OT-Sennheiser question

vidiot57 wrote on 9/7/2005, 11:58 AM
Hi all,

maybe one of the audio guys can give me some help.. I found a Sennheiser mic at work which is not being used.. (and we very well could use)
It looks like a shotgum mic with the wind cover which slides on.
Its about 10 inches long, takes a battery and has the XLR connector on the end..One of the previous users said when the mic was used in the past, it seemed it did not pick up much unless it was very close to the subject.. I am wondering , does a mic like this have 2 modes, shotgun and boom?? There is a switch on the mic itself, and maybe it is to put the mic in one or other of these 2 modes?? Is that normal?? Maybe they had it in shotgun mode, and they were trying to use it as a boom??
i could not find any documentation on the mic..

Thanks,
mike m.

Comments

John_Cline wrote on 9/7/2005, 1:13 PM
So, what's the model number?
farss wrote on 9/7/2005, 2:25 PM
Probably ME66, they can run off battery or phantom power. If you have battery power turned on and feed it phanotm power things get ugly. Also battery contacts (made by the case screwing together) can become intermittent if you don't keep the threads clean.
Apart from that if it's a ME66 it should work quite well. You can fit a short and long shotgun end to it.
Bob.
FuTz wrote on 9/7/2005, 3:31 PM
Could be a 416 or 415 or 416 "t-powered" unit too.
The switch is probably a bass rolloff switch.
Not much sound from it? It NEEDS power.
Is there a red dot somewhere on the mic near the xlr tip?
The ME66, you should be able to unscrew it in two pieces, easy to verify. The 416, not.
Serena wrote on 9/7/2005, 3:55 PM
Easiest way might be to show it to a Sennheiser dealer. Or some experienced audio guys.
vidiot57 wrote on 9/7/2005, 4:48 PM
Hello,

Thanks for the responses.. i do not have the mic with me right now.. But i believe it had a little compartment for a battery(and it was kind of an oddball battery ) I do not think the mic could be unscrewed..
So do you think it is just a shotgun versus a boom mic??

Thanks
mike m.

FuTz wrote on 9/7/2005, 5:19 PM
Just beware before pluggin any power to the mic : you must FIRST identify the model.
Then, it could be 48V, 12V, or inverted polarity power. This could be damaged if you use the wrong powering.

We regularly put shotgun mics on booms so your last question is confusing me: what do you mean by shotgun vs boom mic ?
You can actually put any kind of mic at the end of a boom. An SM58 would be useless 'cause it's got to be close to the subject in general but more sensitive mics can be manipulated this way.

If you could link a picture of it it would be easier : )
vidiot57 wrote on 9/7/2005, 5:33 PM
Hi,

unfortunatley I am nowhere near the mic today for a pic..
Maybe i am using bad terminaology.. To me the shotgun mic is very directional in its way of picking up sound.. and when you use a boom.. i always think of it as being used on a pole to pickup dialogue between two or more actors..

mike m
ushere wrote on 9/9/2005, 2:55 AM
me 80?

great mic if it is....

phantom power fron 150/170. bugger of a battery otherwise.

leslie
farss wrote on 9/9/2005, 2:58 AM
Invariably what goes on a boom pole is a shotgun mic. Hope we've at least cleared that much up!
Bob.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 9/9/2005, 5:17 AM
> I am wondering , does a mic like this have 2 modes, shotgun and boom??

As Bob pointed out, there is no designation as a "boom" mic. Any mic you attach to a boom pole is now a boom mic. I think what you are referring to are the various pickup patterns. The most commonly used are Omnidirectional, Cardioid and HyperCardioid (or SuperCardioid). The latter two are unidirectional with hypercardiod having a tighter pickup pattern with more side rejection than a normal cardioid which only rejects from the rear. Shotgun mics use a different pattern called a Line pattern that has superior side rejection which makes them so directional when you point them at a subject.

> There is a switch on the mic itself, and maybe it is to put the mic in one or other of these 2 modes??

Actually the switch may change the pickup pattern. Some mics have a tele or zoom mode which usually switches the pattern between cardioid and hypercardioid. It also could be a switch to turn the internal battery phantom power on and off, or to turn the mic itself on and off. You really need to find a model number somewhere on the mic to be sure.

~jr
rs170a wrote on 9/9/2005, 6:13 AM
I agree with leslie in that it sounds like an ME-80.
Finding batteries (5.6 V.) became a real PITA as the originals were mercury-based which were discontinued. Having said that, replacements (google EPX23 for sources) are easily found. The trade-off is that battery life is now much shorter.
As far as the switch is concerned, as I recall, it was a roll-off (flat or low-pass).

Mike