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Hello my fellow social sound designers. Though this is my first post on this forum ,i have been an avid reader of this forum.

I will be shooting a feature film in a couple of days. I will be recording on a Zaxcom deva 5.8.

Now my querry is which boom mics should i go for ? Basically i am planning on using sennhieser 418 as my stereo mic for ambiences etc.

My main question is - Should i use the sennhieser MKH 60 or the MKH 70 as my main boom mic ????

Also pls suggest any other mics that you feel i could use on my shoot.

I will be shooting indoor as well as outdoor in the open fields ..

Thanx in advance .. Waiting for ur advice

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6 Answers

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Hi Stringer,

I would use the mkh60 for outdoor scenes. The 70 is maybe a bit overkill, it ofcourse depends on how close you can get to your actor(s) and weather conditions. If you're already using the 418 then the 60 is a nice match, since to sound a like. The 418 is a bit noisier then the 60 but still sounds good.

Other well used mic's are the schoeps cmit5u http://www.schoeps.de/en/products/cmit5u and also the 416 (but i don't like the off axis sound of the latter). The schoeps is supposed to sound great even of axis.

Just out of curiousity, what kind of wind protection will you be using?

Good luck!

Arnoud

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thanx for the quick reply Arnoud Traa , will check up n this and let ya know. – stringer.6 Jun 4 at 17:31
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For booming I would definitely recommend the MKH60 over the MKH70, I think you would struggle to boom with an MKH70 on the end, it is possible but you'll have less manoeuvrability.

I haven't used the CMIT5 that Armoud mentioned but I've heard good things about it.

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Hey thanx for the suggestions ... – stringer.6 Jun 9 at 17:13
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Each of those microphones have their own purpose.

The 70 having a narrower pickup pattern and further reach means it's great if you need to reject a lot of sound from the environment and it is also wonderful for wide shots or when you can't get your mic close enough due to camera angles, lighting, etc. I almost always go for the 70 for exteriors because directors and producers always pick the best sounding and quietest locations to shoot in because they care about sound so much. {bitter sarcasm}

The 60 on the other hand has a wider pickup pattern so it is much friendlier to your boom op. It is also much shorter than the 70 so I would prefer it for interiors. And although both of them are shotguns, the 70 suffers a bit more from the interference-tube-refection-in-interiors-muddiness-effect (I don't know the term for it). So I wouldn't use the 70 for interiors.

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i've never used the 60 on interior shoots unless the room is treated (a studio situation). both 60 and 70 do not fare well in these surroundings. indoor i use the 50 which i a short shotgun. – Arnoud Traa Jun 5 at 21:54
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I would suggest the MKH 60 or the schoeps CMIT5, the mkh 60 is the industry standard for features, and would pick up less reverb indoors than the 70. Although I do hear the the CMIT5 sounds beautiful indoors as well. The 70 would be best if there are a lot of outdoor shots, at greater distance from the talent.

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I actually prefer the MKH 416! It's older, have a higher noise-floor, very colored sides and rear lobe, and are much harder to work with, but in my opinion sounds absolutely great for outdoor use! It was originally made in time time where recording technology had a pretty hard time with the highs, so it will need a trimming in the treble in post, but in my opinion the shape of the rest of the sound makes it all worth it :-)

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Yes i did think of the 416 as the main boom , but handling it in doors and in tight shots ,becomes a bit difficult. Also , the 416 is not too much of an indoor use mic right ? It being a long gun mic suffers in tone in indoor use .. ( or atleast tats wats been said by the elders ) – stringer.6 Jun 9 at 22:41
@stringer.6 - As an outdoor mic, I love it. As an indoor mic, it's very doable but also very difficult. Outside the coloration from the sides works very well, but in medium to small rooms it can get very thin and phased out if not pointed EXACTLY right. And by exactly I mean you have no more than a few millimeters to work with there... Myself, I mostly use a 416 outdoors and in large rooms, halls and theaters, and a Sennheiser MKH 40 for interiors, cars, and such. – Christian van Caine Jun 14 at 6:31
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Well thanx a lot to everyone for helping me out ..

After reading all the answers i have come to the conclusion on the boom mics that i will be working with 1) 418 s for stereo ambiences
2) mkh 60 as my main boom.

Now one more doubt in my head is-

I have heard tat i can use the mkh 60 30 as a stero mic also , is tat right

Also can i just use the 60 part of the mic for mono sounds like dialog ???

Oh and yes i have worked with the cmit5 also , one of most favourite mics for indoor scenes , but i seems a bit out Of budget for this production.

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