The t.bone EM800 - A Bargain Buy - Even LESS than the SC140!!!
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
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The t.bone EM800 is a very cheap pencil microphone that punches above its price.
As usual with Thomann products, the packaging is really good and it comes in a plastic case with a mount and a foamie.
It has a big sound and requires very little gain in comparison to my other pencil mics, so if you have a noisy kind of preamp, this one punches out quite a signal to help overcome preamp noise.
It won't record as loud sounds as the sc140 and has no pads or bass cuts on it. it's a basic microphone, double the weight of the sc140 but for anyone on a real budget, I think that this one is a real cracker in terms of sound.
Its bass presence matches my SE8, but just has a little more self noise. It's a super cardioid although in my test, I felt like I was listening to something more like a cardioid when I heard my video played back. In any case, it did well on the boom and that extra bass weight that it has in its sound helped it retain a rather nice fullness. - Навчання та стиль
Ian, you've been killing it with these t.bone product reviews. Another video well done. I'm proud to be your 4th subscriber.
Thanks Allen. I’m chuffed you even became a subscriber! Thanks. Watching my first videos makes me want to crawl up a wall!! I literally had to force myself to even speak. The daft thing is that I have been in front of microphones for 38 years but not the face or my accent ...... 😁
Actually, someone brought you up in my live stream on pencil mics at 46’30”!
Wow the the t.bone EM 800 seems to be perfect for filming interviews it's pretty impressive! Thx for this video I just made a purchase for my kit and doing interior dialogue recording.
Yes, it’s a nice little mic.
An outstanding review, thank you
Thanks for watching it Daniele.
A bit late but I listened on a Samsung tablet and I am impressed on the EM... Thanx for your usefull video.
Another great review Ian. Good stuff, mate.
Thank you Mr Business.
@@iancraig I listened to the review while I was driving my daughter to school, ten minutes ago. Even in the car with traffic noise, I could hear a difference. I just got home now so I’ll listen again with good cans. Ian, you should consider creating a video where you subjectively rank all the microphones...something akin to a top 10 list...because I believe not only would it be popular, but genuinely helpful to people who are new to audio and just want to be guided on what to buy. Thanks again for making these videos. Stay safe. Steve from Adelaide.
Thank you Steve.
A top ten list is really difficult because mics behave so differently in different conditions, boomed, I quite like the se8. Outdoors or handheld, I prefer the sc140.
Then again, I love the richness of the Oktava mk012. It’s quite difficult to choose one over the other actually.
The best all rounder I think is the se8. Generally, it provides a nice, big sound and is low noise so you can do a lot with it. It’s also at a ‘reasonable’ price. Go much higher and you pay quite a lot more for subtle differences tbh so it sits in a sweet spot.
Real budget mics are great, but generally, they just don’t have the subtle richness of the more expensive ones. For sime, it’s too subtle to worry about or they don’t hear the differences perhaps, so a budget option makes sense. It also depends what you are watching the videos on.
Another one I really like is the Oktava mk012. It has a rich sound which just doesn’t sound like it came from such a small mic! Then again, it’s starting to become a bit expensive and probably ott for most video makers.
Hi! Can you make a noise test of both mics? I mean recording silence and adding like +15 or even more gain to compare the noise floor. The SC140 seems to be very silent but how about EM800?
I don't have an sE 8, but I like both a lot of t.bone and a lot of sE microphones. I'm looking for a microphone to put on a boom for indoor use, and I might try the EM-800 for this. Thanks for the comparison!
Glad it was useful.
Ian, I am thinking of buying the EM800 for shooting indoor dialogue for a Web series drama we will be shooting. I have a longer Boya by 6060L shotgun for exteriors but it seems to generate a fair amount of self noise with my Tascam DR60 Mk2. I don't believe the 80db ratio quoted in the mic specs. I'm not sure how much is room tone and how much is self noise. Can you recommend a method to objectively measure mic self noise? I believe the DR60 has fairly clean preamp for our purpose. Any suggestions appreciated.
I sometimes find noise specs difficult to believe. The EM800 isn’t the quietest. Personally, I would go for the t.bone 140. Very nice mic and quieter. Better sound as well. This one veers towards boominess.
The only way I can test noise myself, without testing equipment is to simply comparatively compare them. On the same recorder. Sometimes, I think that what we hear more is the ‘pitch’ of the noise rather than the amount!
If I have a noisy mic, I often use a noise gate that just shuts down 6dB on the threshold. That way, noise gets reduced. Failing that … use the noise gate to shut out all background and add room ambience in post, very low down. More post work which is annoying, but can help with cheap mics.
@@iancraig Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try the noise gate idea and maybe I can salvage the noisy mic on exteriors. I may be adding exterior ambience to try and match it between cuts anyway. Thanks again
Ian, must be the 5th time I've watched this video which seems to be the only objective comparison of these mics on UA-cam. Thanks for the invaluable information. I do however still have one question. I'll be recording scripted dialog of 2 or 3 people in a living room with a boom, repeating takes for CU on each. In your opinion, would the cardiod pattern of the Sc140 be problematic? The EM 800 seems to be a bit tighter than the 140, but not as focused as many super cardiod mics. I'm concerned about not being able to isolate each actors dialog effectively with the sc140. Any opinions or info much appreciated.
My own preference would be the sc140, mainly based on sound. Less self noise and less boomy than the em800.
In a room, I don’t think either would properly isolate someone’s voice. Too much bouncing around off ceiling and walls. If you are booming, then getting the mic close will be the key to isolation more than the polar pattern, I think.
Many people forget that a super cardioid has a lobe on the back. When you boom, the back is pointing at the ceiling and so can pick up reflections from there.
@@iancraig Thanks Ian, I suppose as many boom ops say, 80% skill and 20% equipment. I've read that others have used the 140 successfully for indoor video dialog, so I think I'll pull the trigger on it. Thanks for your advice.
Yes, it is more reliant on placement than anything else. At least with a cardioid, the back is relatively deaf, so point it directly away from any reflective surfaces. Boom operators tend to only point downwards but you can angle the mic to avoid reflections. They just need to keep an eye on surroundings.
@@iancraig Thanks Ian
Thanks for these reviews! Which one is better between this and the Behringer B5 for booming? I'm gonna use it for indoor interviews
They are quite different in sound. This one has a more bassy sound than the B5 and gives a much higher volume than most other mics at the same volume level. I would say that the B5 is crisper but lower in volume. Even better ... the t.bone sc140.
@@iancraig Thank you!
@@iancraig I see from specs that sc140 should be even quieter than B5 I am familiar with and already is a pretty quiet microphone. Is that difference noticeable in practice?
I’m not certain Alessandro. I think the sc140 is a better sounding mic.
@@iancraig Thank you very much!
Ian! you can unscrew the capsule on the SC140.
No, unfortunately it’s fixed but the next one I’m doing has three capsules. The Oktava 012.
Yes you can, its not fixed, just try , it comes off nicely!
Great. Have you got capsules that fit it? I misread your comment actually. I thought you were asking, and I wasn’t aware of it. Be nice to fit a super cardioid to it.
i'd like to try an MS setup with a t.bone sc1100 and a t.bone sc140. what do you think about this solution? thanks!
Sounds fine. Which mic for the middle? I like the sc140 a lot. Two sc140’s is a lovely cheap option, so for the money, that would work nicely with the 140’s outside and the sc1100 in the middle. Is the sc1100 ‘actually’ that low in self noise? The reason I ask is that their sc400 was quoted at a very wrong figure for quite some time. They’ve corrected it now.
@@iancraig iw as thinking about a mid sc140 and side sc1100. sc1100 should be under 7DB self noise in 8 polar pattern mode, but this story about sc400 makes me worry a bit! can i ask you why you's prefer the large diphragm as mid and small diaphragm a side mics? i want to make some experiments after studying from manuals and i have not so clear ideas hahaha!
Gabriele, check that self noise in case it’s been misquoted.
I assumed that you would want the ‘body’ of sound to come from the centre and a large diaphragm mic would react more readily and sound fuller at the bottome end for a good full, bass.
The two side mics would be picking up spacial clues more than the body of sound since they point at each other, and pencil mics are brilliant at picking up fast transient stuff because they have smaller, lighter diaphragms. Although I would also try ‘toe’ing’ them in slightly to see what they pick up.
Using a pencil mic for the ‘body’ of sound in the centre might make things sound thinner.
what microphone do you recommend for a drummer? Em 800 or sc 140? I play jazz
Sc140. I think it takes a louder signal without distortion and is less boomy so cymbals won’t sound like gongs. Actually, for good drum recording, you need separate mics for toms, snares and cymbals, plus a bass drum mic.
@@iancraig Thank you. I think I'll buy sc140, an sm57 for the snare and a Thomann mic for the drum bass.
Sm57 is terrific for snare. Never heard the Thomann bass mic. Bet it’s good though!
The SC140 sounds way better than the ME800 when handheld 🙄 but interestingly enough when boomed it's the other way around 🤔
That’s how I felt David. I think it’s maybe to do with the amount of bass the mics give out. The EM800 is thicker and bassier sounding which helps it when it’s further away. The SC140 starts to thin out. I think the EM800 is close to the SE8 on a boom.
It’s also supposed to be a super cardioid. I’m not so sure about that because it seemed a bit more cardioid like to me on the rejection test.
All good mics for different purposes though I guess. I really like the SC140 handheld because it’s good close up and really doesn’t react much to handheld noises or the wind.
Both at such a budget price though, and I’m amazed just how well they do with noise.
@@iancraig At that price point the EM800 sounds extremely good. I looked at the SE8 online but they only come in pair at £350. Where did you buy yours if you don't mind me asking?
I didn’t David. I was given it. You can get singles for £149 here www.andertons.co.uk/se-electronics-se8-pencil-condenser-mic
Andertons are a good company and trustworthy. Quick as well.
If you are thinking of going as far as an SE8, you might want to hold off until you hear the Oktava MK012. I’ll be doing that one next week. Three microphones in one.... omni, cardioid and hyper cardioid. Seriously pro type kit really.
Just two mic's for 2 different usages (EM800-SC140). The SPL figures and low end suppression
and S/N gives that away, i.e close up micking of drums and other "bang on" stuff. But good S/N
also needed when recording percussion so the "decay" portion of the sound dont get trenched
in hiss. The extended low end cut also cuts out booming rattle coming from drums bumping
around when played etc. But it would be interesting to see how the EM700 would fit the picture
among EM800 and SC140 and the cheap Behringer pencils!.
Absolutely. That’s why I wouldn’t describe one as better than the other. Useful for different purposes.
With drums though, the gain needs to be so low that s/n is less of a problem. Sad part is that the em800 won’t take much more than 107dB so it’s a bit defunct for drums. OK for acoustic instruments although trumpets could hit that. Problem is, used with acoustic guitar, the s/n level is also important.
I think I’d use a better mic for instruments tbh than the EM800. Too risky with that 107dB ceiling.
SC-140 sounds better. EM800 still sounds harsh in the high end, like my EM700, but not as much.
please not that the SPL of the EM800 makes them unusable for loud sources! only 107 dB SPL is VERY little! The SC-140 has SPL 131. EM800 sounds ok--ish. But the SC-140 IS a better mic. And still dirt cheap.