I’ve also got a new boom mic for general purpose doco work. I’ve had a couple of minor issues with the AKG- although they sound fine (especially the hypercardioid), they have had a few crackles and pops when in humid conditions, such as being outside all night. They’re also a bit heavy with the shotgun capsule for one handed doco booming.
Mics which use an RF condenser principle (Sennheiser MKH series and Rode NTG-3) are more resistant to moisture and will work in more extreme conditions. I’d also heard a lot of good things about Sennheiser’s tiny MKH8060, so tried one out and decided to buy it.
It’s got a little bit of a high frequency boost (as shown on the mic’s frequency response chart), which seems to bring out dialogue a bit more and gives the sound a little ‘sparkle’.
With that I needed to get a windshield sorted. After looking at the measurements, even though Rycote suggested a WS3 windshield kit, I’d also seen the WS2-MZL kit (with an MZL connbox, which will work with this mic). However with no additional modules or filters the 8060 will fit in a WS1 with the MZL connbox. I phoned up Rycote to make sure this was correct and they even made up a new part number: 086067 (WS1-MZL kit). I also bought a ‘Tac!t” cable, which contains a steep 18dB/octave high pass filter at 60Hz, which should eliminate low frequency handling noise.
It’s also considerably smaller and lighter than the AKG CK69 setup which fits in a WS4 and weight about 850g, while the 8060/WS1 weight a bit less than 500g. This will make a lot of difference at the end of a long pole.
Interesting… I had a lot of issues with my AKG Blueline clicking and popping. I then took the SE300b power unit apart thinking it may be a poor connection/ phantom power issue to then find it almost impossible to remove the circuit from the mic (without force). I ended up flogging it spares/ repair!
I liked the Audio Technica AT4053a on the affordability front… Quite a lot on the low end (felt like I could hear my own muscles creaking through the boom) but it does come with a low cut. Sounded fine. Very interested in you ‘Tac!t” cable.
Hi James- I’d look at the capsule first, may be a moisture issue, try leaving it in a container with some silica gel (or other drying agent in) for a few days.
Haven’t tried the AT4053a, but have heard good things about it. There’s also an Audix hypercardioid which is supposedly good too. I use the AKG ULS series with a CK63 capsule a lot- I’ve been pleased with it, it’s quieter than the Blue line (and the Schoeps).
The Tac!t cable really does the job for removing LF handling noise. The options on the 8000series filter didn’t really address it.
Yes I thought it would be to do with moisture, the silica gel idea is a great one. I havent tried to Audix but likewise have heard some good things. I’ve now opted for the Oktava. Convinced from a price point of view, its a good mic… slightly harsh to my ears but perfectly workable. I am curious about Oktava mods, perhaps if I get a chance to go the US next year I’ll have a go! There will always be a place for this mic as a second, be it in messy/ high risk shooting situations and the selection of capsules all included is handy.
hello richard
hope you are good, really interested in this compact set up, where are you fitting the tacit cable? at the mixer end?
thanks
richard
Tac!t lives on the mixer end unless I’m running wireless boom and I’ve used a second xlr holder