Bova Balls and FLEA mics...

[jnorman]

i was just reading a discussion by some film score engineers talking about what mics they are using in their decca tree setups, and what were the best substitutes for the aging M50s that many are finding a bit too inconsistent these days. several interesting mics came up, including brauner VM1 - KHE, the handcrafted reproductions of the M50 and M49 by FLEA, and even the (far less expensive) Boca Balls. oddly, the senn mkh800s and DPA 4006s did not receive very good marks for this appliation for these guys.

just wondering if any of you might have tried any of these esoteric mics, and how prevalent the use of LDC mics in omni mode is for your normal work, as oppposed to SDC omnis.

[matyas]

I saw a Bova (it's "Bova", not "boca") ball used once, although it was on drum overheads in a rock context, not Decca tree in an orchestral context. Anyway, I thought it sounded very good, and was probably clean enough for classical. I did find myself wondering if anyone had tried it on a tree - it is a spherical omni, after all.
I think Plush uses the FLEA mics - paging Plush!

[jnorman]

correct - bova, not boca. oops.

[Plush]

Plush here. . .

Yes I have a FLEA 49 and have used it since Jan 08. It's a fantastic mic and I luv it for female singers especially. It is an authentic M49 sound and build.

I record a lot of orchestra but not film scoring work. The other thread on Klaus's forum talked about M50 in a Decca tree. I don't think many in the US use or have a FLEA microphone. A pity because they make a killer 47 and 49 as well as 50 versions.

What would you like to know?

[jnorman]

hi plush, and thanks for responding. there were some pretty heavy duty dudes chiming in on the decca discussion on KH's forum.

i guess my main question was about the use of LDC (pressure gradient) mics set to omni instead of true pressure (SDC) omnis for classical recording, especially in a smaller setting for chamber groups. i have read several scoring engineers comments about replacing their main SDC omnis with VM1-KHEs, so they must be pretty great, but i wonder about the sacrifices of giving up the wonderful low freq capture of true pressure, vs pressure gradient mics set to omni.

thanks.

[mdjice]

Never tried the 49 from FLEA but I recorded a few songs with a FLEA 47 and didn't like it on my voice. it sounded like a great mic but had too much sibilance in my opinion. Don't know about the 49.

[Corran]

I keep hearing about Brauner mics being used in classical recording...but the one time I heard a recording that was definitely using them (I was in the ensemble), I thought the recording sounded terrible! Way too mid-rangy and harsh.

[Plush]

I think that you can get away with any good mic set to omni position if an omni is called for. Most of the time though a real omni would be a better choice. I think that in film scoring given that it is often taking place in Hell-A, the film scoring world loves fashion and bragging rights. It one wants to attract attention in a recording rag, then one can say that they use a Brauner KHE. Any old $10,00 mic will do, dontchaknow!

The LDC set to omni will be an omni mic. It just won't have nearly as good an omni pattern as a dedicated omni. Better to use the LDC in cardioid position.

One exception to the above surely is the Senn. mkh800. This mutha is very good in omni. (However, it is really a small diameter condensor mic.)

[klaukholm]

The MKH800 does get seen in scoring sessions in LA.
It is also a very common main mic for many classical engineers.

[fifthcircle]

Yup- a couple stages own these as the "go to" mic for trees for engineers that don't bring in their own rigs. Warner Bros (if memory serves me right) is one of those stages.

There are lots of popular mics in the film world for decca tree work. Another favorite is the Schoeps M222 body with a MK2S or MK2H capsule with 50mm balls.

--Ben