FEATURES:

• Pure pressure-gradient transducer with figure-of-eight pattern
• Directional pickup nearly independent of frequency
• Main axis: radial (pickup perpendicular to the microphone body)

The MK 8/CCM 8 is a true dipole transducer, operating with a single diaphragm. The main axis of its bidirectional pickup lies at right angles to its cylindrical axis, and is marked at 0° and 180° with a red and a black dot respectively.

When M-S stereo recordings are made, the 0° axis faces to the left, as viewed from behind the microphone setup. The "8" engraved on the top of the housing is aligned on its side so as to appear horizontal, at a precise right angle to the "Mid" capsule or microphone. The latter is then positioned directly above or below the MK 8/CCM 8, with their connectors aligned (the MK 8/CCM 8 will protrude).

The inherent qualities of a pure pressure-gradient transducer are readily observed in this design:

• Its sensitivity decreases at low frequencies
• The directional characteristic (see polar diagram), and also the random-energy efficiency, are extraordinarily independent of frequency
• The proximity effect is present.

The sound quality of the MK 8 is clear and neutral. For the sake of a polar pattern that remains largely independent of frequency, the response at and above 16 kHz is intentionally limited. When an MK 8 capsule is used as a spot microphone, care must be taken to avoid picking up early reflections or unwanted direct sound from its rear, since sound arriving from the back of the capsule is picked up with full intensity but reversed in polarity. This could result in an attenuation of the SPL, or even produce comb-filter effects at higher frequencies.

A typical and interesting application of the MK 8, for which it is ideally suited, is as the "S" channel of an "M-S" stereo setup. As an X-Y pair, MK 8s crossed at 90° are also ideal (the "Blumlein" stereo setup).

MK 8
Dimensions:
     length: 34 mm
     diameter: 20 mm
Weight: 18 g

CCM 8
Dimensions:
     length: 57 mm
     diameter: 20 mm
Weight: 34 g

MK 8/CCM 8 on-axis frequency response

MK 8/CCM 8 Polar Diagram

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