Topic: Vintage Sony Stereo Mics - ECM999PR, EMC989 ECM979

[Roving Sign]

Ok - just transplanting this thread from the ebay forum...

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,93326.0.html

These all seem to be more or less...the same mic.

I have the specs/manual for the ECM979 - but they are in Japanese...

[Roving Sign]

One thought I've had is the possibility of modding these mics to provide a raw M/S output - so you can process in post.

Maybe convert the the low cut switch to a raw ms/internal option...?

I guess someone has to take one apart...

The 999...

[DSatz]

This is a rather amusing application of the word "vintage." All this type of Sony stereo microphone that I've ever heard--and I've used eight or ten different models over the years--have been quite peaky in the treble, and quite fatiguing to listen to for any length of time. The sonic concept was that of "clarity" and "presence" and "crispness" as hallmarks of "high fidelity" sound, and the ability to understand spoken words in a recording was paramount.

I truly think that (despite the photos in their advertising) they were designed for recording business meetings, with musical applications as an afterthought at best. That would certainly explain their generally very wide pickup angles, which aren't usually so practical for recording music.

--best regards

[stantheman1976]

I've found the Sony mics to work very well for voice.  They capture music clearly but lack bass.  I've used the MS908c voice over and for capturing a speaker at the podium.  Since it has such a wide pick up pattern it worked very well.