In response to user feedback, Holophone, the leading manufacturer of surround microphones, introduced the latest version of its popular H4 SuperMINI camera-mountable mic at NAB 2008. This upgrade adds the balanced output capability to the mic‘s encoder.
In addition to its current 3.5mm stereo outputs, the H4 SuperMINI‘s encoder will now feature one 6-pin mini XLR output which contains both LT and RT balanced information. This helps to make the mic‘s recordings more compatible with professional level AV equipment. It also allows the encoder to be connected to a camera or recording device with a longer run of cable without affecting the quality of the audio signal.
“The introduction of balanced outputs to our H4 SuperMINI‘s encoder was designed in direct response to feedback from our users,” says Holophone‘s CEO Jonathan Godfrey. “They will now have access to the high quality surround recordings of the H4 with the added options of both 3.5 mm stereo or XLR outputs, allowing the mic to be adapted to any production rig.”
The enhanced H4 SuperMINI is able to effortlessly capture an accurate surround sound mix which can be recorded to any standard broadcast camera using Dolby Laboratories‘ Dolby® Pro Logic II® encoding technology. With the mic‘s Dolby PRO Logic II encoder, audio from its six microphone elements can be encoded from multi-channel to stereo and recorded directly to any broadcast camera or a stereo recording device. The mic also features an integrated multichannel pre-amplifier and monitor.
For added flexibility, the H4 SuperMINI comes equipped with an audio zoom button, which increases the forward bias of the pick-up pattern and an auxiliary center channel microphone input (XLR) for attaching an external shotgun or wireless lavalier. To monitor recordings in the field, the H4 SuperMINI has virtual surround headphone output with gain control and an intuitive tri-colored LED Holophone monitor that indicates sound level and direction. The microphone is priced at $2,695.