User Manual

SCHOEPS GmbH · Spitalstr. 20 · D-76227 Karlsruhe (Durlach) · Tel: [phone] · Fax: [phone]
www.schoeps.de · [e-mail]
Troubleshooting
22
English
Wind Noise and Windscreens
Air motion (wind, vocal “popping” on sung
or spoken consonants, motion of the micro-
phone on a boom arm, or air currents due to
heating or air conditioning systems) can cause
noise that should always be dealt with. Even if
it doesn't cause overload, it will detract from
the clarity of sound. A wind or pop screen
should be used, but should be chosen carefully
to avoid changing the microphone's charac-
teristics too much. Many screen types that are
effective at reducing wind noise also have a
tendency to reduce a microphone's direction-
ality and/or its high-frequency response. Basket-
type windscreens mainly cause some uneven-
ness in the frequency response, while foam
windscreens mainly tend to dampen high fre-
quencies.
Vibration
If noise from mechanical vibration is going to
reach a stand- or boom-mounted microphone,
a shock mount (elastic suspension) should be
used, and a loop of slack cable isolated and
tied off so that it does not become another way
for vibra tions to reach the microphone. Unlike
a windscreen, a shock mount will not affect
the characteristics of a microphone. In many
kinds of work it is well justified to use a shock
mount ”by default”.
Overload
If transient or continual overload occurs, or
seems likely to occur, it is useful to think of the
complete set of equipment used for a record-
ing or broadcast as a succession of ”stages”.
The signal should then be attenuated (its level
decreased) at the input to the first stage of
equipment that might be overloaded. Reducing
the gain at any earlier stage would add unnec-
essary noise, while reducing it at a later stage
would not solve the problem.
A condenser microphone itself represents at
least two stages – the capsule and the ampli fier.
The only sound pressure that could overload a
SCHOEPS microphone capsule (150+ dB SPL)
would also damage human hearing almost
instantly; in practice our capsules are rarely
over loaded except by explosions or direct
Foam windscreen W 140
(included accessory)
Fure-type windscreen “Softie”, 12 cm dia.
Basket-type windscreen WSR CMIT U with
Connbox included;
below: WSR CMIT U with WJ CMIT
Windjammer (must be ordered separately)
Windscreens for the CMIT 5 U:
Rycote “Softie Lyre Mount”
(40 cm long XLR-3 cable
included);
available as of June 2009