Comments

farss wrote on 6/8/2006, 3:45 AM
Haven't tried any Schoeps mics but at that price you're getting to the same range as the Sanken mics.
Sanken are an obscure company, they work closely with NHK and seem to build mics for special purposes as well, things like picking up (in stereo) the sounds of Olympic canoe events. You'll find little about them in the way of reviews on the web, there's a little from the film location sound guys, I suspect those who've found how good their mics are want to keep the secret for themsleves.
We picked up one of their stereo shotguns and those that have used it love it, I think the CSS-10 goes for just under $2,000, can be switched to mono and works very well in small rooms.

Bob.
Jay Gladwell wrote on 6/8/2006, 4:28 AM

If you can afford it, go for it. I'm don't think it's necessary to spend that much on a shotgun, though. There are fine mics out there for less money.

Too, be very weary of the "reviews" you read in these video magazines. As someone said recently, they are nothing more than a "shill engine" for the advertisers. When was the last time you read a poor or bad review for any product in one of these magazines?


Spot|DSE wrote on 6/8/2006, 6:32 AM
The Schoeps is a great mic, but the AT is dang close. Shoeps is slighly warmer with a marginally tighter axis. It also doesn't have the reach, tho.
As Bob mentions, you're now getting to the range of Sanken, and while very pricey, I'd probably choose the Sanken option even tho I've not worked with their specific competitor. Next to the Sanken, my prefs run to AT, and to the now defunct B/K, which are DPS now. I won't buy their products, customer service is non-existent.
Going from the AT to the Sanken (or Schoeps) is like going from a very sweet Mercedes to a low end Rolls. There are differences, but they're minor. Not sure if you'd notice the diff for *most* work, unless you were doing deep dialogic or dramatic work.
Coursedesign wrote on 6/8/2006, 9:52 AM
The AT4053 compares better with Schoeps CMC641 than with a Schoeps CMIT 5U shotgun mike.

The CMIT 5U mic is more expensive than a Sanken CS-3e, not as effective in keeping trouble out, and doesn't have quite the same reach. Very very sweet though, and it gets into personal preference at that point.

I bought a CS-3e because it can record when no other mikes can (the three elements allow it accomplish what others just can't do with simply interference tubes), and it has a very nice sound for dialog.

The Schoeps CMIT 5U has been very well regarded in CAS circles (org. of top Hollywood sound pros), especially by those who bought it to match the sound of the very classy Schoeps CMC641 supercardiod.

Still, even those guys reach for the CS-3e when the going gets tough, and it even matches that Schoeps CMC641 quite well.

These are all pricey mikes, but great when you must have what they offer regardless of cost.

For the rest of us, I think AT mikes provide an astonishing value with great, great performance.

I am very satisfied with my AT mikes too, whereas I could not bring myself to use for example a Sennheiser ME66 for serious dialog. That is an ENG microphone designed to enhance the clarity (understandability) of people speaking in fairly difficult environments on the evening news. Not ideal for recording a breathy Class 1 Babe's sweetest words whispered into the hero's ear :O).

Spot|DSE wrote on 6/8/2006, 2:31 PM
My dislike for the ME66 is the level of self-noise that Sennheiser calls "sensitivity" in the mic. I'll take my 4073 or 4071 any day, over mics costing 3 times as much. I'll take my 897 over an ME66 any time. Quieter, less sensitive, but more accurate, and overall blends well with most of what else I've got available. Of course, for indoor work, the 4053 is my sweetheart, I love interchangeable heads. It's quite comparable to the BK 4011, which was my former love.