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Sennheiser MKH416..sell off!

J

jefflaurence

There are two left on Ebay. The fellow has 18 of them and doesn't need them all. Formerly used on soundstage at Disney Television..so they're pristine. I got another today. Gotta love the price if you win one.http://cgi.ebay.com/Sennheiser-MKH4...3013QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemAlso I see one on another listing for Buy It Now at 675.00 Amazing deal. This is rapidly turning into my favorite mic outside of my U47. It is very moldable and sounds great in "bad" rooms.I also have a Shure SM5B that I might part with (it was completely re-foamed, and bench tested by Bob Moore at Mooretronix in Michigan) If you like, you can make an offer..If you know this scarce mic you know what it's worth..I am also planning on parting with a nice Neumann U87. Offers over 1000.00 welcome..I would rather sell for less to those of us in the family than sell it outright on ebay so I can make a deal with you.We also have a gently used AirCorp 500PH mic processor that I can sell for 550.00 if interested. I have three of them, and this was a spare.
 
I have both...my TLM sits in its pretty wooden box...collecting dust.It's a nice mic...it really is. But the 416 is very versatile. If you're not doing alot of moving around the mic...in other words, if you're just doing mostly radio vo...the 416 is really great.If you're loud, or if you have a VERY powerful voice...then you might look at the bigger capsule on the TLM.I've actually blown a capsule in my 416 with an overly loud sound...It was repaired quickly, professionally, and CHEAPLY from Sennheiser...and it's worked like a CHAMP ever since!Mike BrattonVoice Guywww.mikebrattonvoice.com
 
The 416 drives me nuts!..It's too damn small! But I gotta tell ya..running it through an M610 preamp, and a DynaMite it's unbelievable..crisp, punchy, and warm all at the same time..These mics that this guy is sellng were used on stage at the set of a show called "Sports Night" produced by Disney/Buena Vista that ran for a few years..so they were practically untouched..Great buy! I now have them installed at all three studio setups with the exact same outboard gear..and they all sound identical (with a slight EQ tweak to fit the room sizes) It's a sweet sweet mic fer sure! I find you NEED a pop-screen to keep from overdriving it..and yeah screaming into it will do more damage to our throats than the mic..Voiceguy your demos are stellar!
 
Thanks guys...really appreciate the feedback.I'm finishing up a new temp-site...with some more new demos...And hopefully some audio and video podcasting as well!Rock on!mbMike BrattonVoice Guywww.mikebrattonvoice.comnow we're bloggin'...www.mikebrattonvoice.com/blog
 
JEFF LAURENCE!!!

Jeff,I'm looking to buy a new mic prosessor. You've worked with a bunch of them. In your opinion out of these which one should i get. I'm looking for a processor that holds the levels up there and has some punch. I want something that will hold the levels even when i'm whispering. Pro AnnouncerSymetrix 528 (original)Valley People 400/401 or DynamiteDBX 286
 
CJP..I am probably the biggest tester of mic processors..I have had or have one of darn near everything..Here's the scoop as I see it.Valley 400 or 401 is great box but it doesn't power a phantom condenser mic (It DOES have a set of "bananna jacks" on the back that provide 48v, but if someone can tell me why they did that I'd appreciate it) Increasingly harder to find a good clean one..(Try Ebay Canada)The Valley Dyna-Mite combination is sweet..I use a dual channel version, so I EXPAND with one of them, and feed the COMPRESSOR with the output of the first channel..It can be adjusted so it is very subtle, yet it keeps the levels up there..however it can only be used as an outboard box..has no preamps..so then you need a GOOD mic-pre like the M610 or (a new secret weapon..) a TRUE Systems Solo P...to feed it with. (This is really a great mic preamp!) Also these DynaMites are a little hard to find. But if you find one..grab it. They are cheap as the audio purists think they are bogus, and gritty sounding..only if that they way you want them to sound.The Symmetrix 528 box annoys me no end..It's expander/gate is AFTER the compressor..so when you stop talking..the compressor brings up the noise..the expander thinks it's a valid signal, and waits a nanosecond to clamp down on the noise so there is always a "whooosh" noise at the end of every spoken word..mehThe Air Corp Pro Announcer is very good, and probably the best value..but....it's preamp is a little harsh..I like to feed it with the M610 or another clean mic pre..it's got the proper config of EQ/GATE/COMP in that order..nice, but sometimes pricy. It will compress like crazy, but keep it clean and punchy sounding. If you get one..call me to discuss switching two of the jumpers inside..there is a phase corrector which can sometimes make the mic sound muddy, and an EQ setting via another internal jumper..all fixableThe AVALON units do not have an expander..nor do the really expensive Manley boxes..Focusrite makes a really good voice Processor Steve Mitchell in Atlanta swears by these, and he is considered to be one of the cleanest sounding voice talents around.I have heard that Don LaFontaine uses the MKH416, and some major studios he frequents use a Neve mic-pre, and an interesting combination of a graphic EQ and an old LA2 in a VERY quiet room..John Wells uses the MKH416 barefoot into a stock Mackie console..but with his voice who needs ANY processing?George Lowe (Space Ghost Coast to Coast) uses the MKH416 into an MBOX and ProTools LE with no processing..I must admit that I am using less and less processing to record straight voice these days..and the end-user production guys are doing thier magic..The retail clients insist on no, or little processing. But for my own multitrack stuff, I love the sound of a good screaming compressor! 16:1 and all the buttons mashed in on the 1176LN...!! 0.2 ms release and attack! LOVE IT
 
Jeff:Interesting!When i was programming i tried all kinds of mic processors. The one that beat them all was the la4. There was a competitor that ran a dyna-mite on the mic, and boy dod it smack. Sounded like it had the ULTRA FAST ATTACK/RELEASE on it.Have you heard the DBX 286?
 
Hya RT..the 401 DOES have phantom..but my 400's dont..but there IS this weird set of bananna plugs one red that says +48V and the other black that says +0vdc How am I supposed to apply the power to the mic?...UNLESS that is an INPUT huh? can the 400 be powered with 48VDC????? wow fer sure.

Catfish..the LA4 was a good mic compressor we used them at WSUN as a sidechain..(no mic preamp in it) That crazy DBX compressor is really pretty good, and it is c=h=e=a=p!
 
Jeff:

I agree the DBX sounds amazing good. I like a tight sound that holds the levels up and it sure does that.

Tell me, do you like the sound of the 286 or Pro announcer?
 
Huge differece in price between the Pro Announcer and the DBX..for the money you can't beat the DBX..however the Pro Announcer (Air Corp 500PH) is really really good..but at about three times the money.
 
I'll jump in on this one too. I found the 286A to behave very similarly to the Symetrix 528E. This is both good and bad. I don't much care for the 528E, but on the other hand, the DBX is so much cheaper that it isn't so bad. The 286A is just as reliable and rugged at the 528E, but it's also just as prone to noise rush-ups from the expander. I think the 286A would make a tremendous on-air mic processor, but for VO, I'm not sure it cuts it. I do prefer the compression of the DBX over the compression of the Symetrix. FWIW, Bob Orban designed the compressor in the 286A.

A unit that REALLY blew me away was the Behringer UltraVoice Digital VX2496. It's got a street price of about $100, but it could sell for way more. It isn't the most rugged unit (cheap knobs), but if you take care of it, I'm sure it will serve you well. Very quiet, good-sounding unit. Decent preamp. Really nice sounding expander. I was really shocked. I would almost compare it to the Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Pro. The Behringer would lose, but not by much.

Another unit that caught my eye is the Phonic A6400 Vocalmax. I have never owned anything from Phonic, but I've never heard any complaints. I also haven't heard this unit, but for about $200, it looks fantastic!
 
I'd like to throw my 2 cents in if possible...

I'd have to agree hands-down with Jeff's assertion about the P-Solo from True. I picked one up several weeks ago, and it has a permanent place in my road-bag...it's small and light enough to travel with easily...about the size of Digidesign's MBox ( which is also in my Road-Bag ).

Focusrite makes really nice sounding stuff...in several different price ranges. Check out the Platinum Series...you might be able to get some really great deals on the Voicemaster or Voicemaster Pro on ebay at this point...

Behringer mixers sound fantastic...and they're dirt cheap...so I'd assume that their processors sound great too! I have a friend who's a studio engineer, and he swears by the stuff...

Pricier gear is available...and it sounds really nice...like the Avalons ( I had the VT 737 for a little while, but if you don't have a QUIET room...fuhgeddaboudit... )...but the trick is to find the bang-for-the-buck...

Check out the P-Solo...if you don't need compression on the mic channel...it's a great box!

Clean signal-path...very nice. Then, you can tweak your sound to your heart's content in software.

Mike Bratton
Voice Guy

www.mikebrattonvoice.com
 
I have both the Air Corp Pro Announcer and the DBX286A. I've done a lot of A/Bing and I like the DBX better. The Pro Announcer will give you that
Old School analog compressed sound, but if you're looking for clean, controlled levels, I'd go with the 286A.

FYI. I use an outboard compressor/expander for expanding. I use a Samson S-Com. In this order:
DBX286A>Yamaha MG12/4(mixer)>Samson S-Com>Sound Card.

That S-Com expander, selectable fast/slow does an amazing job of quieting room reflections, computer fan noise, etc..without adding noise and you can't hear it working.

Its a hundred dollar box...and the compressor's not bad either.

Bill Campbell
 
Hi Bill,

Thanks for the input. I just found a used pro announcer for $275. Good condition. Only 6 years old. To my ears the DBX 286 sures sounds damn good for 200 bucks. Maybe i'll get both.
 
So..we get back down to the newly built Atlanta area studio last Thursday..I power everything up except the rack..(it had been left on) ((BOOM)) there goes one 500PH! All lights on, and no audio..and no switching them off, and no phantom power! I had a session in 30 min..I had brought the old reliable Valley 400, and a Sennheiser 421..plugged them both in and I am in business..got the session done, but wanted a 416 shotgun so ran into Atlanta and got a 9v powered Phantom box (mostly used with condenser mics on TV shoots) It powered the Sennheiser shotgun just fine, and XLR connectors went right to the Valley 400..I forgot how much I really like that box...

For sale one AirCorp 500PH..slightly well done

Oh..and those weird bananna plugs on the Valley processor? They are used as an INPUT point for 48vdc. Many consoles especially high end broadcast consoles have a 48vdc source on thier power supplies, and you would take a feed from that, and send it to the back of the Valley 400 to provide the phantom power.
 
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