The Sanken CS-1

Sanken has done it again: They’ve developed a new concept in microphones that is proving to be a valuable tool for film and television production. This time, it’s a very short shotgun called the CS-1.

We often use a hypercardioid on a microphone boom pole because of their wider, more forgiving front pickup pattern, but at the expense of increased off-axis ambience. Or, we choose a longer shotgun mic to reduce the off-axis ambience, but at the risk of an actor sounding "off-mic". The CS-1 combines the more natural pattern of a hypercardioid microphone with even more side and rear rejection than its longer counterparts. What's more, the CS-1 rejects off-axis low frequencies at about the same rate as it rejects the higher frequencies -- a trait shared only with the Sanken CS-3.

The Sanken CS-1 is about one third shorter than its CS-3 bigger brother (which makes it about one third shorter than other traditional "short" shotgun microphones. It is lightweight and is the same diameter (19mm) as the Sanken CS-3 or Sennheiser MKH416.

We have found the K-Tek K-SSM Short Shock Mount to be a perfect match for the mounting area on the CS-1.

Its price is as amazing as its performance. The list price for the CS-1 of $795, combined with its unique and useful characteristics, makes the CS-1 a guaranteed success. At this price, it's also a perfect choice for high-end camcorders.