Holophone are well known for their surround-sound mics, which use small microphones around a head-shaped dome to record 5.1, 6.1 & 7.1 surround sound from a human perspective. Now, not long after the top-of-the-range H2 microphone was upgraded with Sennheiser MKE 2 capsules (from Sennheiser's tiny clip-on mic), Holophone have decided to put surround recording within the budget of home film-makers and concert recordists, with the PortaMic 5.1 and PortaMic Pro.
These two new models use the same layout — with six-mic smounted on a miniature (about 2.5 by 1.5 inches) egg-shaped plastic dome — and are designed to sit atop a video camera or mic stand. A built-in hardware encoder losslessly encodes the surround sound to two channels (Dolby ProLogic II) for later decoding. Both mics give a discounted price Minnetonka decoder software, meaning that 5.1 surround can be recorded by a camera with a stereo input or by a portable recorder.
Both mics can be powered by 9V battery or power adaptor, and feature a single gain control and a 12dB pad. The ‘Pro’ version also includes a feature called ‘audio zoom’, which cuts the sensitivity of the rear microphones, placing the focus on the dialogue (aka centre) channel. The PortaMic Proc also benefits form a balanced output. The PortaMic 5.1 costs around £495 and the PortaMic Pro retails for around £800. Both microhpones will be available from AppleWorld form the 9th November.
AppleWorld +44 (0)8707 605713
