Which Schoeps model?

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Hello all,

I am seeking advice on mic selection for recording solo classical
guitar (nylon strings) in a rather small room (20x20 feet) with modest
room acoustics. I have decided to buy a Schoeps mic. For budget reasons
I will first try using a single mic; if the result is lacking I will
have to buy another mic to form a stereo pair.

Now I have two decisions to make for which I would greatly appreciate
any advice:

- Given a preamp with 48-Volt phantom powering, I would normally go for
the CMC5 or the CMC6 mic body. Would the CMC6's having its -3 dB point
a little lower than the CMC5's (20 Hz instead of 30 Hz) make a
difference in my application?

- I am undecided between two mic capsules, the MK4 and the MK41, but
cannot afford getting both. Which one would you chose for the above
purpose, and why?

Only in case it is relevant to above questions: I am ultimately seeking
a sweet and mellow tone which is yet very clear and articulate, and I
would prefer not having to place the mic too close to the guitar.

Thanks for your help!

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

The difference between a 20 and 30 Hz low-frequency rolloff point won't
really be significant, given the capsules which you are considering and
the fact that you are recording solo guitar. Both the cardioid and
supercardioid capsules are pressure gradient transducers, which don't
have the super-flat low-frequency response of a pressure transducer
such as the MK 2, MK 2S or MK 2H. People who use such capsules (which
are omnidirectional) to make large-scale stereo recordings of organs or
orchestras may need to think twice about a 20 vs. a 30 Hz rolloff. But
with pressure gradient transducers, anything below about 40 Hz is
increasingly made up of mike stand vibrations, air current noise and
other random stuff that isn't really a part of your performance.

If you become convinced that you really need a particular low-frequency
rolloff frequency other than the stock 20 or 30 Hz, you can have your
Schoeps CMC amplifiers set up for just about any frequency by the
factory as a service, either before or after purchase of either
amplifier model. In practice, however, no one ever does. Since you seem
to have read the catalog or Schoeps' Web site (which have the same
text), you know that they also offer a "linear" version with the
low-frequency rolloff at about 2 Hz. I should ask some time whether
anyone has ever really bought one of those, and if so, for what
application.

As to the capsules, the MK 4 outsells the MK 41, but part of that is
almost certainly due to people's habit of thinking whereby "cardioid =
known entity." A friend of mine who used to fix Neumann microphones
told me that over 90% of multi-pattern microphones arrived with the
pattern set to cardioid, and he had the impression that many users
never even tried any other pattern.

We could certainly discuss the pros and cons of the two patterns and
the two capsule types, but to a great extent the choice between them
involves personal preferences, both as to sound and as to your ways of
working. That being said, I lean in the direction of the MK 41 (and
also the MK 8) more often than the MK 4 just because of how I happen to
like to approach stereo recording. But I record in stereo with just two
microphones 90+% of the time; if your application allows you to
consider recording with a single microphone, perhaps you are making a
rather different kind of recording from what I mostly do.

--best regards

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

Ty Ford <tyreeford@comcast.net> wrote in
news:RPCdnWkm2cDK-UHfRVn-pg@comcast.com:

> Depends on the room acoustics. I like a cmc641. I usually pull back
> around 14-18" for flat pick work. Classical being quieter, it might
> have to be closer.
>
> It's easier to pull back to get more room than to push in to get less.

And another viable option with the 41 is to set it very close (3 to 4
inches) parallel to the body of the guitar (not pointing at it).

The 41 has excellent off-axis response and creates a "near and distant"
tone with this configuration--sounds farther away but with less room
effect.

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

H. Khalil <h.khalil@gmx.de> wrote:
>Judging by the specifications on Schoeps site, the MK 41 seems to have
>slightly more self-noise than the MK 4. Would this be audible
>(comparing the MK 41 and the MK 4) when recording solo classical guitar
>in studio, especially in the very quiet passages?

Not up close, no. If you were distant-miking a clavichord, it might be
critical.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."