing these tests I was able to figure out that the battery on the SP was dead (the one that shipped with the SP out of the box!). That was the issue it would appear.
Here's the testing sequence with samples.
Test 1 - MIC-IN, old battery - the one that arrived with the SP-SPSB-10 - levels cranked which was a clue
http://toby-dodds.com/content/audio_test/01_external_mic_in_w_old_battery.mp3
Test 2 - AUDIO/LINE-IN, old battery - the one that arrived with the SP-SPSB-10 - levels cranked and barely any signal, a further clue
http://toby-dodds.com/content/audio_test/02_external_line_in_w_old_battery.mp3
Test 3 - Figured these levels were weird, bypassed the SP and the levels were much better
http://toby-dodds.com/content/audio_test/03_external_mic_in_w_no_battery.mp3
Test 4 - Finally opened up the SP and replaced the battery - this time with MIC-IN, much better levels
http://toby-dodds.com/content/audio_test/04_external_mic_in_w_new_battery.mp3
Test 5 - Finally opened up the SP and replaced the battery - this time with AUDIO/LINE-IN, still good levels THIS WILL WORK!!!
http://toby-dodds.com/content/audio_test/05_external_line_in_w_new_battery.mp3
Thanks for helping me go further folks. Had I just done AUDIO/LINE-IN I would have been stuck with another busted recording. Now, I feel like I'm good.
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So I just bought this new rig of Senn mic (do I need two really?),
Glad you sorted this out.
Regarding that mic, I'm not sure how you'd be able to rig up two of those mics to work with the Sony PCM A10 because both it and the battery box have a single stereo input (maybe some of the more experienced folks can make some recommendations - would a y-cable be sufficient?)
I think people are recommending another microphone so you can do stereo recordings. But if you're happy with the mono recording, that's all that really matters.
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So I just bought this new rig of Senn mic (do I need two really?),
Glad you sorted this out.
Regarding that mic, I'm not sure how you'd be able to rig up two of those mics to work with the Sony PCM A10 because both it and the battery box have a single stereo input (maybe some of the more experienced folks can make some recommendations - would a y-cable be sufficient?)
I think people are recommending another microphone so you can do stereo recordings. But if you're happy with the mono recording, that's all that really matters.
A proper Y-cable (TRS plug to L/R mono TS jacks) would be sufficient. Funny that the Sennheiser site says "jack" for the type of plug, presumably that (and the SP battery box already in use) means it is a mono 1/8" (3.5mm) plug for the mic. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Seismic-Audio-SA-iEM2EF-Splitter-Android/dp/B008RPIPSE/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?crid=1CTZA7BIBC238&keywords=3.5mm%2By-cable&qid=1666038461&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=electronics&sprefix=3.5mm%2By-cable%2Celectronics%2C145&sr=1-7-spons&smid=A7KODY9T0BTOM&th=1
Just need to make sure the split is to left and right (female mono jacks) and not just a Y-cable intended for splitting say a headphone output into two because that would not maintain the individual left/right channels.
Glad to hear you figured out the battery issue.
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I was able to figure out that the battery on the SP was dead (the one that shipped with the SP out of the box!). That was the issue it would appear.
Glad you were able to narrow it down. I know for a fact that it's not necessary, but I change my my power battery every show out of pure paranoia. Costco batteries ftw
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I was able to figure out that the battery on the SP was dead (the one that shipped with the SP out of the box!). That was the issue it would appear.
Glad you were able to narrow it down. I know for a fact that it's not necessary, but I change my my power battery every show out of pure paranoia. Costco batteries ftw
I bought one of these so I wouldn't have to be so paranoid or trash fine batteries. https://www.amazon.com/D-FantiX-Battery-Universal-Checker-Batteries/dp/B014FEM0X6/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2V0NALI4P6LP8&keywords=battery+tester&qid=1666041323&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjA1IiwicXNhIjoiMy45NyIsInFzcCI6IjMuNzAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=battery+tester%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-5
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I was able to figure out that the battery on the SP was dead (the one that shipped with the SP out of the box!). That was the issue it would appear.
Glad you were able to narrow it down. I know for a fact that it's not necessary, but I change my my power battery every show out of pure paranoia. Costco batteries ftw
I bought one of these so I wouldn't have to be so paranoid or trash fine batteries. https://www.amazon.com/D-FantiX-Battery-Universal-Checker-Batteries/dp/B014FEM0X6/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2V0NALI4P6LP8&keywords=battery+tester&qid=1666041323&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjA1IiwicXNhIjoiMy45NyIsInFzcCI6IjMuNzAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=battery+tester%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-5
Yep, that is the one I have as well, actually two of them. I check my batteries EVERY TIME I tape. I use low batteries for TV remotes and such.
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I was able to figure out that the battery on the SP was dead (the one that shipped with the SP out of the box!). That was the issue it would appear.
Glad you were able to narrow it down. I know for a fact that it's not necessary, but I change my my power battery every show out of pure paranoia. Costco batteries ftw
I bought one of these so I wouldn't have to be so paranoid or trash fine batteries. https://www.amazon.com/D-FantiX-Battery-Universal-Checker-Batteries/dp/B014FEM0X6/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2V0NALI4P6LP8&keywords=battery+tester&qid=1666041323&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjA1IiwicXNhIjoiMy45NyIsInFzcCI6IjMuNzAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=battery+tester%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-5
I've thought about that, but I'm some combination of too lazy and still too paranoid, not to mention I don't know the crossover point of db:mic power, nor do I know if drain on a 9v is linear.
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So I just bought this new rig of Senn mic (do I need two really?),
Glad you sorted this out.
Regarding that mic, I'm not sure how you'd be able to rig up two of those mics to work with the Sony PCM A10 because both it and the battery box have a single stereo input (maybe some of the more experienced folks can make some recommendations - would a y-cable be sufficient?)
I think people are recommending another microphone so you can do stereo recordings. But if you're happy with the mono recording, that's all that really matters.
You need two for stereo , one is just mono.
This is the battery box i use with 2 sennhesier lavs. Works perfect.
Has 2 inputs.
https://soundprofessionals.com/product/SP-SPSB-8-MKII/
Good luck and i'm glad you figured out the problem. :headphones:
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Thanks again Taper Doctors. I'm truly on my way and will record with AUDIO IN and with a working battery on the mic!
On the stereo vs. mono question though, I'm sorry I'm struggling to see this as a necessity. When I'm recording I'm typically positioning myself in front of one of two PA stacks - which itself is mixed to mono as far as I can reason. I don't see how having two of the same mic positioned the width of my head apart is any different sonically. If two channel is the goal, I could even duplicate the single channel and fake stereo. Wouldn't that be the same really? I guess what I'm saying in stealth mode does stereo really make a difference of the mics are just the width of my glasses apart?
Please just tell me that the difference is noticeable. If that's the case is it better by a large degree would you say?
And finally last question if you're using the Senn's do you use the caps that were provided? I can't get a read on whether those are beneficial or not in a rock club environment. Why put something over the mic if there's no wind?
EDITED TO ADD - I just ordered another Sennheiser MKE 2EW Gold so I will be going true stereo. Chris at Sound Pros said "Well, a good stereo recoding has more depth than a mono recoding. TO your point, the width of your head is not much separation. However, if you place the mics on either side of your head, so that your head is between the mics, you will get a very realistic recording, with excellent separation - very close to a true binaural recoding."
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Thanks again Taper Doctors. I'm truly on my way and will record with AUDIO IN and with a working battery on the mic!
On the stereo vs. mono question though, I'm sorry I'm struggling to see this as a necessity. When I'm recording I'm typically positioning myself in front of one of two PA stacks - which itself is mixed to mono as far as I can reason. I don't see how having two of the same mic positioned the width of my head apart is any different sonically. If two channel is the goal, I could even duplicate the single channel and fake stereo. Wouldn't that be the same really? I guess what I'm saying in stealth mode does stereo really make a difference of the mics are just the width of my glasses apart?
Please just tell me that the difference is noticeable. If that's the case is it better by a large degree would you say?
And finally last question if you're using the Senn's do you use the caps that were provided? I can't get a read on whether those are beneficial or not in a rock club environment. Why put something over the mic if there's no wind?
EDITED TO ADD - I just ordered another Sennheiser MKE 2EW Gold so I will be going true stereo. Chris at Sound Pros said "Well, a good stereo recoding has more depth than a mono recoding. TO your point, the width of your head is not much separation. However, if you place the mics on either side of your head, so that your head is between the mics, you will get a very realistic recording, with excellent separation - very close to a true binaural recoding."
I'm not familiar with the Sennheiser microphones, but yes, stereo makes a big difference even in less-than-ideal recording situations. Chris @ Sound Pro is right, your head makes a good baffle, if you can discern stereo with just two ears with a head in-between, why not two mics a head apart?
I'm not saying this is an amazing recording or anything, but this is a tape I made with binaural mics: https://archive.org/details/Dosh2019-12-27/01-Copy+That.flac
Granted, that's pretty close to the stage, so the stereo separation is pretty extreme, but even for shows further back, you still get stereo information from the room, reverb, the audience, etc.
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Thanks for taping Dosh. I love Dosh! His last album Forever 1972 is incredible. Your tape sounds perfect too. The Sennheiser's I chose have a really punchy sound that I loved when previewing samples. I mostly end up taping loud rock shows so I think they will fit the bill quite well and in stereo all the better...
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Thanks for taping Dosh. I love Dosh! His last album Forever 1972 is incredible. Your tape sounds perfect too. The Sennheiser's I chose have a really punchy sound that I loved when previewing samples. I mostly end up taping loud rock shows so I think they will fit the bill quite well and in stereo all the better...
Thanks for the kind words, and your response just reminded me he's doing a free show to promote the physical release of his newest album this Friday. I need to check in with Dosh to see if I'm good to tape.
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Cool!!!
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ive never heard of audio in. i always use line in. i heard the black angels show at 930 was really loud. and i always under record real loud shows, cant fix over record.
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ive never heard of audio in. i always use line in. i heard the black angels show at 930 was really loud. and i always under record real loud shows, cant fix over record.
Are you running an A10? An A10 uses the terminology audio in instead of line in.
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head to the takoma park music festival on sunday 10/23 and practice recording some free stuff like dave chappell and the nighthawks.
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Cool!!!
Just tossed up the Dosh set from last night on archive.org https://archive.org/details/Dosh2022-10-21.SBD.Matrix
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Thanks so much. I didn't want to freak you out but Marty's an old friend of mine - college roommates. In fact we're meeting up next month in LA to work on a recording project that I'm helping produce! Now that's taping! :) Cheers, Toby
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head to the takoma park music festival on sunday 10/23 and practice recording some free stuff like dave chappell and the nighthawks.
Love the local angle of this Willie! Hey does anyone have any thoughts on if or when to use the caps that are provided with these lavalier clip-on mics? I get the windshield one but not the others like this.
(https://spares.sennheiser.com/fileadmin/_processed_/2/6/csm_572232_05a7e1d175.jpg)
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Thanks so much. I didn't want to freak you out but Marty's an old friend of mine - college roommates. In fact we're meeting up next month in LA to work on a recording project that I'm helping produce! Now that's taping! :) Cheers, Toby
That's awesome! Marty is good people, my first show I went to without my parents was Dosh + Andrew Bird playing a small room together in 2006, and was surprised to hear he still remembers that gig. Tell Marty taper Brian from Minneapolis says hi!
Good luck with your project!
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head to the takoma park music festival on sunday 10/23 and practice recording some free stuff like dave chappell and the nighthawks.
Love the local angle of this Willie! Hey does anyone have any thoughts on if or when to use the caps that are provided with these lavalier clip-on mics? I get the windshield one but not the others like this.
like DPA 406x, the end caps (DPA calls them 'grids') modify the high frequency response
RTFM saves the day!
Your microphone is delivered with two slip-on caps of different lengths.
You may use these caps for high-note emphasis. Slip the cap on the
head of the microphone until it locks into place.
Please refer to the frequency diagrams in the appendix.
• Short slip-on cap: MZC2-1 Cat. no. 076612
• Long slip-on cap: MZC2-2 Cat. no. 076645
one of the graphs on pg 13:
(https://i.imgur.com/aJolZds.png)
none of those are really specific to your application, so you'll need to experiment a bit to find the sound you like.
most of the DPA 406x tapers use the more mild "soft boost' grid, or no grid at all (i dont have the response handy for the latter) @gutbucket would be a good person to ask
(https://i.imgur.com/6zJdu3y.jpg)
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4060 no grid frequency response. Kind of goes in the "RTFM" category (it has been posted here numerous times)...
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This was powered with a:
SP-SPSB-10 – Micro-mini 12v microphone power supply
Ok, looping back to this, the manual states this mic should only be powered with 48V phantom power.
"Before operation
• Only connect the product to microphone inputs or power supply units
which provide 48 V phantom powering as per IEC 61938 (48 ± 4 V, at
least 3.5 mA per channel). "
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^ There are many different versions of the MKE 2, so it gets pretty confusing, but I think the MKE 2-EW Gold from the OP is terminated in a 3.5 mm mini-jack and is spec'd for 7.5 V operating voltage.
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^ There are many different versions of the MKE 2, so it gets pretty confusing, but I think the MKE 2-EW Gold from the OP is terminated in a 3.5 mm mini-jack and is spec'd for 7.5 V operating voltage.
+1. That's what the specs online say as well.
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Ah, my bad. That's what I get for reading the (wrong) manual ;)
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Ah, my bad. That's what I get for reading the (wrong) manual ;)
RTRM! ;D
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^ Better than "RTRFM", eh jerryfreak?
[EDIT: Although I suppose that should be "RTWFM"...]
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All those Sennheiser MKx mics are build using high sensivity capsules, which means they can't handle high SPLs.
You'll need to mod them. 4.7k.
And then you'll need a preamp to compensate the gain.
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All those Sennheiser MKx mics are build using high sensivity capsules, which means they can't handle high SPLs.
You'll need to mod them. 4.7k.
And then you'll need a preamp to compensate the gain.
The Sennheiser MKE-2 Gold series can handle 142db with 7.5 volts of power.
No MOD is needed .
I have MKE-Platinum,MKE-1,MKE-2,MKE-2 Gold and all can withstand the loudest stacks you can encounter with a 9 volt battery box.
I see MM in your sig and the senn capsules they used are not the same as Sennheiser mke-2.
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All those Sennheiser MKx mics are build using high sensivity capsules, which means they can't handle high SPLs.
You'll need to mod them. 4.7k.
And then you'll need a preamp to compensate the gain.
The Sennheiser MKE-2 Gold series can handle 142db with 7.5 volts of power.
No MOD is needed .
I have MKE-Platinum,MKE-1,MKE-2,MKE-2 Gold and all can withstand the loudest stacks you can encounter with a 9 volt battery box.
I see MM in your sig and the senn capsules they used are not the same as Sennheiser mke-2.
Beatkilla is 100% correct in his statement.
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Curious, how do these sound compared to the usual suspects, DPAs and Schoeps omnis?
Thx