Sony has announced its new ECM-M1, a versatile, compact shotgun microphone. The first of its kind, the microphone boasts 8 different audio recording modes that can be navigated through a dial. It has a unique beamforming technology that combines four discrete microphone capsules with precision algorithms which maximises pickup sensitivity in a selective direction while reducing it in others. This advanced digital processing technology allows it to offer these varied modes.The microphone includes a newly added mode dial with a locking mechanism that ensures easy and secure switching between sound pick up modes. Simply turning the dial on the rear of the microphone allows you to easily switch between modes of audio pick up.
The eight modes that can be selected via the dial include a Super-directional mode that captures sounds from the front while suppressing ambient sounds, making it ideal for streaming purposes.
The Ultra-directional mode allows one to capture target sounds from the front, within a 30-degree width, while effectively suppressing other sounds and dynamically adapting to ambient surrounding sounds. The mode lends itself ideal for interviews and selfie-oriented scenarios where the subject is always directly in front of the microphone.
The Omnidirectional mode captures sounds from all directions with equal sensitivity like a typical built-in camera and can be used to record ambient surrounding sounds.
Sounds from a wide region in front of the unit can be captured using the Unidirectional mode, lending it useful while recording conferences or meetings.
The microphone encompasses 3 different types of the Superdirectional mode (Front+Rear, Rear and Front/Rear), that capture the sounds from the front and rear while suppressing those coming from the sides. The Front+Rear, captures sounds from the front and rear of the unit with equal sensitivity, making it ideal for interviews. The Rear captures sounds from the rear while suppressing the front, making it ideal for overriding narrative recordings. The Front/Rear also records sounds from both the front and rear with equal sensitivity, however onto separate audio channels, so you can dial in a seamless audio balance during the edit.
The Stereo mode enables a realistic video recording by localising the left and right sound sources. It is ideal for shooting videos of moving objects like sports or musical performances.
Aside from the eight modes, the ECM-M1 is also equipped with noise reduction features including a noise cut filter for reducing background noise and a low-cut filter for minimising vibration and low frequency noise. These filters are implemented through digital signal processing that maximises audio quality during the recording stage and thus reducing the need for complex processing post recording. When used with certain compatible cameras like the ILME-FX3 (see full list on the Sony Website), it can support 4-channel recording, therefore allowing omnidirectional recording on channels 3 and 4, while channels 1 and 2 can focus on selected directivity.
The ECM-M1 with all its features is an incredibly compact and versatile microphone that seems to be capable of performing highly even in challenging audio environments. It is also user-friendly owing to its mobile nature and can be simply clipped into the Multi Interface Shoe on a compatible camera for direct power and audio connections without the need for extra cables or batteries.
The ECM-M1 is available across all Sony Center, Alpha Flagship stores, Sony authorised dealers, ecommerce websites (Amazon and Flipkart) and major electronic stores at a price of ₹33000.
Source: Sony India launches versatile compact shotgun microphone ECM-M1
