Sennheiser MD 214 anyone know?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Rob Reedijk <reedijk@hera.med.utoronto.ca> wrote:
> Does anyone here have experience with the Senn 214 lavalier? I have a couple
> I am testing out, and they are not bad at all. These are old school lavs---
> they are about three inches long, square bodies, one inch diameter.

> How are they as an option for a dynamic omni mic? Or do they have a presence
> peak that makes them inappropriate? So far I have used one only on my
> voice, and it has a nice sound.

First of all I want to thank the person who sent me a PDF of the Sennheiser
spec sheet with frequency responses---with English translations added!

I don't think these lavs were very common in America and may have sold a lot
more in Europe. Too bad, because I think they can still have a lot of
use, plus they are very nice looking mics.

I have now managed to get several good acoustic guitar recordings with this
mic. But if you look at the frequency response pattern, it's a little scary.
I am guessing that it is because of the freqencies that are reduced and
those that are enhanced which are complimentary to acoustic that the mic
is useful for this purpose. On the chart, the only flatness is between
200 and 500. Below 200Hz it drops 6dB per octave. At 500 it starts to dip
and reaches to -6dB at 800 Hz and then back up eventually peaking at
6KHz up by 8dB and then starts to sink again. Not a very flat response!

I figure it sounds pleasing since pushing 6KHz and cutting 800Hz works
on steel string guitar. I also believe that these mics have a very
nice transient response. Very surprising for moving-coil dynamics.

I will have to play around with compensating EQ to "flatten" the response
and see how it works. And of course, I must play with the angles.
The other frequency plot shows a very even almost flat response when
use as a lavalier mic (but of course!). Aside from actually hanging around
a singer's neck---which I did for a nice result---I will have to play with
positioning to take advantage of this. Using both of the mics in an
XY pattern right in front of a drum kit could yield a useful recording.

Anyone else using lavs as recording mics?

Rob R.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Rob Reedijk wrote:
> Rob Reedijk <reedijk@hera.med.utoronto.ca> wrote:
> > Does anyone here have experience with the Senn 214 lavalier? I
have a couple
> > I am testing out, and they are not bad at all. These are old
school lavs---
> > they are about three inches long, square bodies, one inch diameter.
>
> > How are they as an option for a dynamic omni mic? Or do they have
a presence
> > peak that makes them inappropriate? So far I have used one only on
my
> > voice, and it has a nice sound.
>
> First of all I want to thank the person who sent me a PDF of the
Sennheiser
> spec sheet with frequency responses---with English translations
added!
>
> I don't think these lavs were very common in America and may have
sold a lot
> more in Europe. Too bad, because I think they can still have a lot
of
> use, plus they are very nice looking mics.
>
> I have now managed to get several good acoustic guitar recordings
with this
> mic. But if you look at the frequency response pattern, it's a
little scary.
> I am guessing that it is because of the freqencies that are reduced
and
> those that are enhanced which are complimentary to acoustic that the
mic
> is useful for this purpose. On the chart, the only flatness is
between
> 200 and 500. Below 200Hz it drops 6dB per octave. At 500 it starts
to dip
> and reaches to -6dB at 800 Hz and then back up eventually peaking at
> 6KHz up by 8dB and then starts to sink again. Not a very flat
response!
>
> I figure it sounds pleasing since pushing 6KHz and cutting 800Hz
works
> on steel string guitar. I also believe that these mics have a very
> nice transient response. Very surprising for moving-coil dynamics.
>
> I will have to play around with compensating EQ to "flatten" the
response
> and see how it works. And of course, I must play with the angles.
> The other frequency plot shows a very even almost flat response when
> use as a lavalier mic (but of course!). Aside from actually hanging
around
> a singer's neck---which I did for a nice result---I will have to play
with
> positioning to take advantage of this. Using both of the mics in an
> XY pattern right in front of a drum kit could yield a useful
recording.
>
> Anyone else using lavs as recording mics?
>
> Rob R.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Rob Reedijk wrote:
> I have now managed to get several good acoustic guitar recordings
with this
> mic. But if you look at the frequency response pattern, it's a
little scary.
> I am guessing that it is because of the freqencies that are reduced
and
> those that are enhanced which are complimentary to acoustic that the
mic
> is useful for this purpose. On the chart, the only flatness is
between
> 200 and 500. Below 200Hz it drops 6dB per octave. At 500 it starts
to dip
> and reaches to -6dB at 800 Hz and then back up eventually peaking at
> 6KHz up by 8dB and then starts to sink again. Not a very flat
response!
>
> I figure it sounds pleasing since pushing 6KHz and cutting 800Hz
works
> on steel string guitar. I also believe that these mics have a very
> nice transient response. Very surprising for moving-coil dynamics.
>
> I will have to play around with compensating EQ to "flatten" the
response
> and see how it works. And of course, I must play with the angles.
> The other frequency plot shows a very even almost flat response when
> use as a lavalier mic (but of course!). Aside from actually hanging
around
> a singer's neck---which I did for a nice result---I will have to play
with
> positioning to take advantage of this. Using both of the mics in an
> XY pattern right in front of a drum kit could yield a useful
recording.
>
> Anyone else using lavs as recording mics?

The Countryman Isomax is kinda a lav mic, isn't it? And they
were recommended for acoustic guitars and drums (and were used that way
often when I was coming up). I use the Sennheiser ME102 omnis on
acoustic guitar a lot for live TV, it is very forgiving when the
guitarist moves and no WOOF from the soundhole, a great mic. Only
downside is it looks kinda dumb to have this little bitty mic taped to
a mic clip on a big mic boom... Well that and you can't put it in the
monitors, but it is much friendlier to a vocalist's cardiod mic than
using another cardiod often is, in terms of phase cancellation.

YMMV.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Staff Audio / Fox News Channel / M-AES
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits