Sennheiser ME67 + Zoom F3 (2 Viewers)

[arvindraju]

Hi,
I've recently returned to birdwatching and would like to record bird sounds. When I did some research, I found that the Sennheiser ME67 has been discontinued. However, there is stock apparently in some store here, and I have placed an order for it. It will be used with a Zoom F3 recorder.

I read on the internet that the ME67 is used with a K6 phantom powering module. However, since the Zoom F3 is capable of delivering phantom power, I was wondering if the two can be used without the K6.

Can anyone confirm if I'm seeing this correctly?

Arvind

 

[Jon.Bryant]

The ME67 has to be used with either the K6 or the K6P modules - the former allows you to power the mic with phantom power (provided by the recorder) of from a AA battery, the latter allows you to power the mic from phantom power only.

The ME mics were a modular design - you can use the powering unit with ME67 (long gun), ME66 (short gun), ME64 (cardiodal) and ME62 (omni) mic capsules. The power unit includes the low cut filter switch and the XLR connection - therefore without it you cannot connect the mic capsule to the recorder.

Hope this helps and that you can find a K6 or K6P module for sale. I would recommend the former as the option to battery power the mic will save recorder battery life, and you also have the flexibility to use the mic with a recorder that does not supply phantom power, or to connect it to a consumer wireless system like the Rode Wireless Pro or Go.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

Jon,

What are the other options for microphone that are similar with ME67 and ME66?

And do you know, let say if there are wireless system to connect my Tascam DR44 and the ME66 without using cable. Thanks

 

[Jon.Bryant]

What are the other options for microphone that are similar with ME67 and ME66?

And do you know, let say if there are wireless system to connect my Tascam DR44 and the ME66 without using cable. Thanks

These points are kind of interlinked. There are consumer wireless system like the Rode Wireless Go II or the Rode Wireless Pro, but with these the transmitter has a built in lavier plus a 3.5mm input. Obviously this won’t provide phantom power to mic, so you then need a mic very like the ME67, which can be powered by a battery rather than phantom power. Unfortunately I don’t think there is a similar quality mic which can be self powered (but as I own a ME67, I haven’t done an exhaustive search). The consumer systems connect to you mic and recorder by cable and are a bit dingly dangly, so would only work in a static setup. The range however is pretty good at up to 250m.

Other pro gear gets complex and expensive. I think that when I looked into this the transmitters and receivers were expensive, but you also (in the U.K. I think) have to apply for and reserve a bandwidth to use on the day. This prevents interference between users - a professional recordist would be a bit miffed if they were on location and suddenly you started using the same frequencies to transmit. The systems are more robust and some transmitters plug directly into an XLR connection (presumably providing phantom power), so the connection is much more solid and the mic could be moved during a recording without generating connection or cable noise.

Sorry I cannot help with an ME67 or 66 direct equivalent, as this is not something I have investigated in detail.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

These points are kind of interlinked. There are consumer wireless system like the Rode Wireless Go II or the Rode Wireless Pro, but with these the transmitter has a built in lavier plus a 3.5mm input. Obviously this won’t provide phantom power to mic, so you then need a mic very like the ME67, which can be powered by a battery rather than phantom power. Unfortunately I don’t think there is a similar quality mic which can be self powered (but as I own a ME67, I haven’t done an exhaustive search). The consumer systems connect to you mic and recorder by cable and are a bit dingly dangly, so would only work in a static setup. The range however is pretty good at up to 250m.

Other pro gear gets complex and expensive. I think that when I looked into this the transmitters and receivers were expensive, but you also (in the U.K. I think) have to apply for and reserve a bandwidth to use on the day. This prevents interference between users - a professional recordist would be a bit miffed if they were on location and suddenly you started using the same frequencies to transmit. The systems are more robust and some transmitters plug directly into an XLR connection (presumably providing phantom power), so the connection is much more solid and the mic could be moved during a recording without generating connection or cable noise.

Sorry I cannot help with an ME67 or 66 direct equivalent, as this is not something I have investigated in detail.

I think I have found the solution Amazon.com

 

[Jon.Bryant]

I think I have found the solution Amazon.com

Not sure why it says U3 for ‘dynamic mic’. My mics are condenser rather than dynamic type - will it also work with condenser mics?

Also range seems not that great at up to 90ft (27m). The Rode wireless system has a range of over 200m, but range may not be an issue depending on use.

It would be nice to know if anyone has tried this wireless system. Steady signal, lack of RF interference etc are all important issues in the field. The good thing with the Rode system, is that it is quite popular (for other use than bird recording), so has been reasonably widely tested.