Sennheiser MKH 8020 or MKH 20
Matt Faunce
Also, I was wondering if the experience of getting a new microphone is similar to getting a new guitar. It took me a while, weeks, months, even years, to really know what I got. My technique adjusted in a basic way to the new guitar, and still adjusts day to day based on the weather or the different room acoustics. I notice this pretty blatantly when I pick up someone else's guitar. I start to play it like it's got the same balance as mine and realize I'm booming the basses too much, etc. Are microphones similar? Where you change your technique with a change in room, as I might on my guitar with the change in weather? My main question here is, do you grow into your microphone?
If the Sennheiser MKH 20 and 8020 are very similar, and only so subtly different that I would adjust my placement and ears to them one way or the other, I'm inclined to get the smaller 8020. Does this sound reasonable?
I'd love to hear what you say. Thanks.
Matt
Scott Dorsey
>I was looking through the archive for opinions on the Sennheiser MKH 8020 a=
>nd haven't seen any since 2008. I was specifically looking for opinions on =
>the difference between the MKH 20 and the MKH 8020. (My primary purpose is =
>classical guitar. My preamp is Great River MP-2 w/ balanced ins and outs.) =
>I'd appreciate any new opinions/observations. Thanks.
Try both. They sound similar, but the top end on the MKH8020 is different.
I like the MKH-20, but try it yourself. Any stocking dealer should allow you
to try both at home for a while.
>Also, I was wondering if the experience of getting a new microphone is simi=
>lar to getting a new guitar. It took me a while, weeks, months, even years,=
> to really know what I got. My technique adjusted in a basic way to the new=
> guitar, and still adjusts day to day based on the weather or the different=
> room acoustics. I notice this pretty blatantly when I pick up someone else=
>'s guitar. I start to play it like it's got the same balance as mine and re=
>alize I'm booming the basses too much, etc. Are microphones similar? Where =
>you change your technique with a change in room, as I might on my guitar wi=
>th the change in weather? My main question here is, do you grow into your m=
>icrophone?
I'll change the technique with the room and the weather conditions, but the
mike is far, far more consistent than the guitar is.
>If the Sennheiser MKH 20 and 8020 are very similar, and only so subtly diff=
>erent that I would adjust my placement and ears to them one way or the othe=
>r, I'm inclined to get the smaller 8020. Does this sound reasonable?
They are very similar, but I think the MKH-20 is cleaner. But try it and
decide for yourself.
I reviewed the MKH8040 in the June 2008 issue of Recording Magazine. It is
worth looking up if only for the discussion of how the MKH80xx family
differs from the older line.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Matt Faunce
Matt
Peter Larsen
> Matt Faunce <rec.au...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>> I was looking through the archive for opinions on the Sennheiser MKH
>> 8020 a= nd haven't seen any since 2008. I was specifically looking
>> for opinions on = the difference between the MKH 20 and the MKH
>> 8020. (My primary purpose is = classical guitar. My preamp is Great
>> River MP-2 w/ balanced ins and outs.) = I'd appreciate any new
>> opinions/observations. Thanks.
> Try both. They sound similar, but the top end on the MKH8020 is
> different. I like the MKH-20, but try it yourself. Any stocking
> dealer should allow you to try both at home for a while.
neumanesque rather than sennheiserian, wonderful on vox humana but not as
airy on catgut as I would have liked them and expected from something
Sennheiser. Eq in post helped, but eq can only ever take you so and so far;
mic sound is not just a steady state frequency response issue.
They were brand new out of the box, transducers tend to improve with use.
Very good stereo imaging and very very very good rendering of contrabass
body.
You do need to also test a pair of C42's when shopping for something for
plucked instruments.
Two major unknown variables are how your guitar sounds and how much fret
noise you make.
The disclaimer: no direct comparison but well known ensemble in well known
room previously recorded with several other mic-pairs.
> --scott
Kind regards
Peter Larsen
Matt Faunce
> Scott Dorsey wrote:
>
> > Matt Faunce <rec.au...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
> >> I was looking through the archive for opinions on the Sennheiser MKH
> >> 8020 a= nd haven't seen any since 2008. I was specifically looking
> >> for opinions on = the difference between the MKH 20 and the MKH
> >> 8020. (My primary purpose is = classical guitar. My preamp is Great
> >> River MP-2 w/ balanced ins and outs.) = I'd appreciate any new
> >> opinions/observations. Thanks.
>
> > Try both. They sound similar, but the top end on the MKH8020 is
> > different. I like the MKH-20, but try it yourself. Any stocking
> > dealer should allow you to try both at home for a while.
>
> A friend brought a pair of 8040's to a recent recording. To me they sounded
> neumanesque rather than sennheiserian, wonderful on vox humana but not as
> airy on catgut as I would have liked them and expected from something
> Sennheiser. Eq in post helped, but eq can only ever take you so and so far;
> mic sound is not just a steady state frequency response issue.
>
> They were brand new out of the box, transducers tend to improve with use.
> Very good stereo imaging and very very very good rendering of contrabass
> body.
>
> You do need to also test a pair of C42's when shopping for something for
> plucked instruments.
>
> Two major unknown variables are how your guitar sounds and how much fret
> noise you make.
Hopefully, staying within my budget, I'll be able to audition at least a couple different mikes. Dropping this kind of cash makes me so nervous.
In case you're interested. I'm upgrading from Avenson Audio mikes. You can here me through them on three tracks here:
http://www.myspace.com/matthewjohnfaunce
Comme un Rêve
Gymnommage
Prelude from Cello Suite no 1
Matt
Scott Dorsey
>Hopefully, staying within my budget, I'll be able to audition at least a co=
the omni option for the Schoeps Collette system is.
They are all excellent, top-notch microphones. And they are all just a
little bit different. You won't go wrong with any of them, but you might
like one a little more for something.