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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: voltronic on February 02, 2023, 09:21:19 PM
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A friend just alerted me to this new product:
https://www.konos-sound.com (https://www.konos-sound.com)
The website is pretty light on details, but there are some specs in this PDF:
https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/6194a85a1d8e150086168cd1/61a976f0d7312b0ba972fc0a_Dotterel%20Konos%20Datasheet%20-%20FINAL.pdf (https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/6194a85a1d8e150086168cd1/61a976f0d7312b0ba972fc0a_Dotterel%20Konos%20Datasheet%20-%20FINAL.pdf)
Significant financial backing:
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2203/S00510/dotterel-raises-3m-for-sonic-breakthrough-tech-konos-microphone.htm (https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2203/S00510/dotterel-raises-3m-for-sonic-breakthrough-tech-konos-microphone.htm)
Here's more on MEMS tech:
https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/product/sensor/mems-microphones/mems-microphones-for-consumer/ (https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/product/sensor/mems-microphones/mems-microphones-for-consumer/)
https://www.mouser.com/applications/mems-microphones/ (https://www.mouser.com/applications/mems-microphones/)
https://www.digikey.com/en/articles/an-introduction-to-beamforming-with-mems-microphones (https://www.digikey.com/en/articles/an-introduction-to-beamforming-with-mems-microphones)
Trew Audio LA is demoing the Konos at an open house next Monday, if anyone is in the neighborhood:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWIdVvwIPPtPmZq9ma7LXDRMRry_rO4XQmGKEsiSBW6UzB3w/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWIdVvwIPPtPmZq9ma7LXDRMRry_rO4XQmGKEsiSBW6UzB3w/viewform)
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Schoeps has offered a solution for this application for a few years now. If I were in the market, I would certainly want to test-drive the Konos against the SuperCMIT.
https://schoeps.de/en/products/shotgun-microphones/cmit-series/supercmit.html (https://schoeps.de/en/products/shotgun-microphones/cmit-series/supercmit.html)
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Really cool design concept. Thanks.
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I wonder what the effective order is in relation to its sensitivity pattern selections, the quality of the off-axis nulling, how well artifacts are suppressed, how noisy, how natural it sounds..
Interesting choice in that it appears to provide simple analog output only. Sort of like an old-school LD condenser mic that provides variable pattern via a required outboard power supply in that regard - a cool option for simple use, yet unfortunate if that means the pattern cannot be altered after the recording has been made. Maybe USB output connection provides that capability.
The second output (labeled null, equating to everything outside of the primary output pattern) is one of the more interesting things. I've thought about that in regard to ambisonic recordings, but don't know of it being implemented in any ambisonic tools. It sort of falls into my philosophy of recording sound from all directions collectively, via discrete segments designed to combine gracefully, as a useful way of deconstructing the acoustic upon recording with sufficient degrees of freedom that it can be reconstructed in a perceptually convincing way for improved reproduction. Similar to the OMT implementation of a rear facing microphone channel, but differs from ambisonics and my broader approach in not being innately spatialized in a stereo or multichannel sense. A good test of this will be if summing the primary and null outputs produces a true omni.. and if that sounds identical across all three choices of pattern.
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Wow, mounted on a UAV (drone) this could be amazing for capturing public events.
It can cancel out the sound of the drone itself with its multiple element "beamforming" type tech.
edit:
haha just listened to the demo. No way is this good for music. Good for rescuing people though!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQsaxvfpBNk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQsaxvfpBNk)
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That outdoor drone application likely represents something of an ideal acoustic scenario for it. The free-space, non-reverberant acoustic allows for clear focused pickup of on the guy on the ground and more complete off-axis rejection of the drone's noise. Both would be more difficult in a reverberant space, especially at a more significant distance.
Appears the boom to which the microphone is mounted might be somewhat longer than the minimum length needed to extend the microphone outside of the rotor-wash, but hard to tell.
Interesting to watch the on-going evolution in application of MEMS microphone elements. Not sure if their specs are really up to music recording yet, but maybe. At least one TS member has used the Zylia ambisonic mic built with MEMS.
I'm looking forward to a miniature MEMS-based fig-8.. and beyond that, a complete miniature Mid/Side mic. Extra credit for variable Mid pattern. Double extra credit for variable Mid vector.
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Follow up on this Shoeps CMIT, and moreso, the miniCMIT. Does anyone know of any live recordings done with these with a jambandy show? It is too bad the Shoeps seems to hold it's high value so well (makes sense), Wish I could try one without the commitment of owning it. Does anyone know of a place that might rent one, for a try before you buy possibility?
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Follow up on this Shoeps CMIT, and moreso, the miniCMIT. Does anyone know of any live recordings done with these with a jambandy show? It is too bad the Shoeps seems to hold it's high value so well (makes sense), Wish I could try one without the commitment of owning it. Does anyone know of a place that might rent one, for a try before you buy possibility?
A taper that's somewhat local to me who's handle is "darby" uses a pair of the miniCMIT mics sometimes or at least did a year or two ago. Search LMA for him and check out the sources. He uses other Schoeps quite a bit and used to be all AKG for years before he came to the dark side.
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I actually listened to one of his (Billy from last year I believe it was) very impressed with it given the circumstances. They definitely have their drawbacks size and cost, but the reach they have is pretty incredible. I'll keep my eyes open for them, but they don't seem to turn up used very often. TY
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Interesting. I wasn't aware of the miniCMIT.
Polars from the Schoeps website below. Looks pretty well behaved for an interference tube design, but that's expected from Schoeps. MiniCMIT pattern is more hypercardioid in comparison to the mk41's more supercarioid pattern. Front lobe pattern gets funky above 4kHz, likely translating as less top end sparkle off axis / or if that is EQ'd to be flatter, on-axis will gain a rising response up top. Rear lobe looks to sound dark.
miniCMIT-
(https://schoeps.de/fileadmin/user_upload/user_upload/Grafiken/Richtrohre/CMIT/schoeps-mikrofone-richtmikrofon-MiniCMIT-grafik-polar.jpg)
mk41-
(https://schoeps.de/fileadmin/user_upload/user_upload/Grafiken/Colette/Nieren/schoeps-mikrofone-colette-kapseln-kugeln-MK41_CCM41-polar.jpg)
Who knows how the polars for the MEMS array mics really measure. Along with the tighter patterns, they are likely to have far messier stuff going on off-axis.
I'd love to see a miniSuperCMIT with analog output, but would be well beyond my budget. Look how the second capsule and DSP clean up and significantly reduce the rear-lobe, along with tightening up the front lobe further.
SuperCMIT pattern 1-
(https://schoeps.de/fileadmin/user_upload/user_upload/Grafiken/Richtrohre/CMIT/schoeps-mikrofone-richtmikrofon-SuperCMIT-preset1-grafik-polar.jpg)
SuperCMIT pattern 2-
(https://schoeps.de/fileadmin/user_upload/user_upload/Grafiken/Richtrohre/CMIT/schoeps-mikrofone-richtmikrofon-SuperCMIT-preset2-grafik-polar.jpg)
Above images from schoeps.de
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Thanks for the PP diagrams. I had not seen those. I'll take 2 mini's please, those look really fun!