you know you're a sound guy when the video starts and my ears get blown because the audio is so good and crisp and full compared to any other video i watch on youtube.
I got a pair of Behringer C-2 mics and they are brilliant. Dirt cheap. sound great. I'm pretty sure they're marketed as drum mics for overhead but I use them for video - recording dialogue most of the time.
What I liked is the case. Looks high quality and cloth lined. That is very important. Lots of cases come with foam that degrades over time and can totally ruin the capsule. I did like the sound and for the price is a no brainer. What i like even more and is cheaper is the oktava MK-012
👍 The Oktava is an impressive mic for its price, but I often ran into two issues with it: 1) when hand-booming, it transferred every tiny movement to the capsule, even with a good shock mount and 2) it does something a little strange in the sibilance range. That can be fine for some voices, but it sounds oddly pinched on some voices.
I'm kind of curious about how this and the cardioid version combine with the new Rycote figure-eight in MS pairs and DMS triplets. I have the 8030, 8040, and 8050 so it's more of an academic curiosity at this point, though. This Rycote sounds pretty good on the whole. I prefer the MKH50's sound, but the Rycote doesn't get blown out of the water by any stretch. I would remark that in addition to limited low end it also doesn't go as high as the MKH, and its pattern seems to not be as stable out towards 90 deg. I'm not a fan of the 641's "default" voicing, but I recognize that I'm in a minority there. RF rejection is about more than shielding, obviously. It would be interesting to see how this stacks up against the RF-biased Sennheisers in more challenging conditions (against signal sweeps instead of just a single frequency, for example). I'd also be curious to see how it handles humidity, though I guess for indoor boom use that's not such a huge deal.
I bought my Rycote SC-08 in May of 2023 from B&H for $649. It was $649 everywhere when it was released. Around 4 to 6 months ago I noticed B&H was selling it for $499, while everywhere else it was still $649. I just checked and it's now $499 everywhere with the exception of Location Sound in North Hollywood. I guess they haven't gotten the memo yet. You can't predict that a new-ish microphone is going to price drop like that and I have no regrets. Still worth it and it performed fantastic on all of those earlier shoots. I like to tell people that "The microphone doesn't know how much you paid for it. It either sounds great or doesn't." The SC-08 sounds great.
I'm not professional audio engineer but, got my stereo pair for orchestra recording with ORTF setup with zoom f3, and IMO, sc-08 is very sentivie and has relatively low self noise level. Thanks for good review.
@@curtisjudd OMG you bought every single mics that you tested on this channel!?? I thought brands did send some to you for testing and making a review 😰
Great video as always Curtis! This would seem perfect for a corporate multi-person interview type of shoot and to be honest, I don't think the client will be able to tell the difference between these and the mkh50. Now to decide whether to buy a second mkh50 or two of these, heh heh. We are so lucky to have mics like this financially accessible.
Hi Glen, the Rycote might be a bit more neutral. Its hard to tell without actually recording the voice into both, but starting with a more neutral mic like the SC-08 should get your a good recording you can EQ if needed.
This may be an odd comparison, but how do you think this compares to the MKE 600? Still in the budget category, it's what I use most of the time but looking to upgrade.
This is not as bass heavy as the MKE600, but seems to handle transients better than the MKE600 - is a little better controlled in the higher frequencies.
This is one of the microphones I have been looking at getting along with the DPA ST2012 for my nature recordings. The Rycote matched pair would be about $500 cheaper and I already have the HC-15 shotgun microphone and am impressed with the sound they produce. Rycote seem to have tremendous bang for the buck at the moment and even though I would love to have a set of Sennheisers or DPAs it's hard to not be drawn to the Rycotes for the performance and value. Thanks for this review, they are pretty hard to come by on RUclips for this micrphone.
You mean the Rycote? It has been a long time since I used the Audix and I seem to remember it produced a touch more self-noise than some of the others I compared it to at the time. So it is hard to say, but I can say this: If you're getting good results with your SCX1, then stick with it!
I'm quite glad you did a comparison of this microphone to some fairly high end microphones and it does a good job when compared to them. This will certainly provide great information for anyone looking for a good indoor dialog microphone on a budget. My favorite still has to be the MKH50, even though it was much more expensive, but I feel I have the best indoor mic for the type of work that I do now.
But with the cost of the MKH-50 being almost three times as much as the SC-08, does it even sound twice as good? I would say not. Enter the law of diminishing returns.
Hi @bangsmash! Just a quick note: Rycote microphones are made in Portland, while all other Rycote products are manufactured in our UK factory located in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
I must say, this mic sounds impressive. Tom Buck is a big proponent of of the MKH-50, but if you can get extremely close for less than half the price, this mic is absolutely worth it. For talking head vids, this will be great just boomed out of frame. In case of VO or when mic in frame doesn't matter, the RE-20 will be my go to.
Thanks for this excellent as always review Curtis ☺️ I really like the flat, faithful sound of this one. I had the MKH8050 and AT4053B and sold them. I didn’t really love the sound and/ or usability of either of them, especially given the price of the Senny… I think this guy really finds a gap in the market for supers, of which there just aren’t that many around.
great info as usual, Curtis! Based on this review I was excited to get the SC-08, but your B&H link was showing a Special Order item only and has since shown it as Discontinued. Is it still in production? I’m looking at Trew Audio as an alternate source for my purchase
This is an improved Audix mic. I would like to test it one day to see how much you can push the EQ on it and how does it cope with tone matching. So far I was reluctant to get one and still am. Nothing compared to Sennheiser MKH series in my tests. I need one more mic with a different tonality but somehow similar response to MKH series but so far I didn’t find one.
The Oktava MK-012 doesn’t have a Supercardioid capsule. Only cardioid, hypercardioid and omni. Since the Sennheiser MKH-50 is a Supercardioid like the Rycote SC-08, its polar pattern is a direct comparison.
I agree with @danniv13. Also, I found the Octave to have some odd things in the sibilant frequencies and to be VERY sensitive to movements, so not great on a hand held boom pole. But it does sound quite good if mainly booming on a fixed boom pole.
Alluring is the right word. Every time I hear the MKH50 and it's sultry bass heavy sound. But oof, that cost. I think I like the sound of the AT better, but I like the Rycote's coverage for sure. And like you said, you can work with what's recorded in post.
Hi, thank you very much for this review. I didn’t know this very small super-cardio mic. I was wondering how was it compare to the new Deity S-mic 3s which is even cheaper and with a larger frequency response (50hz-20khz) than the Rycote (70hz-20khz). And they have the same self noise (12db). Both are super-cardioid indoor microphone. The Deity is little longer but light. So I am very much hesitating. I am surprised to see very less reviews on deity mics. Would you be able to compare them in a review of the Deity S-mic 3S ? Thank you very much.
@@curtisjudd Thank you for your answer 🙏🏻 . I was confused because Deity mention a Supercardioid polar pattern for the S-mic 3S and I thought Shotgun was not only a design but also a polar pattern.
@@davidayoun Ah yes, a common misconception. The same polar patterns are not always achieved the same way from different mics. A shotgun mic and a non-shotgun mic can both be described as super-cardioid, but they get there different ways. A shotgun mic uses an interference tube. And that interference tube can be somewhat problematic in some indoor situations (though less likely with a short shotgun like the S-Mic 3S).
@@curtisjuddthanks for responding. I missed the Schoeps sample. I was listening and not the watching video and didn't realize you had both on the video.
@@Brian-Hansen not sure, although it's such a new(ish) release by Rycote I'd be a little surprised if they're discontinuing it (or maybe it's not being as popular as they hoped it would be?)
I noticed BH also sells a matched pair. What is the advantage of getting a matched pair? It also has a slight discount per microphone with the matched pair.
Microphones don't all come out of the factory with the exact same specs or frequency response being electronic devices that they are. A matched pair is when the manufacturer takes two microphones that have the closet frequency response ( or whatever the term is) and pair them up so you get as close to the same sound as possible. I'm not sure if anyone could hear a difference in a pair of non-matched microphones but hey if you are going to get two of them you may as well get two that are very close to each other. People only worry about this when doing stereo recordings with two microphones usually. I am definitely in the market to get a matched pair of these Rycotes or the DPA mics one day.
Yes, primarily for stereo recordings where you want to ensure that both mics sound the same. Traditionally, mic manufacturers sell matched pairs for this purpose. Some manufacturers claim that their manufacturing tolerances are so tight that they don't need to sell matched pairs - any two copies should match.
loveit what are your thoughts about this mic recording instruments as duduk, wind wood based. mine is bass F key. currently use zoom h4n and Sara monic mic independently.
How would you say the Rode NTG-3 is for indoor and sound in-general? I use it for short films etc. but I rarely see it on lists among the best, so I wonder, is it good and high enough standard for films and television? I mean like big productions even like films for the cinema etc. I have a problem that it is so focused, so as soon as you get off-axis, the sound is not htat great, and sound coming form the side and back, sounds nasty as it is kind of rejecting the sound, but you can still clearly hear what they say, it is just that the sound is sounding different. Any thoughts or tips for this? Also: do you have a tutorial where you show how to use eq etc. to get great sound? I struggle a lot with post-production of the sound, and I have no idea how they get that suer good sound in movies. Is it possible with the NTG-3 and premiere pro, or what program is best for this, preferably something that a relativly inexpereinced person like me can understand and use (if there are any programs, effects etc.) Would be thankful for any tips Curtis 😀
The courses he sells for this are inexpensive and really great. Secret tip: Premiere Pro audio processing has almost all the same capabilities and quality as Adobe Audition (their dedicated DAW). So, if you can learn the Premiere Pro user interface for audio, you can do a lot using just Premiere Pro.
The NTG3 is a a good mic - seems like an attempt to copy the Sennheiser MKH416 - a classic shotgun microphone. If you keep in on axis and manage reverberation indoors, it can be fine indoors, but is really designed for outdoor use. Here's an EQ tutorial: ruclips.net/video/Jn6iB1SNvRQ/видео.html
thanks! could you test the sc-08 with the bd-10 and the rycote cyclone for M/S boom operations? it's the cheap alternative to schoeps and IMHO the only avail. figure-8 small condenser combination!
How do you compare the SC-08 against the CA-08? do you think the sc is better for indoor booming, I like the idea of buying a matching pair, but don't see that option on rycote page, but they have de CA-08 as Pair. We do a lot of double booming on set.
I prefer super-cardioid polar patterns for booming for dialogue. The matched pairs are usually aimed at stereo recording of music ensembles or ambiences. When booming for dialogue, I don't feel that a matched pair is critical.
Why a supercardiod as opposed to a hypercardioid? I’m currently using an audix scx-1 hc f (bought it for those projects where I cant rent a mhk50) for indoor booming and I’m loving it, how would you say this mic compares to that?
The line between the two can be a bit blurry, but hyper can be hard to aim and doesn’t leave much room for people to move around. But sometimes what one company calls hyper, another calls super. So…🤷♂️
@@curtisjudd yeah I see your point. The polar pattern looks very similar on paper. Any opinion on the audix scx1-hc compared to this rycote? (Thank you for always replying and being amazing at what you do btw!)
@@DrewProject It's been like 8 year since I used the Audix, but my recollection is that the self-noise of the Audix was a little bit more prominent than on the Rycote. But again, that was a LOONG time ago.
@@curtisjudd oh wow 8 years I didn’t realize that! I remember buying it because I really liked the sound from one of your reviews and I was tired of always having to rent a mkh50 when my 416 wouldn’t cut it. I’m extremely pleased with it and ive used it in many different environments and applications tbh, i even used it on an acoustic guitar alongside two large diaphragm mics to add some detail and faster transients and it worked perfectly. I’m thinking of adding something to leave on stands to capture a broader scene without a boom operator since I’ve moved to video for most my current shots. But maybe i could get away with a couple of cheapos like the rode nt5 for those non-scripted live events (probably better to have a cardioid than a super/hyper when i dont have a dedicated boom guy). Thanks again for all that you do man
is -23lufs a standard delivery level for the end product for these kind of talking videos? what lufs measurement? short, long term? thanks man! i’ve got an audiobook and some video narration work coming up and I know music production a lot better :)
It is the target delivery level for TV in many parts of the world. For online videos, such as on RUclips, I'd usually target closer to -17 or -16 LUFS, but kept it at -23 so you could hear how this mic sounds without any processing (like compression).
I don't know of any quality super cardioid (non shotgun) mics for less than the Rycote. But there are some cardioid pencil condensers which are decent. The RODE NT5 is worth a look. It has a wider polar pattern, but if you boom it within 40cm it is decent.
(At least on B&H) They have discontinued the single mic SKU and you can only buy them in a matched pair for stereo recording. A real bummer. It is still available in the single mic kit for $500 from Gotham and Trew , but I imagine once they sell out of current inventory it will not be restocked.
Rycote has really been pushing their weight. They have very high quality, very well designed microphones for their prices. This reminds me of Black Magic pocket cameras where you're paying a fair Bargen for what you're getting.
I own the HC-15 and I find that its unusable by police stations because it picks up scanners. Not saying its a bad mic because i love they sound of them and plan to pick up more. I had my HC-22 stolen from me on set and i plane to replace it
@@乾淨核能 Boom mics almost always sound more natural and "open." Lavaliers are fine tools, but 90+% of the time for interviews or talking head video, I prefer the sound of a good boom mic over a lavalier.
$500!? - it's hard for me to not get sticker shock, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. - what do you get for going from a perfectly adequate $200 short shotgun mic vs. something like this?
Why would you spend $500 on a lens vs a $200 lens? (in the grand scheme of things, $500 is still cheap for a mic! Cheaper than everything that's usually regarded as a professional microphone)
@@SoundSpeeding honestly, I wouldn't, and the price to performance differences in professional lenses has been something I haven't been able to grok since I got started with video in high school some 25 years ago. it just doesn't make sense. I'm pretty happy with my sigma stuff and my low end panasonic stuff.
@@joshhardin666 fair enough, but there are reasons why on some shoots I work on they might have the better part of a million dollars worth of lenses and a single $200 lens won't cut it
Great review. IMO I'm quite unimpressed with this mic. It's clean but sounds pretty thin. At that price point, Audio Technica is definitely much better sounding with dip switch and low pass. Even the Deity S-mic series sounds fuller and more pleasing and I would recommend the Deity over the Rycote, especially when the Deity is at a lower price point. The highs on the Rycote also sounded quite harsh.
@@curtisjudd That's true in terms of microphone design. But in terms of function for "Professional" Indoor Boom Mics, I just wished it sounded better. I noticed you haven't done Deity's new S-mic3s reviews. It'll be nice to compare. I have the S-mic2 and S-mic2s as my backup and have used both of them in professional indoor and outdoor settings. I'm a bit hesitant to use the Rycote for anything other than scratch mics. The design is cute I guess, and it's nice to have interchangeable capsule, but I haven't had a clients compliment any of my mics. I have, in my early career, had clients asked me why a particular dialogue/VO sounded so thin.
@@curtisjudd Schoeps are on a different level and they do sound very full! Thanks to your reviews, my current go tos are the Audio Technicas and I have their hypercardiod and omni capsules for dialogue and orchestra recordings. In some instances I even use at4047mp, that's favored by Tony Bennet, for VO when the camera isn't rolling. There's just something very intimate to the sound when close-miking a large diaphragm condenser, it could be that I transitioned more from a recording studio background. If you haven't and ever want to give at4047mp a try let me know. I think it'll sound really nice on your voice and give that "radio" character.
@@curtisjudd also apologies if I sound too critical on the Rycote. It's just that in professional situations, if a client wants any changes to the sound, all the other mics you and I mentioned have more room to eq and make adjustments. The Rycote is just missing some low mids and below, and it'll be hard to boost those frequencies if the client wants more umph to the sound.
's' hiss and 't' click rejection built into the mic it seems. But the comment about people starting in location sound is a bit funny on a mic of that sort of price level. Sure it is less than the really expensive things, but €900 for a mic is still steep IMO.
Even though the MKH50 has a touch more base (juuuuuuuust a touch to my ears) it sounds a little muddy compared to the SC-08. The SC-08 is more clear and not hurting my ears~
@@SoundSpeedinghaven’t used the 4018. The Schoeps usually sounds pretty rough coming into the mixer on many voices, but cleans up well with some work in post.
Uh.. yeah. Affordable is a relative term. Some boom mics can be thousands of dollars. Pro mics are usually above 1k. Usually mics can be bought once and used for the rest of your career, so the price is an upfront investment. Sure it’s not affordable for the average joe just getting started, but the average joe just getting started probably shouldn’t invest in a boom setup.
he is not saying is cheap, I thinks is correct to say affordable, for a professional sound person cheap will be around 100 to 200, affordable around 500 and expensive over 1000. for someone who is not working on the industry 50 buck could be expensive, why do you even care to buy a mic, when to cellphone already record audio? right? affordable mean something different for each one of us, have a great day.
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you know you're a sound guy when the video starts and my ears get blown because the audio is so good and crisp and full compared to any other video i watch on youtube.
🎙️❤️
The off-axis is quite impressive, overall sound is sweet, will be adding this to my kit. Thanks.
You're welcome and happy recording!
I got a pair of Behringer C-2 mics and they are brilliant. Dirt cheap. sound great. I'm pretty sure they're marketed as drum mics for overhead but I use them for video - recording dialogue most of the time.
Cool 👍
What I liked is the case. Looks high quality and cloth lined. That is very important. Lots of cases come with foam that degrades over time and can totally ruin the capsule.
I did like the sound and for the price is a no brainer.
What i like even more and is cheaper is the oktava MK-012
👍 The Oktava is an impressive mic for its price, but I often ran into two issues with it: 1) when hand-booming, it transferred every tiny movement to the capsule, even with a good shock mount and 2) it does something a little strange in the sibilance range. That can be fine for some voices, but it sounds oddly pinched on some voices.
Thank you so much for doing this review on the SC-08. I’ve owned one since they hit the market and am very pleased with it.
Glad to hear its working well for you!
I'm kind of curious about how this and the cardioid version combine with the new Rycote figure-eight in MS pairs and DMS triplets. I have the 8030, 8040, and 8050 so it's more of an academic curiosity at this point, though.
This Rycote sounds pretty good on the whole. I prefer the MKH50's sound, but the Rycote doesn't get blown out of the water by any stretch. I would remark that in addition to limited low end it also doesn't go as high as the MKH, and its pattern seems to not be as stable out towards 90 deg. I'm not a fan of the 641's "default" voicing, but I recognize that I'm in a minority there.
RF rejection is about more than shielding, obviously. It would be interesting to see how this stacks up against the RF-biased Sennheisers in more challenging conditions (against signal sweeps instead of just a single frequency, for example). I'd also be curious to see how it handles humidity, though I guess for indoor boom use that's not such a huge deal.
All great questions, thanks Patrick.
I bought my Rycote SC-08 in May of 2023 from B&H for $649. It was $649 everywhere when it was released. Around 4 to 6 months ago I noticed B&H was selling it for $499, while everywhere else it was still $649. I just checked and it's now $499 everywhere with the exception of Location Sound in North Hollywood. I guess they haven't gotten the memo yet. You can't predict that a new-ish microphone is going to price drop like that and I have no regrets. Still worth it and it performed fantastic on all of those earlier shoots. I like to tell people that "The microphone doesn't know how much you paid for it. It either sounds great or doesn't." The SC-08 sounds great.
👍
I'm on the lookout for an indoor mic and I'll see if this will be it for me. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome and best wishes on your search. 🎙
Great review, thanks Curtis. Your educational stuff has been immensely helpful to me, but your reviews are my comfort food. 😀
🎙❤️
This is what we’ve been waiting for! A decent priced indoor boom mic that sounds good. Thanks Curtis
Hi Andrew! Indeed! 🎤
@@curtisjuddHi Curtis 😊
Hope you one day do a review of the Sanken CS-M1, great little mic
Me too. Just don’t have the budget to buy it at the moment.
Thanks! Been waiting for your review of this mic. I really like what Rycote is doing.
👍
Baby Schoeps for sure. Beautiful sounding mic. Always great reviews.
👍
Schoeps is awesome
Brutally honest awesome. 😎
Its sounds great. Thank you for doing this review!
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I'm not professional audio engineer but, got my stereo pair for orchestra recording with ORTF setup with zoom f3, and IMO, sc-08 is very sentivie and has relatively low self noise level. Thanks for good review.
👍
This series of Rycote shotguns and pencil mics are impressive, especially for the price-point.
👍
I Curtis, i love your videos. I'm asking myself why are you never talking about Neumann KM series in this channel ?
Thanks for all your advices 🤗
I can't afford them. I spent all my money on DPA and Sennheiser LOL
@@curtisjudd OMG you bought every single mics that you tested on this channel!?? I thought brands did send some to you for testing and making a review 😰
@@Guitopati Yes, the cheap ones are sent to me, the expensive ones I have to buy.
Great video as always Curtis! This would seem perfect for a corporate multi-person interview type of shoot and to be honest, I don't think the client will be able to tell the difference between these and the mkh50. Now to decide whether to buy a second mkh50 or two of these, heh heh. We are so lucky to have mics like this financially accessible.
Agreed! 👍
Curtis, is the Sennheiser MKH50 or Rycote SC-08 better for muddy voices? Ty!
Hi Glen, the Rycote might be a bit more neutral. Its hard to tell without actually recording the voice into both, but starting with a more neutral mic like the SC-08 should get your a good recording you can EQ if needed.
@@curtisjudd Thanks so much! Enjoy General Conference.
Would you feel like the pattern wouldn't be comparable for on camera doc capture? Love the small form factor...
It could work. Not quite as directional as longer shotgun mics so it'd probably pick up a bit more ambient sound.
This may be an odd comparison, but how do you think this compares to the MKE 600? Still in the budget category, it's what I use most of the time but looking to upgrade.
This is not as bass heavy as the MKE600, but seems to handle transients better than the MKE600 - is a little better controlled in the higher frequencies.
This is one of the microphones I have been looking at getting along with the DPA ST2012 for my nature recordings. The Rycote matched pair would be about $500 cheaper and I already have the HC-15 shotgun microphone and am impressed with the sound they produce. Rycote seem to have tremendous bang for the buck at the moment and even though I would love to have a set of Sennheisers or DPAs it's hard to not be drawn to the Rycotes for the performance and value. Thanks for this review, they are pretty hard to come by on RUclips for this micrphone.
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Curtis, your opinion of this new Røde versus the Audix SCX1? I have always considered my Audix my poor man's CMC 641.
You mean the Rycote? It has been a long time since I used the Audix and I seem to remember it produced a touch more self-noise than some of the others I compared it to at the time. So it is hard to say, but I can say this: If you're getting good results with your SCX1, then stick with it!
@@curtisjudd Yes, Sorry Rycote! I'm not used to Rycote making mics yet ;-)
@@danbrockettDOP👍
I'm quite glad you did a comparison of this microphone to some fairly high end microphones and it does a good job when compared to them. This will certainly provide great information for anyone looking for a good indoor dialog microphone on a budget. My favorite still has to be the MKH50, even though it was much more expensive, but I feel I have the best indoor mic for the type of work that I do now.
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But with the cost of the MKH-50 being almost three times as much as the SC-08, does it even sound twice as good? I would say not. Enter the law of diminishing returns.
I have a pair of CA-08 and really like them. I thought Rycote claim they make these and the SC mics in the UK rather than Portland?
They used to be but have since been acquired by another company and moved manufacturing to Portland.
@@curtisjudd Ah, interesting. Need to pay more attention to the news. A little bit of British audio pride just died inside 🤣
@@bangsmash Not to worry. In the transaction, the creator of Rycote started another British audio company. 😉
Hi @bangsmash! Just a quick note: Rycote microphones are made in Portland, while all other Rycote products are manufactured in our UK factory located in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
FYI Just used the B&H link and that outlet is showing this mic as “Discontinued.” Now only available as a stereo pair for US$900
Thanks for letting me know. It is still available as a single microphone at Gotham Sound.
Hey, I’m in between buying the zoom F6 or the H6e… which one would u recemend? Thanks : )
I'd go with the F6.
@@curtisjudd
Hi Curtis,
Please pardon my ignorance but what is the duffence between Lufs and Db?
Cheers,
John
This should help: ruclips.net/video/nOzZKEWJ5wk/видео.htmlfeature=shared
I must say, this mic sounds impressive. Tom Buck is a big proponent of of the MKH-50, but if you can get extremely close for less than half the price, this mic is absolutely worth it. For talking head vids, this will be great just boomed out of frame. In case of VO or when mic in frame doesn't matter, the RE-20 will be my go to.
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Thanks!
Excellent review.
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You should check out the sE electronics sE8, the performance to price ratio will scare you
Would like to some time. But I usually prefer super cardioid for booming.
@@curtisjudd they come with interchangeable capsules, omni, cardoid and hyper
Thanks for this excellent as always review Curtis ☺️ I really like the flat, faithful sound of this one. I had the MKH8050 and AT4053B and sold them. I didn’t really love the sound and/ or usability of either of them, especially given the price of the Senny… I think this guy really finds a gap in the market for supers, of which there just aren’t that many around.
Indeed. 👍
great info as usual, Curtis! Based on this review I was excited to get the SC-08, but your B&H link was showing a Special Order item only and has since shown it as Discontinued. Is it still in production? I’m looking at Trew Audio as an alternate source for my purchase
I contacted B&H directly and Mark S. from their sales team said they “will not be selling them singly”. So, only in matched pairs
@@dorianvocalartist yes, the stereo pair version of the Rycote SC-08 is still available on B&H.
You might check Trew Audio or Gotham Sound if you’re in the US.
This is an improved Audix mic. I would like to test it one day to see how much you can push the EQ on it and how does it cope with tone matching. So far I was reluctant to get one and still am. Nothing compared to Sennheiser MKH series in my tests. I need one more mic with a different tonality but somehow similar response to MKH series but so far I didn’t find one.
Do you mean that Audix and Rycote work with each other?
And this is not that. This is closer in sound to the Schoeps, to my ears.
@@wiktorskrzypczynski6514 yes
How would it stack up against the Octava 12?
The Oktava MK-012 doesn’t have a Supercardioid capsule. Only cardioid, hypercardioid and omni. Since the Sennheiser MKH-50 is a Supercardioid like the Rycote SC-08, its polar pattern is a direct comparison.
I agree with @danniv13. Also, I found the Octave to have some odd things in the sibilant frequencies and to be VERY sensitive to movements, so not great on a hand held boom pole. But it does sound quite good if mainly booming on a fixed boom pole.
Can you review Takstar CM-60 and CM-63?)
They’re obviously oems of AKG P170, and ATH 4053b, but i’m curious how well they are compared
I don't think the Takstar CM-63 is an OEM of the AT4053b, not at that price!
@@SoundSpeeding at least he’s trying, don’t bully him((
Alluring is the right word. Every time I hear the MKH50 and it's sultry bass heavy sound. But oof, that cost. I think I like the sound of the AT better, but I like the Rycote's coverage for sure. And like you said, you can work with what's recorded in post.
👍
Hi, thank you very much for this review. I didn’t know this very small super-cardio mic. I was wondering how was it compare to the new Deity S-mic 3s which is even cheaper and with a larger frequency response (50hz-20khz) than the Rycote (70hz-20khz). And they have the same self noise (12db). Both are super-cardioid indoor microphone. The Deity is little longer but light.
So I am very much hesitating.
I am surprised to see very less reviews on deity mics.
Would you be able to compare them in a review of the Deity S-mic 3S ?
Thank you very much.
The DEITY is a shotgun design while the Rycote SC-08 is not. You can use them both indoors, but I’d keep the shotgun for outdoors.
@@curtisjudd Thank you for your answer 🙏🏻 . I was confused because Deity mention a Supercardioid polar pattern for the S-mic 3S and I thought Shotgun was not only a design but also a polar pattern.
@@davidayoun Ah yes, a common misconception. The same polar patterns are not always achieved the same way from different mics. A shotgun mic and a non-shotgun mic can both be described as super-cardioid, but they get there different ways. A shotgun mic uses an interference tube. And that interference tube can be somewhat problematic in some indoor situations (though less likely with a short shotgun like the S-Mic 3S).
@@curtisjudd Thank you 🙏🏻
Do you think this will mix in well with a Schoeps CMC641? Currently I am using a Jolly Mod Oktava MK-012 Film Edition as my second indoor mic.
Yes, seems like it based on the samples here.
@@curtisjuddthanks for responding. I missed the Schoeps sample. I was listening and not the watching video and didn't realize you had both on the video.
@@mrshaheedmalik No worries, friend. 👍
Hi Curtis, on B&H the mic says discontinued and on several other sites it says out of stock. So what’s up? Is it not available any more?
The stereo pair version of the Rycote SC-08 is still available on B&H.
@@SoundSpeeding Thanks, so is the mic on the way to being discontinued? Or is it a new product?
@@Brian-Hansen not sure, although it's such a new(ish) release by Rycote I'd be a little surprised if they're discontinuing it (or maybe it's not being as popular as they hoped it would be?)
The SC-08 is available at pro sound shops like Gotham Sound in the US. Looks like this is just a B&H thing.
I noticed BH also sells a matched pair. What is the advantage of getting a matched pair? It also has a slight discount per microphone with the matched pair.
Microphones don't all come out of the factory with the exact same specs or frequency response being electronic devices that they are. A matched pair is when the manufacturer takes two microphones that have the closet frequency response ( or whatever the term is) and pair them up so you get as close to the same sound as possible. I'm not sure if anyone could hear a difference in a pair of non-matched microphones but hey if you are going to get two of them you may as well get two that are very close to each other. People only worry about this when doing stereo recordings with two microphones usually. I am definitely in the market to get a matched pair of these Rycotes or the DPA mics one day.
Yes, primarily for stereo recordings where you want to ensure that both mics sound the same. Traditionally, mic manufacturers sell matched pairs for this purpose. Some manufacturers claim that their manufacturing tolerances are so tight that they don't need to sell matched pairs - any two copies should match.
@@dag221 Thank you!
@@curtisjudd Thank you!
loveit what are your thoughts about this mic recording instruments as duduk, wind wood based. mine is bass F key. currently use zoom h4n and Sara monic mic independently.
Worth a try (but have to be honest, I don't have experience recording duduk)
How would you say the Rode NTG-3 is for indoor and sound in-general? I use it for short films etc. but I rarely see it on lists among the best, so I wonder, is it good and high enough standard for films and television? I mean like big productions even like films for the cinema etc. I have a problem that it is so focused, so as soon as you get off-axis, the sound is not htat great, and sound coming form the side and back, sounds nasty as it is kind of rejecting the sound, but you can still clearly hear what they say, it is just that the sound is sounding different. Any thoughts or tips for this?
Also: do you have a tutorial where you show how to use eq etc. to get great sound? I struggle a lot with post-production of the sound, and I have no idea how they get that suer good sound in movies. Is it possible with the NTG-3 and premiere pro, or what program is best for this, preferably something that a relativly inexpereinced person like me can understand and use (if there are any programs, effects etc.) Would be thankful for any tips Curtis 😀
The courses he sells for this are inexpensive and really great. Secret tip: Premiere Pro audio processing has almost all the same capabilities and quality as Adobe Audition (their dedicated DAW). So, if you can learn the Premiere Pro user interface for audio, you can do a lot using just Premiere Pro.
The NTG3 is a shotgun mic for outdoor use.
@@danniv13 I have used the NTG3 indoors, and it is adequate. However, I love the AT 4053b better indoors.
The NTG3 is a a good mic - seems like an attempt to copy the Sennheiser MKH416 - a classic shotgun microphone. If you keep in on axis and manage reverberation indoors, it can be fine indoors, but is really designed for outdoor use.
Here's an EQ tutorial: ruclips.net/video/Jn6iB1SNvRQ/видео.html
thanks! could you test the sc-08 with the bd-10 and the rycote cyclone for M/S boom operations? it's the cheap alternative to schoeps and IMHO the only avail. figure-8 small condenser combination!
Unfortunately I don’t have the cyclone for this set 🙁
@@curtisjudd would you have/get the bd-10? I think it would be very interesting for filmmakers to even hear about M/S in a boom!
@@mkropfbe Yes: ruclips.net/user/lives5SaUFB7n_g?feature=shared
@@curtisjudd wow, I missed that one! you are the best! :)
It’s already discontinued at B&H, what’s the replacement?
It is still available in the US, for example, at Gotham Sound: www.gothamsound.com/search?result=rycote%20sc-08
Hey one of the links you posted for this mic says this mic as been discontinued The link that goes to B&H
Thanks.
How do you compare the SC-08 against the CA-08? do you think the sc is better for indoor booming, I like the idea of buying a matching pair, but don't see that option on rycote page, but they have de CA-08 as Pair. We do a lot of double booming on set.
I prefer super-cardioid polar patterns for booming for dialogue. The matched pairs are usually aimed at stereo recording of music ensembles or ambiences. When booming for dialogue, I don't feel that a matched pair is critical.
How would you say this compares to a Rode NTg2, NTG5, or a Sennheiser MKE600?
This doesn’t use an interference tube design. Looks like I need to make a video on the difference.
@@curtisjudd yes please! Thank you!
Why a supercardiod as opposed to a hypercardioid? I’m currently using an audix scx-1 hc f (bought it for those projects where I cant rent a mhk50) for indoor booming and I’m loving it, how would you say this mic compares to that?
The line between the two can be a bit blurry, but hyper can be hard to aim and doesn’t leave much room for people to move around. But sometimes what one company calls hyper, another calls super. So…🤷♂️
@@curtisjudd yeah I see your point. The polar pattern looks very similar on paper. Any opinion on the audix scx1-hc compared to this rycote? (Thank you for always replying and being amazing at what you do btw!)
@@DrewProject It's been like 8 year since I used the Audix, but my recollection is that the self-noise of the Audix was a little bit more prominent than on the Rycote. But again, that was a LOONG time ago.
@@curtisjudd oh wow 8 years I didn’t realize that! I remember buying it because I really liked the sound from one of your reviews and I was tired of always having to rent a mkh50 when my 416 wouldn’t cut it. I’m extremely pleased with it and ive used it in many different environments and applications tbh, i even used it on an acoustic guitar alongside two large diaphragm mics to add some detail and faster transients and it worked perfectly. I’m thinking of adding something to leave on stands to capture a broader scene without a boom operator since I’ve moved to video for most my current shots. But maybe i could get away with a couple of cheapos like the rode nt5 for those non-scripted live events (probably better to have a cardioid than a super/hyper when i dont have a dedicated boom guy). Thanks again for all that you do man
Between this $500 Rycote for indoor dialogue and the $1000 DPA 2017 for outdoor work that would make a well rounded basic kit for $1500
Indeed. 👍
I would like to see one video for outdoor mics 🎉
Coming soon.
is -23lufs a standard delivery level for the end product for these kind of talking videos? what lufs measurement? short, long term? thanks man! i’ve got an audiobook and some video narration work coming up and I know music production a lot better :)
It is the target delivery level for TV in many parts of the world. For online videos, such as on RUclips, I'd usually target closer to -17 or -16 LUFS, but kept it at -23 so you could hear how this mic sounds without any processing (like compression).
What’s the difference of a indoor boom mic vs outdoor?
Short answer: Interference tube design on outdoor shotgun mics.
Would you be kindly list out some good boom mics that is affordable that I can pick up? maybe 1 to 5 I believe this will help everybody
I think the video just did that? Or did you mean something else?
Less expensive options? Maybe less than $500 USD?
@@curtisjudd yes, I meant something else
I don't know of any quality super cardioid (non shotgun) mics for less than the Rycote. But there are some cardioid pencil condensers which are decent. The RODE NT5 is worth a look. It has a wider polar pattern, but if you boom it within 40cm it is decent.
What stand would you recommend for this mic? Something nice but not crazy expensive
Boom stand? Maybe check out this livestream where we covered stands: ruclips.net/user/liveyKzBKjschB0?feature=shared
Thank you.
That is quite nice
Yeah, not bad. 👍 Thanks for coming by!
(At least on B&H) They have discontinued the single mic SKU and you can only buy them in a matched pair for stereo recording. A real bummer. It is still available in the single mic kit for $500 from Gotham and Trew , but I imagine once they sell out of current inventory it will not be restocked.
I hope they still carry it at the pro shops.
I saw this too and I'm completely bummed out since these are decent microphones.
@ still available at Gotham Sound and Trew Audio.
Rycote has really been pushing their weight. They have very high quality, very well designed microphones for their prices. This reminds me of Black Magic pocket cameras where you're paying a fair Bargen for what you're getting.
👍
I own the HC-15 and I find that its unusable by police stations because it picks up scanners. Not saying its a bad mic because i love they sound of them and plan to pick up more. I had my HC-22 stolen from me on set and i plane to replace it
Interesting - good to know!
thank you!!
You're welcome 👍
@@curtisjudd may I ask what is the scenario/use case to choose a indoor boom mic over a lavalier mic? Thank you
@@乾淨核能 Boom mics almost always sound more natural and "open." Lavaliers are fine tools, but 90+% of the time for interviews or talking head video, I prefer the sound of a good boom mic over a lavalier.
@@curtisjudd thank you!! really appreciated!!
$500!? - it's hard for me to not get sticker shock, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. - what do you get for going from a perfectly adequate $200 short shotgun mic vs. something like this?
RF immunity, great handling noise rejection/performance and in most cases, less colored sound.
@@curtisjudd thank you!
Why would you spend $500 on a lens vs a $200 lens?
(in the grand scheme of things, $500 is still cheap for a mic! Cheaper than everything that's usually regarded as a professional microphone)
@@SoundSpeeding honestly, I wouldn't, and the price to performance differences in professional lenses has been something I haven't been able to grok since I got started with video in high school some 25 years ago. it just doesn't make sense. I'm pretty happy with my sigma stuff and my low end panasonic stuff.
@@joshhardin666 fair enough, but there are reasons why on some shoots I work on they might have the better part of a million dollars worth of lenses and a single $200 lens won't cut it
sounds good compared to the rest and definitely not $900 dollars in difference from the MKH50.
👍
I was wondering if "affordable" can mix with "professional" at all?
Seems like it in this case.
Yes, I'd call it "prosumer" (consumer + professional)
Great review. IMO I'm quite unimpressed with this mic. It's clean but sounds pretty thin. At that price point, Audio Technica is definitely much better sounding with dip switch and low pass. Even the Deity S-mic series sounds fuller and more pleasing and I would recommend the Deity over the Rycote, especially when the Deity is at a lower price point. The highs on the Rycote also sounded quite harsh.
All fair but DEITY doesn’t have a non-shotgun pencil condenser mic as far as I am aware.
@@curtisjudd That's true in terms of microphone design. But in terms of function for "Professional" Indoor Boom Mics, I just wished it sounded better. I noticed you haven't done Deity's new S-mic3s reviews. It'll be nice to compare. I have the S-mic2 and S-mic2s as my backup and have used both of them in professional indoor and outdoor settings. I'm a bit hesitant to use the Rycote for anything other than scratch mics.
The design is cute I guess, and it's nice to have interchangeable capsule, but I haven't had a clients compliment any of my mics. I have, in my early career, had clients asked me why a particular dialogue/VO sounded so thin.
@@PaprTape Then stay away from the Schoeps as well. 😉
@@curtisjudd Schoeps are on a different level and they do sound very full!
Thanks to your reviews, my current go tos are the Audio Technicas and I have their hypercardiod and omni capsules for dialogue and orchestra recordings. In some instances I even use at4047mp, that's favored by Tony Bennet, for VO when the camera isn't rolling. There's just something very intimate to the sound when close-miking a large diaphragm condenser, it could be that I transitioned more from a recording studio background.
If you haven't and ever want to give at4047mp a try let me know. I think it'll sound really nice on your voice and give that "radio" character.
@@curtisjudd also apologies if I sound too critical on the Rycote. It's just that in professional situations, if a client wants any changes to the sound, all the other mics you and I mentioned have more room to eq and make adjustments. The Rycote is just missing some low mids and below, and it'll be hard to boost those frequencies if the client wants more umph to the sound.
I just looked and this one is discontinued.
Hmm, not according to Rycote.
499$, damn, sounds awesome!... "checks the price here in Finland".... 839€... ouch..
🤕
's' hiss and 't' click rejection built into the mic it seems. But the comment about people starting in location sound is a bit funny on a mic of that sort of price level. Sure it is less than the really expensive things, but €900 for a mic is still steep IMO.
Was referring to US price. I don’t know why the EUR price is so much higher.
Even though the MKH50 has a touch more base (juuuuuuuust a touch to my ears) it sounds a little muddy compared to the SC-08. The SC-08 is more clear and not hurting my ears~
👍
It is discontinued 😮
Look at Gotham Sound or Trew Audio in the US.
860 euros in France...
€€€€
What is your top 3 indoor microphones, regardless of price?
Sennheiser MKH50 is number one. I don't know what 2 and three are, there are too many options.
@@curtisjudd surely at least one of 2nd or 3rd would be a DPA or a Schoeps?
@@SoundSpeedinghaven’t used the 4018. The Schoeps usually sounds pretty rough coming into the mixer on many voices, but cleans up well with some work in post.
You call a 500$ mic affordable?
Uh.. yeah. Affordable is a relative term. Some boom mics can be thousands of dollars. Pro mics are usually above 1k. Usually mics can be bought once and used for the rest of your career, so the price is an upfront investment. Sure it’s not affordable for the average joe just getting started, but the average joe just getting started probably shouldn’t invest in a boom setup.
One of the reference on film set microphone is mkh50. Easy to match with his long brother mkh 416.
The Mkh50 cost new 1700€, mkh 416 is 900€.
he is not saying is cheap, I thinks is correct to say affordable, for a professional sound person cheap will be around 100 to 200, affordable around 500 and expensive over 1000. for someone who is not working on the industry 50 buck could be expensive, why do you even care to buy a mic, when to cellphone already record audio? right? affordable mean something different for each one of us, have a great day.
Mics don't go out of style. If you take care of a mic, it will last decades.
For a professional tool, yes. All of the other pro-grade mics compared here are substantially more expensive.
01:00 $500 - Ha ha ha ha ha! I don't have to listen to any more. (I should just skip anything that says Professional.)
Ok.