On stage is where we feel at home. Visually, the focus should remain on the artist, not the microphone, while maintaining the highest level of sound quality.
This is where the SCHOEPS Colette and CCM series, in combination with their elegant microphone stand options, form the perfect concert companion. Their sound, as well as their aesthetics, have forged a standard that is loved and respected by artists and audiences alike.
The MK 4 cardioid capsule fulfills all important criteria for a support microphone in a live environment. Its linear frequency response in all directions enables the source sound to be captured as transparently as possible, while its stable pickup pattern – independent of frequency – ensures a natural representation of the room's acoustics. The MK 4 has earned a reputation as a problem-solver because its directional pattern is so consistent across the frequency range; off-axis sound is picked up at reduced level and without coloration.
Over time, a number of alternatives to the traditional cardioid pattern have emerged for different scenarios, depending on the sonic priorities of the sound engineer.
The MK 21, for example, is a wide cardioid capsule that captures more sound from the back and sides, and sounds slightly softer and warmer – at low frequencies its response is similar to that of an omnidirectional capsule. Subcardioid capsules are especially popular as stereo pairs, since (in contrast to omnis) their directionality enables them to distinguish between left and right signals, while still capturing the excellent stereo field of traditional A/B microphone placement.
The MK 22 "open cardioid" capsule resides somewhere between the MK 4 and the MK 21, which makes it a perfect support microphone for soloists, and a beautiful alternative to the MK 4.
Even the slightly more directional MK 41 supercardioid is no stranger to the stage: it is especially popular in opera productions, where it can be suspended from the ceiling or attached to our BLC mounting plate for stunning sonic results.
On stage, our SCHOEPS microphones are usually mounted on our elegant RC active extension tubes. A full setup for a classic support or soloist microphone would for example consist of an MK 4 cardioid capsule, paired with an RC 1200 extension tube, STR 350 support rod and CMC 6 or CMC 1 amplifier.
As an alternative, however, a microphone is often suspended from the ceiling in order to place it unobtrusively at exactly the right location. We offer a number of accessories to facilitate ceiling mounting, for example the S 170 L gooseneck, which can be used to suspend a tiny CCM microphone with ease and flexibility or the HC miniature cable hanger.
SCHOEPS offers a variety of specialized products dedicated to stereophony, surround sound and 3D audio, as well as competent technical support on the topic. All manner of possible two-channel recording techniques, ranging from XY, through ORTF, to AB, can be realised in a number of variations with SCHOEPS products. The compact MSTC 64 is an ORTF microphone, and is our most popular stereo microphone on live stages.
For 5.1 surround in concert halls, our most popular solutions are the OCT surround and Double MS sets, as well as a Decca tree array consisting of individual CCM microphones.
Our CCM microphones are also ideally suited for 3D audio, e.g. either using OCT-3D placement or as an array of omnis.