Countryman B6 or EMW?
Frank
I'm planning on buying a couple of lavalier mics for an interview
(plugged to a Edirol R-44 through XLR - no wireless involved).
My choice goes to Countryman mics, as they have good reputation and
are the easiest to find around where I'm living.
Would you rather buy their B6 lavalier mic, or their EMW?
What are the pros and cons of these mics?
Thanks
Frank
Soundhaspriority
"Frank" <higu...@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:94f5cdb7-e92d-4708...@x31g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
I had to make this decision recently, and I chose the B6. The B6 has
interchangeable grids for flat or peaked response. The EMW is peaked for
under-clothes use. On the other hand, the side-address of the EMW is better
for under-clothes.
The B6 has a stainless steel diaphragm. I don't know whether the EMW does.
You'll get a lot more on rec.arts.movies.production.sound
Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511
philper
> "Frank" <higure...@googlemail.com> wrote in message
Actually I find the B6 works better under clothes, if only because it
and its cable are so easy to hide. the interchangeable caps are cool
but I don't find myself using them much--the "high boost" cap seems to
be the only one I ever use, esp buried under actor's clothes. But B6s
are expensive--the EMWs are a very good mic, more rugged than a B6 and
a good deal cheaper. Probably the best bang for buck in a lav mic is
still the Tram.
Philip Perkins
Scott Dorsey
The B6 is smaller and harder to see on camera. The EMW and the Isomax II
are larger but I think sound a little cleaner. the Isomax II is also
available in directional patterns. If it were me, I'd try the Isomax II
omnis.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Ma...@uwaterloo.ca
lav mics (Sanken COS11, Sennheiser MKE2, Audio Technica 831, 853, etc).
IMO, the B3 and B6 sound incredible. Put one on your lapel and walk around
your house. The realism is amazing.
The other thing I found is some mics sound very realistic (eg., DPA406X) but
don't sound great on music. Here is a test: wear the mic and walk around,
leave some music playing on your home system. You will hear both realism
*and* pleasant sound. That is, you will want to listen to your music, even on
the recording. The DPA sound realistic, I don't like the sound of the music
through them. I would best describe it as "harsh" or "brittle" sounding.
Does anyone else experience this? Can anyone explain why? I'm not sure if it
is the stainless diaphragm (or the "vertical" diaphragm on the DPA), but I
like the Countryman much more...
As for the ISOMAX, it does not sound good (on music) to me. B3 or B6 are the
way to go.
Richard
Soundhaspriority
<Ma...@uwaterloo.ca> wrote in message news:87k55cc...@uwaterloo.ca...
> I've tried ISOMAX II (cardioid), B3 (omni) and B6 omni... plus a ton of
> other
> lav mics (Sanken COS11, Sennheiser MKE2, Audio Technica 831, 853, etc).
>
> IMO, the B3 and B6 sound incredible. Put one on your lapel and walk
> around
> your house. The realism is amazing.
>
> The other thing I found is some mics sound very realistic (eg., DPA406X)
> but
> don't sound great on music. Here is a test: wear the mic and walk around,
> leave some music playing on your home system. You will hear both realism
> *and* pleasant sound. That is, you will want to listen to your music,
> even on
> the recording. The DPA sound realistic, I don't like the sound of the
> music
> through them. I would best describe it as "harsh" or "brittle" sounding.
I have heard that more than once. The DPA could be challenged for maximum
SPL. It would be interesting to compare at low levels.
> Does anyone else experience this? Can anyone explain why? I'm not sure
> if it
> is the stainless diaphragm (or the "vertical" diaphragm on the DPA), but I
> like the Countryman much more...
>
> As for the ISOMAX, it does not sound good (on music) to me. B3 or B6 are
> the
> way to go.
>
> Richard
I did some comparative music tests, and found that the B3 sounds decent, but
not as good as an inexpensive Chinese condenser, a Studio Projects C-4. In
comparing the two, the novelty of the tiny mike is exposed a little. I'm
still considering using the B6 for musical spots, however.
Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511
WillStG
> The other thing I found is some mics sound very realistic (eg., DPA406X) but
> don't sound great on music. Here is a test: wear the mic and walk around,
> leave some music playing on your home system. You will hear both realism
> *and* pleasant sound. That is, you will want to listen to your music, even on
> the recording. The DPA sound realistic, I don't like the sound of the music
> through them. I would best describe it as "harsh" or "brittle" sounding.
> Does anyone else experience this? Can anyone explain why? I'm not sure if it
> is the stainless diaphragm (or the "vertical" diaphragm on the DPA), but I
> like the Countryman much more...
Not my experience with DPA lavs at all. But any mic with a
presense peak will sound harsh if you place it too close to the
source. Conversely, I have gotten nice results even with AKG 414B-ULS
mics placed at a good distance, and they certainly can sound harsh
close. Most DPA lav's are pretty flat though, or have flat grill
choices, and placed on their little violin/viola string mounts they
are something that "just works" for close string micing.
Some DPA lavs do have an extra +10 gain built into the adaptor.
It's not obvious, you have to check the documentation, we had a bunch
of them sent to us by mistake one time. They are a lot hotter than
their Sennheiser equivalents, and pretty easy to crunch a micpre
with. Perhaps you had one of those?
Will Miho
NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits