Topic: schoeps dzc -10db pad?

[tgakidis]

Anyone ever hear of this?  I have heard of the dzc 10db, but not the -10db.

[boojum]

DZC's are mic attenuators.  One is 10, the other is 20.  As attenuators they reduce, or attenuate, the sound by that many dB.

[tgakidis]

The one I saw has dzc -10db and the ones online say dzc 10db.  They both do the same thing right.  The one that says -10db must be an older version.

[DSatz]

The product designation is DZC 10 or DZC 20; there is no "dB" in the product designation. Attached is the photo from the current catalog. In all previous catalogs the markings are the same (I did the English translations, have them all here, and just checked to make sure).

I've never seen any version of these attenuators with "dB" markings on them, or a minus sign, from the factory. I suppose it's possible that they changed the markings during the past year--they have a nifty new laser engraving system now.

--best regards

[tgakidis]

Here is listing that has since been sold.  The one I saw is MUCH cleaner.

http://www.locationsound.com/proaudio/ls/USESCHDZC10-1.html

[DSatz]

Thanks for posting that picture. My memory has been jogged now--plus I went and dug up some price lists from back before Schoeps even published a catalog, and 1987 is the first year in which there's a "10" in the product designation. Probably no one at Schoeps originally expected a 20 dB pad to ever be needed, since the standard Colette microphone can handle 130+ dB SPL. However, the "blue dot" version of the amplifier has about 5 dB higher gain and thus overloads about 5 dB sooner, and that's the version that a lot of film sound people use. When recording effects (e.g. gunshots), I guess it could be helpful.

The pad in the picture must be 20+ years old, then. If someone here bought it, I would definitely recommend sending it back to the factory for checkout. Any stray capacitance (leakage) between the capsule and amplifier of a condenser microphone can cause noise and distortion.

In any case all such pads--the capacitive type that goes before the input of the microphone's amplifier circuit--should be avoided, unless their use is truly necessary due to sound pressure levels that would overload the input of the microphone's own circuitry. Never use them unless the microphone itself is threatened with overload. If the microphone is handling the sound levels OK, but the inputs of a preamp or recorder are being overloaded by the signals from the microphone, use a resistive pad at the input of the preamp or recorder. To do otherwise is to throw away 10 dB of signal-to-noise ratio from the get-go.

If it's any indication of anything, I've used Schoeps mikes to recorded percussion ensembles, full symphony orchestras and rock bands for longer than the Colette series has been in existence, but I don't own, and have never needed, this type of pad.

--best regards

[tgakidis]

Thanks for the info!