Hey you guys i just bought a Sennheiser ME66 for my AG-dvx100. I have a question. Do you have to have a power supply for the mic itself. or do yo just plug i in the xlr input on the camera and you are ready to go? Is there anyway special requirments in getting the microphone?

you need the K6 or the K6P power module to go with it. The K6 takes an AA battery to power the mic but can also be run off phantom power, the K6P is phantom power only.

I'm sorry im kinda out of it today what is a phantom power again? Does that have somthing to do with the camera?

How come you can't just hook the mic into the comera and run it. I just bought the Microphone and found out i need to spend another 250$ to get a kp or kp6 thats a drag is there anything a little bit more inexpensive i can use to get this thing to work?

the K6 is a modualr mic system, the me66 is a capsule for it, sennheiser also has an me62, me64, me67 etc...

here is a link http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&b=277&a=0&shs=&ci=1456&ac=&Submit.x=17&Submit.y=8 are you sure you just have the me66 without the K6 power module?

There is no other way to power the Sennheiser "ME" line, the K6 or K6P are necessary.

Edit: phantom power is a power source that's outside the mic itself, your dvx can provide phantom power so don't worry about it.

What about the AT897 shotgun mic? heard that it is better than the me66, anyone using it?

I just bought an ME66 for my DVX100A. Get that mic. The audio quality is superb.

One thing: when you run the ME66 off of phantom power (+48VDC sent down the mic cable as a DC offset) it puts out a VERY hot signal. I run the mic with the pot down quite low and get very acceptable audio. I am considering getting an attenuator to give better gain control.

"How come you can't just hook the mic into the comera and run it. I just bought the Microphone and found out i need to spend another 250$ to get a kp or kp6 thats a drag is there anything a little bit more inexpensive i can use to get this thing to work?"

This is why you should research such things before you buy them. :) The ME66, like most (if not all) shotguns, is a condensor microphone, meaning, essentially, it requires power to generate the magnetic fields that sense the sound. Dynamic microphones (like most handheld stage mic's), do not need power.

Condensors are almost always better for recording and broadcasting. Shotguns are typically used on movie sets for their high directionality. Most lavalier mics are condensor mic's too.

How About the Technica AT-897 i read a bit about that. It sounds like a good microphone to me.

Check out the Oktava mics. From Russia and they get superb reviews and cost a good bit less not to mention the mics are interchangeable to enable them different pickup patterns. I'm going to order mine in a week or so.

So is there anyone els that knows of these microphones and if there anygood? Does the Audio-Technica at897 need any type of power supply like the K6 module or any other special add on or is it just the microphone?

Are you sure you don't have the module?

When i got my ME 66, I got confused by same thing.

I have battery power module. The battery power module has a switch on it saying 'BATT. ON'.

When I unscrew it from the mike, I see an AA battery compartment.

My mike without the 'battery power' module is aobut 8" long. With the battery module screwed into the mike the whole thing is about a foot long with an XLR connector at back.

Basically, if you see an XLR connector at back of mike, you have a power module. Unscrew it, and if it has a battery compartment, you have the battery power module.

Everyone i talk to says me66 very good. i have had good results with it.

cheers,
tony

Yeah I'm almost positive i ordered just the me66 not the k6 module because on bhphotovideo it sold for 299 and with the k6 module its like $565 and i don think i wanna spend that much so i found the AT-897 and i dont think that needs any type of module to it. If you spent $565 on your me66 then it did come with the module if u didnt then you might possibly be right. Becuase why would they just sell a piece of the microphone seperatley that really makes no sense to me and it made go through all this trouble.

Jamison - I'm interested in that mic as well (AT-897). Let us know how it works for you.

The AT-897 looks very good on paper, especially for the low price. I haven't heard it though. It does look like a good entry-level shotgun, and it's probably better than the ME66. I always thought the ME66 was a little disappointing, nothing compared do its big brother, the MKH416.

So the AT-897 does not need any type of power supply like the K6 its just a stand alone shotgun microhpne?

If Im going to buy a 10 ft extension xlr cable what kind would that be?

Jamison--I would recommend the Sennheiser ME66/K6P combo. My only suggestion: get a better price. I paid $390 for BOTH parts, the ME66 and K6P from Location Sound in Los Angeles. BH doesn't always have the best prices. It is a great mic, though. I couldn't recommend any cable to you, but I've found the Location Sound people to be very helpful and htey might be able to.

Peter

ok THANKS!

The ME66 requires the K6 module for powering- phantom or not. They do sell a module that is Phantom only but I think it kinda defeats the purpose- it's better to have the standard K6 so you at least have the option of external power.

The ME66 in general is a very hot mic- I'm sending mine in for the "red dot modification" at Senheisser. Bascially they remove one of the capacitors to make it a bit more usuable. In it's stock form it tends to overload quite easily. This modification supposedly doesn't affect the dynamic range of the mic while lowering it's sensitivity and inclination to overload. It's a free mod under warranty- out of warranty it's like $9 usd.

I am about to buy the ME66 and saw this thread. Can someone check that link and make sure I am ordering the correct thing and it will work fine? It only scares me because the price is a lot lower than the 500 range that some said it was in. So I want to make sure it includes everything. Thanks

link (http://www.evsonline.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ME66K6&Category_Code=)

That's the right one Tyler...everything you need, and a very good price.

Peter

<<<-- Originally posted by Peter Richardson : That's the right one Tyler...everything you need, and a very good price.

Peter -->>> Thank you very much, Peter.