Schoeps shows new addition to Colette series microphones

Schoeps will introduce the MK 22 microphone capsule, the newest addition to its Colette series of modular condenser microphones at AES in Munich beginning May 8.

The MK 22, with a new open cardioid directional pattern, is the 21st capsule in the Colette series. It combines the directional effect of the MK 4 cardioid with the sonic character of the MK 21 wide cardioid, and is suited for use as a spot microphone.

Schoeps said the open cardioid pattern is less critical than the classic cardioid with respect to motion of sound sources away from its main axis. This can be advantageous when miking speaking voices. A pair of these capsules is well-suited for quasi-ORTF stereophonic recording.

In addition, Schoeps is introducing the VSR 5, a high-end studio microphone preamplifier. It has analog circuit technology and a wide dynamic range and extremely low distortion. The VSR 5 is a dual mono configuration, with two independent knobs to set the gain in 3dB steps.

Schoeps said the VSR 5 was inspired by the TransAmp LZ modules from Valley People — long recognized for its low noise. The company has updated the components is the VSR 5. The choice of operating controls on the 19in rack unit has been deliberately limited to essentials: switches for phantom powering, polarity reverse and mute, plus three different low-cut filters.