At the NAB Show, Audio-Technica is unveiling the BP896 subminiature lavalier mic which is designed to provide high-quality audio pickup with an unobtrusive profile.
The mic, a subminiature omnidirectional condenser lavalier, is enclosed in a low-profile housing designed to minimize noise and comes in three colors: white, black and flesh tone. The BP896 mic capsule measures 2.5mm in diameter. It will ship in June.
Audio-Technica also is featuring the new BP4071L shotgun mic. Initially custom built for use covering last summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing, the mic is now available to the industry at large. It is about 6in longer than the company’s BP4071. Although the longer a shotgun mic becomes, the more it wants to become omnidirectional, Audio-Technica engineered the mic to avoid that tendency and offer greater directionality.
One handy piece of kit on display is an in-line power module for Audio-Technica mics that use the CW connector. Dubbed “the $100 insurance policy,” by the company’s Steve Savanu, the module lets users convert any CW series wireless mic into a wired mic.
The module provides a practical solution for the unexpected “gotchas” that can happen in the field during a shoot, like forgetting fresh batteries or experiencing RF interference that makes wireless mic operation impossible.
I spoke with Steve Savanu about the “$100 insurance policy” April 22 at the Audio-Technica NAB Show booth. The interview is presented as a podcast.
