Sennheiser MKH8020 wind ensemble samples

[hughesmr]

Hey all,

I did an impromptu recording a few nights ago of a local University wind ensemble concert using only my pair of 8020s. I thought you Slutz might be interested to hear how they perform in this application.

Array: 3' spaced pair, 4 feet behind the conductor and about 10 feet high. No toe out, but angled downward about 15 degrees. I didn't have any chance to check ensemble balance beforehand, so was going off of my past experience recording in this hall, which seats about 750. Preamp was DAV BG-1 (no HPF, 21 dB gain), recorded onto Korg MR1000 (DSD 5.6). No processing or level adjustment has been applied to these samples other than mp3 Lame conversion.

Two excerpts from Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy and one from Hesketh's Danceries, all mp3 at 320kbps. Enjoy. Comments/opinions welcome!

[Paul_Jolstead]

THANKS for posting these. I just received my 8020s a week ago and plan on using them for the same application (band). I look forward to being able to hear these on my good speakers--my laptop speakers are woefully inadequate.

(Now I wish I had a BG-1!)
___

Seems like they were more confident with the Hesketh than the Grainger??? Lincolnshire can eat you alive if you don't give it your full concentration.

Just listening on my crappy macbook speakers I'm curious about omnis and getting too much room. I like what I hear but I'm wondering if there will be too much hall. It also sounds like directional brass (trumpets, trombones) don't have as much presence as the front row woodwinds. Percussions sounded fine. Again, I look forward to hearing this with "real" speakers.

Is there more? Linconshire and Danceries is a pretty full meal already but if there's more I'd love to hear it.

[mathieujm]

Nice recordings Michael.

I first heard them on headphones and did not appreciate them a lot. But on speakers, it was really great.

First the orchestra plays well and in tune thumbsup. And it's not easy in these difficult pieces of music.
Then I like the fullness of the sound. It's very natural.

I compared it with a similar recording I made with cardios and in a really less well sounding hall. Mine is more accurate but the orchestra sound is not there as yours (and the bass drum thru cardios can't be as thru your omni 8020 !).

Just for me you could habe been closer to the orchestra, but then it could have been difficult to get a good balancing between the instruments. It's often my issue with a pair of omni mics to capture a full orchestra : to have a good balancing I have to put the pair far from the orchestra but then I miss accuratecy and vice-versa. So I use cardios...

Thanks for these samples

[rubycakes]

It's pretty obvious to me that the group was much more prepared for Danceries than the Posy. I would be curious to know the rehearsal times between the two pieces (if it is in fact the same ensemble playing both pieces).

I too wonder if the mics should have/could have been placed closer to the group. The ww seemed fine (what bassoons!) but the trumpets and trombones seemed too diffuse. The sound is very nice on full woodwind chords but solo/melodic lines are inconsistent depending on where the sections are seated.

Thanks for posting these and yes please do post more of these if you're willing.

[hughesmr]

It would have been nearly impossible to get the mains any closer without flying them, since I was virtually right up against the back of the conductor's podium. The ensemble setup was rather deep, so it offered a good chance to test the reach of the 8020s. You can hear the results.

If I were to do this again, I would probably go a touch higher. Again, I had no opportunity to balance check... also, remember the 8020 have no diffuse field HF lift. Still, I find myself liking the warmer, less bright sound of these mics. Maybe the slightest touch of a pair of 8040 spotting the rear of the group would fill in the missing piece...

Remember ... this was just a "performance test" of the 8020s to see where they shine and where they need a bit of help (for this application). I didn't flank or spot for this very reason.

Keep them comments coming ... always interested to hear what other Slutz ears are hearing....

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by hughesmr

Keep them comments coming ... always interested to hear what other Slutz ears are hearing....

I think these mics sound really nice.

As far as what my ears hear, just listen...

[mathieujm]

Originally Posted by bcgood

I think these mics sound really nice.

As far as what my ears hear, just listen...

I prefer the original. I hear too much processing here and it's more fatiguing.

JMM

[Audiop]

Michael,

I like what I hear but to me there's still something missing and it's the top end roll off of the 8020 which I experience on guitar and piano with my pair as well.

A touch of EQ works good IME.

I know you told me earlier that you like the warmth and even though it is perfectly enjoyable I like it just a litle more clear since that feels more realistic to me.


/Peter

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by mathieujm

I prefer the original. I hear too much processing here and it's more fatiguing.

JMM

What processing do you hear? I'm curious to understand what you mean by too much processing.

Also, please understand that when doing this sort of thing with a file that was originally an mp3 you lose quality when you have to re-encode the file as an mp3 again when saving. I still prefer mine but of course that is because it represents my personal taste.