Recording - May 2015 - 34
B Y PA U L V N U K J R .
Sennheiser MK 8 Condenser Microphone
Multipattern flexibility in a great-sounding condenser mic
Sennheiser is one of the longest-standing
brands in the pro audio industry, well known
for wireless transceivers, headphones, and
of course mics. Until very recently the company was mainly known for dynamic mics
such as the classic MD 421 and MD 441,
and for high-end small-diaphragm condensers like the MKH 8000 series (we
reviewed the MKH 8040 in June 2008).
In our June 2012 issue, we introduced
readers to the MK 4, the firm's first largediaphragm condenser mic. The MK 4 is a
cardioid condenser with a 1" capsule that
offers great sound and solid build quality,
made stem to stern in Germany with a
respectably accessible $300 price tag.
This month we get our first look at the
new MK 8. It's more than simply a multipattern version of the MK 4, adding a
few new features as well.
Meet the MK 8
Like its sibling, the MK 8 is
entirely designed and built in
Germany. From the front it
looks exactly like the MK 4-
and with good reason, they
share the exact same body
and grille assembly. Both
mics measure 6.3" x 2.25"
and both weigh just over 1
lb. Visually the MK mics have
a modern, sleek European
look with a brushed silver
body and black mesh grille.
The MK 8 comes in a modest package with a mic
pouch and threaded mic
mount. If you desire a shockmount,
Sennheiser offers the beautifully designed
MKS4 for an additional $99.
There are two ways to visually tell
MK 8 and the MK 4 apart. The most obvious is the model number on the front of
each mic, along with a cardioid symbol
only found on the MK 4. Second is the
healthy complement of slider switches
found on the MK 8's back!
Unlike most typical solid state multipattern microphones, which commonly offer
two or perhaps three pattern choices, the
MK 8 offers five-omni, wide cardioid, cardioid, supercardioid, and figure-8. The
MK 8 also offers two levels of input
padding at -10 or -20 dB, as well as two
choices of lowcut filtering at 60 Hz / 18 dB
per octave or 100 Hz / 6 dB per octave.
The MK 8 uses an 1" externally polarized
dual-diaphragm capsule that is 24-carat
gold plated and edge terminated with a
modern ribbon cable. Rather than chasing a
34
RECORDING May 2015
vintage schematic, this mic makes use of an
entirely modern circuit design.
The MK 8 has a 20 Hz-20 kHz frequency response, a sensitivity of 14.1 mV
(-37 dBV) per Pascal, equivalent noise
level of 10 dBA, max SPL of 142 dB, and
dynamic range of 132 dB.
Spectrumwise the MK 8's graphs show it
to be very mid-neutral and essentially flat
from 100 Hz to 1 kHz. There is almost zero
low-end boosting, and on the high end the
MK 8's dominant peak is at
10 kHz. As with many multipattern microphones, this
becomes the most pronounced in omni mode.
Comparing the graph of
the MK 4 to the MK 8 would
lead me to believe that the
MK 4 is a touch more uppermid-forward than the MK 8 in
cardioid mode. However, in
comparing recordings I have
on file from my MK 4 review
with new recordings of the
MK 8, I could hear very little
difference.
Hear the MK 8
In my MK 4 review I called that microphone clear, neutral, and while it has a
modern top end it is nicely shy of being
"cutting". I stand by that initial assessment, but as I have had time to revisit and
use this mic in the form of the MK 8, the
words that come to my mind are clean,
solid and focused. Thanks to the newly
added control choices and the additional
polar patterns, you can add "highly versatile" to the list as well.
My first use of the MK 8 was on drum
overheads, and I was impressed with
how real and clear the capture of the kit
was and how focused it sounded. There
was no smear or sizzle in the sound at
all. Because of this I have been using this
pair of MK 8s as drum overheads for live
performance as well as live recording for
the past three months and have had zero
inclination to take them off the kit!
My friend David Blascoe, a professional drummer in the Top 10 charting
Recording - May 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - May 2015
Contents
Recording - May 2015 - Cover1
Recording - May 2015 - Cover2
Recording - May 2015 - 1
Recording - May 2015 - 2
Recording - May 2015 - 3
Recording - May 2015 - 4
Recording - May 2015 - 5
Recording - May 2015 - Contents
Recording - May 2015 - 7
Recording - May 2015 - 8
Recording - May 2015 - 9
Recording - May 2015 - 10
Recording - May 2015 - 11
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Recording - May 2015 - Cover3
Recording - May 2015 - Cover4
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