16
Jul
A review of the Schoeps SuperCMIT 2U
by Glen Trew
/ 7 Comments
Hello soundmixers out there,
I also tested the new SuperCMIT, but I have a different opinion.
It's trew, the off axis rejection is great, in noisy environments, it sounds even "cleaner" than a sanken lavalier.
But at the same time, I realized some problems (I'm not sure if there was a Problem with the SuperCMIT I used or if this are general problems:
1) The Talents voice became very thin. I guess this is caused by the fact, that low frequencies spread omni-directional (sorry, my technical english is not very good). So, low frequencies are catched up by the second membrane and are eliminated.
2) If you shoot in a noisy environment with the SuperCMIT, very small movements (we are talking about mm) of the Microphone cause huge changes in the Signal to Noise Ratio
3) My SuperCMIT's sound was different to the sound i'm used to, when working with the CMIT5u. The SuperCMIT sounded more "digital" and had some kind of "light distortion" in the mids
As i already mentioned, perhaps my SuperCMIT had some troubles. And I'm sure that Glen has two of the best ears on this planet. But if I would ever use this Microphone, I would use it in a noisy environment. My Boom-Operator is really good, but for him it wasn't possible to "work with the Boompole", because small changes caused huge differences in Sound.
If you're on an Interview, where you don't have to move the Mic, the SuperCMIT would be the choice....but on features? I'm not convinced yet. Perhaps some Software-Updates can fix those Problems.
Danny
Hi Danny,
Thanks very much for your opinion and for describing your experience with the Super CMIT.
I'm curious to know what switch positions (1-enhanced, or 2-very enhanced) you had these anomalies with, and if you experienced them with just channel 1 (processed) or also with channel 2 (unprocessed). Switch position 2 is recommended only in severe circumstances when the audible digital artifacts are justified by the needed increase in intelligibility.
My evaluation was in an environment typical of an office setting, with air-conditioning rumble and people milling about in the background, which we often experience when shooting away from a sound staqe in real locations. In this setting, i found this new mic to offer easily noticeable improvements in reducing unwanted off-axis sound.
Assuming that your experience was with switch position 1, and using AES output channel 1, I'm wondering if the thin voice quality you perceived may have been the result of reduced off-axis low frequencies. This is definitely the case when comparing the Sanken CS3e to traditional shotgun mics (the CS3e reduces off-axis low freq more than traditional shotgun mics, giving the illusion that it lacks low freq response).
Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to your response.
Glen Trew
Hi Glen,
I had a very difficult set. There was a Video-Wall in the background (about 12x8 Meters) with a lot of fans.
I started with switch position 2 but the sound was not acceptable for me. So I changed to switch position 1. The Boom Operator and me decided to boom with an angle of 90 degrees. This was caused by the fact, that small changes caused huge differences in S/N Ratio (as I already mentioned), wich would cause huge problems in editing
I compared the unprocessed an the processed channel and the sound was much thinner on the processed channel.
The difference in Sound (compared to the CMIT5u) was also noticable on the unprocessed channel (sounding a bit like a light distortion in the mids)
It could be, my ears need to learn how a digital microphone sounds....
I listened to my recordings after the shoot in my studio and I heard the same issues, I heard on set (processed channel thin and light distortion in the mids, unprocessed channel with light distorting mids).
The advantage of the SuperCMIT is, that it reduces even the off-axis bass. Off- axis mid and high tones can be eliminated "quite well" with any other shotgun microphone.
And here is the Problem: If the Post- Production has to adjust the basses (boost it to make the voice sound natural), one of the "big" advantages of the SuperCMIT seems to get lost.
The thin-nes of the voice (and it was a female voice) was so obvious, that there must have been a problem with my specific mic....I'am sure, you would have heard it, if your mic had the same behaviour.
What do you think about my statement, it will be hard to "work" with the boom?
Danny
Of course, it will take more than my first evaluation of this new Schoeps to get a full understanding it.
Danny, your experience of the "thinness of voice" was evidently a real issue for you, which, because I did not notice this characteristic with the microphone I used in my evaluation, would suggest a faulty microphone.
Your comment about the ambience changing with microphone movement is very interesting. One reason I would not have noticed this is because, for the sake of consistency, I chose to lock the microphone in position overhead. However, while non-processed microphones don't have a brain to trick, the Super CMIT does have a brain, and as we all know, boom microphones normally move as the actors move, so we need a test to see if your experience can be duplicated. Demo mics are currently in short supply, but I'll test this microphone again as soon as possible with your experience in mind and post the results.
Glen
I am researching a cycle of short radio pieces about microphones for a general, international audience, and one is about any latest technology coming out of Germany. This mic (via your review) was brought to my attention by an excellent sound recordist/ DOP with a lot of features and documentary experience. I am not a sound technician, but work with doc filmmakers and in radio (as a journalist).
My question: do you see any indication that the SuperCMIT will reduce the need for ADR especially in costly fiction features? Here (Germany), sound designers/editors telll me they are often required to trash large amounts of on-set dialogue and re-record (add up actors' fees, studio, professional fees, and the like), even on very professional films when the on-set sound-recording team knows what it's doing. In theory it could, but is it so in reality?
Danny's issue with moving the mic (thank you for raising it): we are also looking at how to improve independent documentary that isn't shot in a controlled studio-type environment, especially when the talent is in a busy environment, the shot is a bit wide, ADR is not desired or possible, and yet you want to avoid that too-close sound of the lapel mic (or simply can't mic up everyone). Sometimes you also don't want the camera too close because it feels intrusive for the talent, but still want their voices to sound clear and not too 'close' relative to the look of the shot. It sounds from your review, like the mic can be much further away from the talent than a traditional set-up, which has implications for how wide the shot can be. Thank you very much for your contributions!
Hi Jo-Anne,
While the Schoeps CMIT 2U does reduce off-axis sound, and, therefore can enhance a voice in noisy environments, it cannot eliminate off-axis completely. Generally speaking, the improvement in off-axis rejection is similar to the difference between a cardioid and a supercardioid, or a supercardioid and a short shotgun.
In my opinion, consideration given to locations and camera setups is still as important as before.
Thank you, Glen.