Schoeps SuperCMIT Digital Shotgun microphone, incl. SG 20, W 170, premium case Schoeps

Where would I use the SuperCMIT 2 U?
The SuperCMIT 2 U can be a problem-solver wherever diffuse sources of noise (such as street noise, wind noise, room sound, or audience and passers-by) might interfere with a recording. Unwanted noise is greatly reduced in level – even at low frequencies – without altering the tone color of front-arriving direct sound. Even a shotgun with a long tube can’t do that. This makes the SuperCMIT 2 U ideal for complex film sound applications and for sports events. The SuperCMIT 2 U also increases the “reach” of indoor recordings.

How does the SuperCMIT 2 U achieve this directivity?
Digital signal processing in the SuperCMIT 2 U recognizes sound energy arriving from various directions, and determines whether that sound has a discrete, persistent direction of arrival or not.
It uses this information to suppress diffuse sound and to focus on discrete sound. This allows the “reach” of the shotgun microphone to be increased significantly, without causing the usual sound-coloring artifacts. The SuperCMIT 2 U is the first microphone in the world to combine such high directivity with high sound quality.

The SuperCMIT 2 U has three pushbuttons which control the filters and presets of the microphone. The two filters are identical to those of Schoeps’ CMIT 5 U analog shotgun microphone:
– High-frequency boost (+5 dB at 10 kHz) compensates for losses due to windscreens.
– Steep low-cut (18 dB/oct. below 80 Hz) suppresses low-frequency wind and boom noise.
The second output channel always carries the signal of the regular shotgun. The “Preset” button controls the directivity for the signal on the first output channel (SuperCMIT 2 U). Two settings are available:
– Preset 1: moderate directivity increase (green LED); ca. 11 dB reduction in diffuse sound (5 dB greater than a Schoeps CMIT 5 U or channel 2 of the SuperCMIT 2 U)
– Preset 2: strong directivity increase (red LED); ca. 15 dB diffuse sound reduction. This setting is reserved for special applications since sonic artifacts can occasionally be heard.
– By pressing each of the three pushbuttons two times each quickly in succession, the gain can be increased by +30 dB and reset again to the standard value.
Also by disconnecting the microphone from its power supply, the gain setting is reset to the initial value (0 dB).
Since firmware version 2.0 the SuperCMIT is equipped with a limiter (when gain boost is active) to prevent overload caused by very loud signals.

Pushbuttons of the SuperCMIT 2 U

Included accessories:
Wooden case, SG 20 stand adapter, W 170 foam windscreen for moderate wind and boom motion, Mini-DA42 or PSD 2U:
Mini-DA42: device for powering digital microphones; with digital and analog outputs, AC adapter included
PSD 2U: powering box for 10-Volt digital phantom powering (DPP) with XLR and RCA outputs; AC adapter included
With the PSD 2U the SuperCMIT 2U is slightly cheaper, with the Mini-DA 42 you have more options like analogue and digital outputs
On special request the SuperCMIT 2 U can be ordered with a grey surface.
Further accessories: look at the links on the right side.

A new approach to high directivity and sound quality
The SuperCMIT 2 U microphone uses patented technology from ILLUSONIC. In addition to the capsule behind the interference tube, it contains a second, rear-facing microphone capsule. Digital signal processing (DSP) can analyze both signals and thereby distinguish discrete versus diffuse sound energy. The two signals are then combined in a time- and frequency-dependent manner such that the directional effect for discrete sound energy is increased while the level of diffuse sound is reduced.
At high frequencies (above 6 kHz) only the signal from the front-facing capsule is used, since the interference tube already offers optimal effectiveness in that range.

AES42 Interface
The SuperCMIT 2 U is a digital microphone. Its output signal format is AES42, Mode 1. This means that it runs on its own clock (48 kHz) and must be driven by an AES42 input with a sample rate converter (SRC). With the optional PSD 2U powering adapter, it can also be used with a conventional AES3 input having built-in SRC.
The AES42 standard defines the interface for digital microphones. In the simplest case AES42 requires only an AES-3 interface plus 10-Volt digital phantom powering (DPP). AES42 interfaces are available in some equipment such as the RME DMC-842 8-channel interface and the Sound Devices 788T, 664 or 633 as well as the AETA 4MinX.

Options for connecting the SuperCMIT 2 U
In the document AES42-Devices you learn about current, compatible digital interfaces.