There is another caveat about which you will want to know. Both these units will need wind protection in the field, and the leading manufacturer that makes something specifically for the ME67 is Rycote. They have a new line which offers significantly greater protection from wind noise, but but the is no plan for one long enough (29cm) to fit the ME67. You will have to settle for the existing Softie to the best of my knowledge. There is a Super Softie for the ME66, available as of May 2014 from B&H.
I have played with the longer microphone for over a month now and I will tell you it is louder, hands down. In fact some of the recordings I have made I have actually reduced the gain which in turn suppresses background noise such as wind and human interference. (More about manipulating your recordings in another post.) Also, I have recording volume set to about 7 1/2 - 8 of 10 on my Olympus LS-10, with this microphone, so hissy self noise is negligible in the field.
Of course the best way of understanding the difference is for me to demonstrate it. For this test I arranged both microphones side-by-side and plugged them in with a two stereo XLR3 to one mini-plug connector so that the ME67 is on one channel and the ME66 in the other. In Audacity I split the channels into separate MP3 files and uploaded them to Soundcloud.
Sennheiser ME66 Sennheiser ME67
The ME67 is 3.8 decibels louder in this test, or since the scale is logarithmic, 3.8 times louder. Something else you need to know is that when you are recording a subject you cannot see if you are not right on target with the ME67 it may sound off axis, or like it is in a tube. This microphone rejects off-axis sound much more than the ME66. In fact, a survey of equipment on the web pages of the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at Cornell compared the short shotgun to a 20 mm lens and a long shotgun to a 28 mm lens width of field.
One final thought; each of us can have a different opinion about what makes a good recording. For many the inclusion of the environment which a bird lives is important. I feel that way as well in selected circumstances. In those cases I might well choose the ME66 to make those recordings. I hope this is useful, and I welcome your input.
I am adding the following after the fact. My recorder has a high and low microphone sensitivity switch. The recordings above were done with the switch set to low and probably full gain. I have seen it suggested that this is preferable to high sensitivity and lower gain. The comments I made in paragraph four were with the sensitivity switch set on high and the gain reduced to 7-8.
thanks for test... but would you prefer the ME67 for film making?
ReplyDeletethanks for test... but would you prefer the ME67 for film making?
ReplyDeleteI couldn't make that call. I am not a film maker, but there is a lot out there on the web. If you spend enough time on it you will surely find your answer.
ReplyDeleteCOM International Company
ReplyDeleteSpeakerphone,SP 20 ML,Conferencing,Computer,Smartphone, http://comint.com.hk
http://www.comint.com.hk/en/speakerphone/239-sp-20ml.html
Bluetooth Headset,Headset Smartphones,Headet Mobil Telefon,PRESENCE UC http://comint.com.hk
http://www.comint.com.hk/en/bluetooth/41-presence-uc-ml.html
Bluetooth Business Headset,Bluetooth,MB Pro 2 ML,Noise Cancelling - http://comint.com.hk
http://www.comint.com.hk/....../248-mb-pro-2-uc-ml.html
DW Office,WirelessHeadset,DECT,Personal Audio,sennheiser, http://comint.com.hk
http://www.comint.com.hk/en/wireless-1/34-dw-office-ml.html
Wireless Headset,MB 660 UC MS,Skype for Business,ANC, http://comint.com.hk
http://www.comint.com.hk/en/bluetooth/264-mb-660-uc-ms.html