Beyerdynamic MCE-72 PV more noisy than internal mics of A1-E at DVinfo.net

Peter Muller · March 7th, 2009, 09:39 AM

Today I compared the grade of noise produced by recordings done with the internal stereo mics and done with a mounted Beyerdynamic MCE-72 PV Cam microphone. Of course, the tape driver was less hearable through the Beyerdynamic, but the recording sounds slightly more noisy than the recording done with the internal stereo mics. In addition, the resolution of the internal stereo mics seemed quite close to the one of the Beyerdynamic MCE-72 PV. Both times I turned the noise reduction off. Does anybody share this impression or want to comment it?

Bye the way, did anybody ever compared the sound quality of the supplied shotgun microphone with other shotgun models?

Thanks a lot, Peter

Nelson Alexandre · March 8th, 2009, 08:46 PM

The Beyerdynamic MCE 72 is known by its noisy characteristics.

However, saying that it records sound with a worse signal to noise ratio than your A1 camera mic is another thing...

MCE72 is a XY stereo cardiod mic and because of that, one that is not intended to work as a camera mic even when beyerdynamic states that it is one of the main usages for it.

My experience with it is that it performs better in music studio recording for instance, than in most film like situations. In the later ones you can take advantage of it to record ambient stereo sound which it seems to do well.

Nonetheless, the signal to noise ratio has probably more to do with your A1 cheap mic pres than the mic itself. Give it a try with a mixer in front feeding your A1 inputs and you will end up recognizing that!

If you want a good on camera mic, go for the MCE86S and you won't get wrong. Nobody seems to remember it but I can assure you that it easily outperforms both Rode NTG-1 and 2 which everybody seems to like.

Peter Muller · March 9th, 2009, 05:01 PM

Thanks a lot Nelson for these advises. I am sorry for having assest and worded my mic concerns in a layman way.

Still, I will exclusively use the mounted mic for ambient documentary recordings, sometimes in almost silent indoor situation. I do recordings all by myself and have to do many handheld filming. Therefore I need a light and mountable stereo mic with pro sound qualtity. The Rode NT-4 is too bulky.

Nelson Alexandre · March 10th, 2009, 07:05 PM

Curious that we share almost the same "agenda" here. I mostly do documentary work also but with a sound operator that - like many iconic documentary teams - happens to be my wife.

As so, we have preferred to buy the best gear we could having its weight in mind (so my wife doesn't get tired after a couple of minutes). This means "somewhat" lightweight recorder (Tascam HD-P2), lightweight carbon fiber pole, mics and windshields (Lightwave line of windshields are great).

Once again, the Beyer MCE86 is one of a kind in weight. It's even lighter than our AKG ULSs mics which are way smaller than the Beyer's. It's got great sensitivity, so you can knock down your A1 mic pres a bit comparing with other less sensitive mics.

You can add a Juicedlink to your setup which adds a 6db gain (XLR balanced inputs). It weights about 500gr but you can put it in a waist bag and run a TRS 3,5 jack to your camcorder. The benefits are HUGE in terms of signal to noise ratio (one of the aspects you seem to complain about).

For a shotgun at that price point (a bit more than Rode's NTG2), you have a hell of a mic.

Nonetheless, it's worth mentioning that shotguns are not the best suited mics for indoor use, and that no project will have great sound relying solely on oncamera mics. You should consider booming your sound. You can always ask your wife to do it ;)

March 7th, 2009, 09:39 AM	#1
Peter Muller New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Frankfurt am Main Posts: 9	Beyerdynamic MCE-72 PV more noisy than internal mics of A1-E Today I compared the grade of noise produced by recordings done with the internal stereo mics and done with a mounted Beyerdynamic MCE-72 PV Cam microphone. Of course, the tape driver was less hearable through the Beyerdynamic, but the recording sounds slightly more noisy than the recording done with the internal stereo mics. In addition, the resolution of the internal stereo mics seemed quite close to the one of the Beyerdynamic MCE-72 PV. Both times I turned the noise reduction off. Does anybody share this impression or want to comment it? Bye the way, did anybody ever compared the sound quality of the supplied shotgun microphone with other shotgun models? Thanks a lot, Peter Last edited by Peter Muller; March 7th, 2009 at 12:09 PM.

March 8th, 2009, 08:46 PM	#2
Nelson Alexandre Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lisboa / Portugal Posts: 45	The Beyerdynamic MCE 72 is known by its noisy characteristics. However, saying that it records sound with a worse signal to noise ratio than your A1 camera mic is another thing... MCE72 is a XY stereo cardiod mic and because of that, one that is not intended to work as a camera mic even when beyerdynamic states that it is one of the main usages for it. My experience with it is that it performs better in music studio recording for instance, than in most film like situations. In the later ones you can take advantage of it to record ambient stereo sound which it seems to do well. Nonetheless, the signal to noise ratio has probably more to do with your A1 cheap mic pres than the mic itself. Give it a try with a mixer in front feeding your A1 inputs and you will end up recognizing that! If you want a good on camera mic, go for the MCE86S and you won't get wrong. Nobody seems to remember it but I can assure you that it easily outperforms both Rode NTG-1 and 2 which everybody seems to like.

March 9th, 2009, 05:01 PM	#3
Peter Muller New Boot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Frankfurt am Main Posts: 9	Thanks a lot Nelson for these advises. I am sorry for having assest and worded my mic concerns in a layman way. Still, I will exclusively use the mounted mic for ambient documentary recordings, sometimes in almost silent indoor situation. I do recordings all by myself and have to do many handheld filming. Therefore I need a light and mountable stereo mic with pro sound qualtity. The Rode NT-4 is too bulky.

March 10th, 2009, 07:05 PM	#4
Nelson Alexandre Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lisboa / Portugal Posts: 45	Curious that we share almost the same "agenda" here. I mostly do documentary work also but with a sound operator that - like many iconic documentary teams - happens to be my wife. As so, we have preferred to buy the best gear we could having its weight in mind (so my wife doesn't get tired after a couple of minutes). This means "somewhat" lightweight recorder (Tascam HD-P2), lightweight carbon fiber pole, mics and windshields (Lightwave line of windshields are great). Once again, the Beyer MCE86 is one of a kind in weight. It's even lighter than our AKG ULSs mics which are way smaller than the Beyer's. It's got great sensitivity, so you can knock down your A1 mic pres a bit comparing with other less sensitive mics. You can add a Juicedlink to your setup which adds a 6db gain (XLR balanced inputs). It weights about 500gr but you can put it in a waist bag and run a TRS 3,5 jack to your camcorder. The benefits are HUGE in terms of signal to noise ratio (one of the aspects you seem to complain about). For a shotgun at that price point (a bit more than Rode's NTG2), you have a hell of a mic. Nonetheless, it's worth mentioning that shotguns are not the best suited mics for indoor use, and that no project will have great sound relying solely on oncamera mics. You should consider booming your sound. You can always ask your wife to do it ;)