The Schoeps SuperCMIT 2 U Shotgun Microphone is paired with the Mini-DA42 Digital to Analog Converter to give you a microphone setup that combines analog shotgun microphone design with built-in digital signal processing. The microphone is powered by the Mini-DA42 digital to analog converter which converts the digital signals from the microphone into analog signals for recording. The system utilizes proprietary Illusonic DSP algorithms to emphasize discrete sound, improve directivity, and increase range. The digital shotgun microphone can provide up to a 9 dB greater reduction ratio of diffuse sound than the original analog Schoeps CMIT5U shotgun microphone.
The microphone has two separate output channels and utilizes two separate transducer capsules. One channel is for the analog CMIT5U shotgun capsule. It provides the same signal as the original Schoeps CMIT5U analog shotgun microphone.
The other channel is for the SuperCMIT signal. The SuperCMIT signal utilizes both the CMIT5U shotgun microphone capsule and a backward facing cardioid capsule designed to capture ambient sound. The two signals from the shotgun capsule and the backward facing cardioid capsule are processed with Illusonic's algorithms through the microphone's built-in DSP. This determines what sounds are diffuse such as street and room noise and what sounds are direct such as the music or dialog being recorded. The DSP subtracts the diffuse ambient sound from the direct sound to improve the overall directivity and range of the microphone. A preset button on the microphone with an LED indicator light allows you to adjust the directivity of the channel. The presets allow you to reduce the diffuse sound by 11 dB or by 15 dB for applications requiring even more directivity.
- Filtering
- The microphone features the same +5 dB at 10 kHz high frequency boost and 18 dB/octave below 80 Hz low-pass filters found in the CMIT5U analog shotgun microphone. Red and green LED indicator lights show the status of the filters
- Input Gain
- By quickly pressing the filter and preset buttons twice in succession, +30 dB of gain may be added to the microphone or reset to the original value of 0 dB
- Limiter
- Firmware version 2.0 of the microphone includes a limiter to protect the device from being overloaded when gain boost is active
- Digital Phantom Power
- To operate, the microphone requires 10 V 170 mA of digital phantom power, which is supplied by the MINI-DA 42 digital to analog converter box
- Digital Converter Output
- The MINI-DA 42 digital to analog converter box outputs the microphone signal in both the raw unprocessed signal of the analog CMIT5U capsule and the combined digitally processed signal of the CMIT5U capsule and backward facing cardioid capsule in AES42 interface format. The inputs and outputs are connected through a Sub-D breakout cable