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[Dave Gunnell]

Hello Everyone:

I recently had a conversation with the FOH engineer for Choirs You’ve Heard Of®.  Since I work with a ton of choirs, our discussion quickly turned to microphone choices.  I was surprised to find that his mic of choice is the Schoeps MK21/CMC6 wide cardioid.  I have had good luck with my Earthworks SR30 cardioids, but I am considering new choir mics, and I have read rave reviews of these mics on other sites.  To me the MK21 seems like a very wide pattern for live sound (GBF issues?), but this gentleman swears by them.  Experience trumps all…

At ~$1750/mic, they are definitely in a different league that my current mics.  But I’m willing to drop the cash if they’re as good as people say.  Curious to hear how many of you have actually used this mic in a live concert situation, on choirs or anything else...

Thanks.

Dave

[Lee Buckalew]

Hello Everyone:

I recently had a conversation with the FOH engineer for Choirs You’ve Heard Of®.  Since I work with a ton of choirs, our discussion quickly turned to microphone choices.  I was surprised to find that his mic of choice is the Schoeps MK21/CMC6 wide cardioid.  I have had good luck with my Earthworks SR30 cardioids, but I am considering new choir mics, and I have read rave reviews of these mics on other sites.  To me the MK21 seems like a very wide pattern for live sound (GBF issues?), but this gentleman swears by them.  Experience trumps all…

At ~$1750/mic, they are definitely in a different league that my current mics.  But I’m willing to drop the cash if they’re as good as people say.  Curious to hear how many of you have actually used this mic in a live concert situation, on choirs or anything else...

Thanks.

Dave

We use them all the time where it's appropriate.  We also use the MK4 capsule sometimes (don't forget that he CMC system is a system of capsules and bodies).  If we are not also doing reinforcement but only doing recording we may use other mics like the Neumann TLM 103 but live we usually go with a Schoeps or Neumann KM84.

Lee

[Tom Young]

When I was head of audio at Times Square Church in NYC (1990's) I demoed the Schoeps wide-cardioids on our choir and I didn't even have to pitch them to the Pastor, who clearly heard the improvement in his wedge. So we bought 8 of them and, as far as I know, they are still in use there.

If you can afford them I would get them. If not, Earthworks has several models (as you are probably aware) that work very well with chorus and choir, including the Flex and Flex Wand series. But (also as you know) they do not make a wide cardioid.

All other issues being considered, or addressed, I don't think that 'wide cardioid' means more feedback susceptibility. At least not in my experience.

[dick rees]

Hello Everyone:

I recently had a conversation with the FOH engineer for Choirs You’ve Heard Of®.  Since I work with a ton of choirs, our discussion quickly turned to microphone choices.  I was surprised to find that his mic of choice is the Schoeps MK21/CMC6 wide cardioid.  I have had good luck with my Earthworks SR30 cardioids, but I am considering new choir mics, and I have read rave reviews of these mics on other sites.  To me the MK21 seems like a very wide pattern for live sound (GBF issues?), but this gentleman swears by them.  Experience trumps all…

At ~$1750/mic, they are definitely in a different league that my current mics.  But I’m willing to drop the cash if they’re as good as people say.  Curious to hear how many of you have actually used this mic in a live concert situation, on choirs or anything else...

Thanks.

Dave

Also check out the Sennheiser 8000 (MKH) series.  They offer similar body/cartridge combos with Schoeps including "wide cardioid".

I got to compare them side by side a few years ago doing the live sound side of a concert recorded to a pair of HD24's.  We pooled all our mics, the recordist bringing both the Schoeps and the Sennies.  Concert was an 80 piece balalaika orchestra (two combined groups).  From my angle and that purpose, I thought the Sennheisers beat the Schoeps.  Not what I expected. 

[Geoff Doane]

When I was head of audio at Times Square Church in NYC (1990's) I demoed the Schoeps wide-cardioids on our choir and I didn't even have to pitch them to the Pastor, who clearly heard the improvement in his wedge. So we bought 8 of them and, as far as I know, they are still in use there.

What were you using before?

GTD