Countryman I2 Instrument Microphone

The I2 was designed around pattern accuracy rather than size, and then turned out very small anyway. Its polar patterns hold their shape with deep nulls and natural off-axis response across the band, which is exactly what coincident techniques need: X-Y and mid-side pairs only work when the two capsules agree at every frequency and every angle. The body measures 7 by 10.5 by 3.5 mm, so a pair can be placed for a genuine stereo image and still be invisible in a camera shot.

Four patterns are available, omnidirectional, cardioid, hypercardioid, and bidirectional for mid-side, in two gain versions: standard gain reaches 150 dB SPL for horns and close miking, and high gain drops the noise floor to 20 dBA for distance miking and quieter instruments. Countryman's instrument mounts do the other half of the work, using viscoelastic damping to grip a bell, a violin between bridge and tailpiece, or a cello over the f-hole without transmitting key and body noise into the capsule. It runs on 6 V to 50 V phantom at 4 mA and ships with a windscreen, basic clip, and case.