Sennheiser’s MKH line of studio microphone is being extended with the addition of the MKH 8090.
Sennheiser are targetting orchestral recording applications, both as a main and a spot microphone. An optional screw-on module can be used to convert it into a digital AES42 microphone.
‘The MKH 8090 combines omni-directional and cardioid pick-up patterns to produce an impressive orchestral microphone,’ explains Kai Lange, Product Manager for Wired Microphones at Sennheiser. ‘Used as a main microphone, it picks up the entire sound body and a healthy proportion of room acoustics, while as a spot microphone it has sufficient directivity to screen out other sound sources without making the recording too narrow.’
The MKH 8090 can take advantage of the range of accessories available for the 8000 series, such as microphone stands with different heights, various microphone clips, a shockmount, remote cables with different lengths, windshields and accessories for ceiling mounting. Also available as an accessory is the MZD 8000 digital module, which converts the audio signal of the MKH 8090 into a digital signal according to the AES42 standard (Mode 2) directly at the microphone head, thus ensuring a lifelike, natural sound entirely without cable losses or interference from other sources.
One of those responsible for fine-tuning the microphone was tonmeister Gregor Zielinsky, International Recording Applications Manager at Sennheiser: ‘During the development of the MKH 8090, we focused on ensuring that the sound perception of the microphone is precisely between that of the omni-directional MKH 8020 and the cardioid MKH 8040. Through further fine-tuning, we succeeded in creating a microphone with a sound that seems to “shine”, and which has great presence and musicality.’
