Schoeps CMD 42 Digital Microphone Amplifier

The Schoeps CMD 42 converts a Colette capsule’s signal straight to digital and sends it out over AES42.

It takes every MK capsule and Colette accessory. It is meant for film sound and sound design rather than as a replacement for analog microphones. The digital output is immune to cable interference, and with no analog gain to set, the capsule’s full dynamic range reaches the recorder. Sampling rates run to 192 kHz, and the capsule’s response extends past 40 kHz with very low noise above 20 kHz, which helps when sounds are pitched down.

A built-in DSP adds a limiter, a mono-to-stereo upmix, and a range of EQ curves. The two output channels can carry a processed and an unprocessed signal at once, as a backup or for stereo. Settings are made in the free Schoeps Remote App, which sends them to the microphone acoustically, with no wireless link. A multicolor LED shows the microphone’s status.

It works with AES42 inputs in Mode 1 or 2 and with digital transmitters such as the Sound Devices A20-TX and the Zaxcom TRX743 and TRX745. The CMD 42 is the same length as a CMC 6 and only 10 g heavier, so most suspensions and windscreens fit. Its 20 mm lower section needs the COSI-HLD-20-20 holder in a Cinela COSI.

Features

• Digital Colette amplifier with AES42 output
• Takes every MK capsule and Colette accessory
• Sampling rates up to 192 kHz
• Response past 40 kHz with low ultrasonic noise
• Limiter, stereo upmix, and EQ curves built in
• Processed and unprocessed output at once
• Set up from the free Schoeps Remote App
• Works with Sound Devices A20-TX and Zaxcom TRX743 and TRX745