From boardroom to studio with Sennheiser

Two of the recent additions to Sennheiser’s catalogue highlight the variety of applications the manufacturer’s products can be found in. Its SpeechLine system is the manufacturer’s latest conferencing solution, while the MK 8 is a large-diaphragm studio condenser mic.

Starting with SpeechLine, the new microphones have been specifically designed for speech intelligibility and to provide ease of use. The Speechline range consists of the MEB, MAT and MAS product lines. Available with omnidirectional or cardioid characteristics, the manufacturer describes the microphones as ‘rugged and unobtrusive’ also stating that they are ‘insensitive to RF interference’.

The MEB 102/-L and MEB 104/-L boundary layer microphones can be installed into surfaces such as tables or ceiling tiles, while the MEB 114/-S microphone is suitable for on-table usage such as in audioconferencing systems. In its -S version, it additionally features a programmable microphone button (PTT, PTM, toggle on/off, permanent on), and a bi-colour LED ring for status indication. The MAT 133 is a table stand for XLR3 gooseneck microphones. The MAT 133-S further provides a microphone button that is featured with a bi-colour light ring. The final member of the SpeechLine series is the MAS 1 microphone button powered by the MAS 133 XLR inline switch box for integrated microphone solutions. The MAS 113 can control any XLR-connected microphone using switchable microphone modes.

Moving into the studio, the MK 8 is the latest addition to Sennheiser’s range of large-diaphragm condensers. The new microphone features a one-inch, dual-diaphragm capsule, spattered with 24-carat gold and elastically mounted to reduce structure-borne noise. A three-position filter allows the user to either eliminate low-frequency noise below 60Hz (-18 dB/octave, low-cut position) or introduce a softer roll-off effect from 100Hz down to compensate for the proximity effect in close miking (-6 dB/octave, roll-off position).The MK 8 is also fitted with a switchable pad (off, -10dB, -20dB). A -10dB reduction in the capsule protects against excessively loud audio sources, while an additional -10dB reduction in the microphone electronics avoids overloads in connected mic pre-amps and subsequent recording equipment.

The MK 8 offers five switchable pick-up patterns and is encased in a metal housing. The manufacturer describes it as having ‘relatively low sensitivity to humidity as the impedance conversion is done within the capsule’. It comes packaged with a microphone clip and a protective pouch, and optional accessories include an elastic suspension, a foam windshield, a pop filter and a hard case.

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