Sennheiser 6042 Receiver review for Broadcast Pro Middle East

Sennheiser 6042 Receiver review

Sennheiser Middle East gave me the opportunity to test out their latest dual channel ‘slot in’ audio receiver, the EK 6042. This receiver is predominantly designed to be fitted into the audio slot of broadcast cameras (Panasonic, Sony, Ikegami etc) and also the Super Slot in the Sound devices SL6. I had heard about it a while ago and though it was interesting so it was great to get the opportunity to test it out.

One of the first things you notice when you take the EK 6042 out of the box is the build quality, it’s excellent, just as you would expect from a top of the range product from Sennheiser. There is a good weight to it, but it’s certainly not heavy. The top of the unit, the part that will be in view, is quite tall and sticks out slightly more than the WisyCom units that I use. The antennas that are supplied are pretty large with solid plastic and metal SMA connectors at the base and a flexible rubber whip. They do seem very well made and feel like they will survive a lot of abuse in daily use. The slightly larger size of the receiver and the heavy duty antennas indicate to me that this is aimed primarily at broadcast camera operators as opposed to sound recordists.

One of the main selling points of this receiver is it’s flexibility, the EK 6042 is able to receive from digital and analogue transmitters simultaneously. So whether you are using transmitters from Sennehiser’s range topping Digital 9000 series or the ever popular G3 series you are covered. You are also able to receive from transmitters made by other manufacturers as well. I tested it out with my WisyCom transmitters and it worked flawlessly.

The top of the EK 6042 has 4 buttons, 2 SMA antenna sockets, OLED display panel, TA5 Aux output socket and status LED’s for the 2 channels. The OLED display is excellent and easy to read, even in direct sunlight. There is enough information at a glance and you can make most adjustments from the unit itself, but as with most dual channel receivers it can be a little fiddly to do. Sennheiser have added USB web server functionality so you can connect to the unit using a laptop, tablet, or phone and make adjustments. As a sound recordist I would have liked to have seen display options that let you have the display stay on all the time or dim after a certain period of time, when working with receivers in a soundbag, being able to see information at a glance without having to press anything is essential. This is obviously not an issue if the receiver is in a camera. The side of the receiver has an infrared port for synchronisation with transmitters and a micro USB port for connecting a computer for configuration via a web browser.

The basic package comes with the EK 6042 receiver, 2 antennas, USB cable, transport case and the printed manual. To be able to use the EK 6042 in cameras or audio equipment you require a D-Sub adapter for the type of kit you are using. The 25pin D-sub adapter is used for cameras and audio equipment with the UniSlot/SuperSlot interface and the 15pin D-sub adapter is for Sony cameras. If using the EK 6042 in a UniSlot/SuperSlot interface both the audio channels are sent to the camera through the connector, however Sony cameras may only accept audio from channel 1 through the connector. To receive both channels you will have to utilise the 5pin XLR socket at the top of the receiver and use a Y-adapter to send the audio to the camera.

There are a number of optional accessories that are available for the EK 6042, and some are essential. As mentioned above you have the options of D-sub adapters, but, if you want to use the EK 6042 on it’s own then you require some, if not all of the optional accessories. Firstly, you need the Backpanel adapter (GA 6042 BP) which is a metal sled than you slot the receiver into, this has 2 Mini XLR (TA5) outputs (Main output, either analogue or digital AES3, and AUX output), HIROSE power socket, headphone socket and battery pack connections. I found this adapter made the EK 6042 too large, it was hard to fit into my soundbag, and the connectors were resting on the bottom of the bag. I do have quite a compact setup with a small bag so if you are using a larger bag then you may not find the same issues I faced, however it’s still much larger than similar devices from other manufacturers. I feel that there are potential fixes for this but at the time of writing this article there is nothing available from Sennheiser. The other accessory which is available is the Accupack adapter (GA 6042 BA), this adds space for 2 rechargeable Li-ion batteries (BA 61) to the backpanel adapter. This is a very neat add-on, and works very well, it certainly makes the unit even larger and heavier but for standalone situations where you have no other power supply it’s a very neat solution. The batteries have to be purchased separately and do not come with the adapter, they will give you approximately 4 hours of use so probably having at least 4 batteries is advisable if using in standalone setup. These are not standard batteries so a dedicated charger (L 60) is required.

As well as the EK 6042 I was also given Sennheiser’s SK 9000 bodypack and SKM 9000 handheld transmitters to test out. I won’t talk about them much but they are worth mentioning. Both the bodypack and handled transmitters from the 9000 series are digital and sync very quickly with the EK 6042. In fact it only takes 5 seconds. Both are very well made and have a decidedly premium feel about them. They are unquestionably made to last a long time.

The bodypack is about the size of a pack of playing cards and a similar weight, the display is small and gives basic status information, you can change some functionality on the unit itself but it’s recommended to make the changes on the receiver and synchronise to the transmitter. There are 2 battery options, the BA 61 rechargeable accupacks which are the same as I mentioned earlier and also the B 61 battery pack which takes 3 standard AA batteries. The antenna socket is a LEMO connection but this is standard with other high end Sennheiser bodypacks. The microphone connector is a 3 pin LEMO connector, these are small and robust but are certainly more expensive than connectors used by other brands. Most makes of lavalier microphones offer the option for this connector or an adapter.

The handheld has a great feel to it, with a perfect weight. The display is the same as on the bodypack and has the same menu and functionality. There are many microphone capsules you can get, both dynamic and condensers are available in various pickup patterns. There are also 2 Neumann heads in cardioid and super-cardioid patterns. As with the bodypack there are 2 power options, the BA 60 accupack rechargeable battery and the B 60 battery pack which takes 2 standard AA batteries.

If using the B 61 or B 60 battery packs you should only use alkaline or lithium batteries as rechargeable batteries will give an incorrect value in the status display.

After a short time with the EK 6042, I feel that it’s definitely designed for broadcast cameras and the Sound Devices SL6 SuperSlot. Having to buy lot’s of other accessories to make it work in a soundbag without the SL6 makes it prohibitively expensive and way too large to be practical. I believe there may be ways alleviate these concerns in the future, but for now slot in use is the only practical application.

PROS
Flexible options
Excellent build quality
Easy operation
Fast syncing between devices
Web server configuration

CONS
Very large when in backpack adapter
Expensive batteries
Lack of display visibility option

Pearl MSH10 MS Stereo Microphone - Review

A couple of weeks ago I finally received the Pearl MSH10 MS stereo microphone. They are handmade, so the lead time on them can take a while.

The microphone came in a lovely wooden box engraved with the Pearl logo and the model. The mic was in a silk pouch and also in the box was a Rycote InVision shockmount, and a test sheet signed by an engineer. The Rycote was a great surprise, and will definitely be utilised.

I also ordered a Rycote Kit 2 windjammer system, ConBox and a Duo Lyre system (required as the mic is pretty thick). The fantastic guys at Pinknoise Systems put this all together for me so I didn’t even need to set anything up.

The build quality is excellent and really has a quality, handmade feel to it. The coating is black with silver mesh. It is slightly longer than my MKH-8060 but the diameter at 28mm is quite a bit larger and definitely warrants the Rycote Duo Lyre’s I ordered.

I wanted to do a sound test as soon as possible so got my Sound Devices 744 out and put the mic on the balcony of my apartment. The sound quality is fantastic, really gave me a good stereo image of the traffic outside and was picking up all sorts of subtle sounds, from car horns to babies crying in other apartments. I then took it back inside and was pleasantly surprised at the very low self-noise.

I arranged to meet another sound recordist and we took a trip to a local beach to test it out there. He was also very impressed with the mic. The sounds of the waves were really clear, but there was so much other sound around it was impossible to get a clean recording. We also tested it out on some trees with birds and the clarity was stunning.

I have since used the mic on a job that took me up into the mountains of Fujairah, in the north of the UAE. We were filming up a mountain at 5am, so managed to get some great early morning sounds, roosters were in abundance! I also managed to get some night time ambience, but as it’s the summer here now, it’s very warm so there are less creatures about. I’ll have to go back and try again when it’s cooler.

I’m incredibly happy with the Pearl and paired with my Sound Devices 744 it’s definitely my go-to stereo recording system.

Sennheiser AVX review for Broadcast Pro Middle East

I recently reviewed the new Sennheiser AVX system for Broadcast Pro Middle East magazine. It was the first time I had reviewed a product and also my first published article.

Click here for the full review.

Tentacle Sync Timecode System

While working on a recent project, a DIT I regularly work with showed me the Tentacle Sync devices he bought. I had heard about them and thought they were very interesting, so it was great to be able to test them out. Although it wasn't the best project to use them on I still managed to test out the functionality.

The units are incredibly small, about the size of a match box, and don't weigh much more! They have a built-in Velcro back so they are easily mountable, and as they are so light and small don't get in the way at all.

The TC output from the unit is via a 3.5mm jack connector and the cables that were supplied (none are included and each have to be ordered separately) were well made and worked perfectly. I was using the cable for RED which is a very small LEMO connector so it was good to have the cable already made up.

There is only one button on the unit, and this just turns it on and off. All the other functionality is programmed using either a PC or MAC via the USB cable or using IOS or Android (app coming soon) via a TRRS cable. The interface on PC, MAC and iOS is very simple and easy to use. Just set the frame rate and and you're ready to go. User Bits can be set as well as the MIC / LINE level settings, although I found it's best to leave the level setting on auto. The is also a timeout setting, I set it to 12 hours as this should last a whole day. The battery life is said to be 2 days, I have yet to test this.

Jamming is as simple as turning the unit on and plugging in the jack, and plugging the other end into the mixer. I use the LEMO as I have Sound Devices, but you can also sync via BNC with the correct cable. The light on the unit flashes red and then  fast flashing green when jamming and slow flashing green when jammed.

After using them for a few days I was thoroughly impressed and decided to make the DIT and offer for them. He agreed and i'm now a very happy owner of the system.

For more information check out www.tentaclesync.com

Wisycom UPK-Mini

I recently bought the new UPK-Mini programmer for my Wisycom radio kit. This allows me to keep all the devices' firmware up to date as well as programming various functionality into the devices.

I can choose the frequencies that I use regularly and remove the ones I don't, meaning it's quicker to switch frequencies if and when I need to. I'm also able to save different settings for the mics I regularly use, these are easily selected on the transmitters. 

The new firmware for the MCR42 receivers is excellent, another layer of menu has been included and different screens for frequency and audio levels. These screens are really useful if you want to see the information at a glance.

I highly recommend anyone with Wisycom radios to get the new programmer.

FYI. The software is  currently only available to Windows, but i've heard that they are working on a MAC version.