Recording Product Reviews
Enhanced Audio M600 steady microphone clamp
David Browne from Enhanced Audio also sent me a M600 for evaluation, and I have tested both by listening and by doing some kind of substraction measuring.
The listening is clear, the substraction method I will explain. I took a CD with for me known organ music, the analog audio signal of the CD player was played back over a loudspeaker, and the sound picked up by a microphone held with the M600 and compared with the same microphone held by a normal clamp or normal suspension.
The different recordings were than synchronized in a workstation so they were running in time 1:1. By putting one signal in anti-phase, and substract from the other one in a digitalmixer, what was left over in signal and audible, is the difference the M600 creates compared to a normal clamp. The AD converters were clocked from the CD-player, and I used a special device to measure the microphones precise placement.
First I tested the DPA 4006 omni in a hard DPA clamp, and compared it with the DPA4006 in the M600. The hearing test showed me an addition of high midfrequencies, probably because of the reflections of the large ring of the M600. Doing the substraction test, there was hardly any difference in the low end, but the upper midrange which was left audible after substracting both signals.
Then I tested the DPA 4011 cardioid, the hearing test showed me a different low end. Maybe even better, and deeper when using the M600. When doing the substraction test, it was quite obvious mostly low end signal stayed after substraction of both test signals. Then I put the 4011 on the original DPA rubber suspension, and when comparing that to the M600, the difference in low end was even more.
The DPA 4011 is very sensitive to low end rumble. The original DPA suspension takes away quit much of this sensitivity, while the M600 makes the connection to the 4011 even tighter than a normal microphone clamp without suspension, and makes the 4011 even more sensitive for low end contact sound.
My conclusion is, when the M600 was used with the DPA4006 omni, there was a huge difference in high midrange, and not that much at all in the low end. Quit logic since omni's are very insensitive for contact sound. The effect in the midrange can be found very useful, but one could achieve a similar effect using the APE's or spheres. Those will show a much more controlled behaviour.
When using a cardioid like the 4011, the tight connection from the microphone to the stative when using the M600, lets extra low end energy come into the microphone housing, giving the sound a stronger subsonic character. I must say I found the effect rather impressive.
When using the original suspension on the DPA4011 cardioid, it was clear that the DPA rubber suspension takes away very much from the rumble coming in from the tripod in the microphone, since the huge difference when comparing it to the M600.
I think for some of us the effect the M600 brings may be very useful when looking for a different kind of fundament when using cardioids, or when using omni's the enhanced midrange.