Sennheiser MKH 8050 Supercardioid Condenser Microphone

The MKH 8050 is the supercardioid capsule in Sennheiser's modular MKH 8000 series of RF condenser microphones. Its pattern is noticeably tighter than the cardioid MKH 8040, giving an engineer more off-axis rejection when a source needs to be isolated from a busy stage, a live room, or neighboring instruments in a section, while still sounding natural and full on-axis. That makes it a common choice as a spot mic in orchestral and ensemble recording, on stage for choir or instrument pickup, and anywhere a cardioid pattern lets in too much of the room.

Like the rest of the MKH 8000 line, the 8050 is built on Sennheiser's RF (radio-frequency) condenser design rather than a conventional DC-biased capsule, which delivers very low 13 dB(A) self-noise and far better resistance to humidity and temperature swings than a standard condenser - a real benefit outdoors or on a long shoot. A 30 Hz to 50,000 Hz frequency response and 142 dB SPL max handling give it the range and headroom for both quiet acoustic detail and loud sources. The capsule shares the same modular body as the other MKH 8000 capsules, so a studio can standardize on one amplifier body and swap capsules to match the polar pattern each session calls for. It runs on standard P48 phantom power over a 3-pin XLR.