Sennheiser is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of headphones, microphones and wireless transmission systems. They have unveiled their new MKE 440 camera microphone at NAB 2016. It is a stereo camera that was designed to solve a typical challenge encountered by DSLR users: capturing focused stereo sound from the filmed object.
DSLR filmmakers have always had a hard time getting good sound from their camera-mounted stereo microphone. The new MKE 440 achieves this task, thanks to two mini-shotgun microphones and a new stereo technique, it records the sound from within the camera angle, beating any mini AB, MS or XY arrangements.
The two mini-shotguns of the MKE 440 are mounted in a V-shape arrangement that predominantly picks up the sound from within the direction of filming and rejects the majority of off-axis noise from outside the camera focus. The microphones are shock-mounted internally to reduce any handling noise and are protected against wind by a stainless steel micro-mesh. For strong wind, a special hairy cover is available as an accessory.
The compact, all-metal MKE 440 attaches to standard camera shoe mounts. It features a three-level sensitivity switch to adjust to softer and louder sources and has a switchable low-cut filter to eliminate low-frequency noise such as high wind noise.
The microphone is powered by two AAA size batteries, with the green LED of the on/off switch doubling as a low-batt indicator. The LED will turn red approximately four hours before the batteries run flat, ensuring sufficient time to finish shooting.
The MKE 440 will be available from June 2016. Visit Sennheiser and Neumann at booth N5729 at NAB.