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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

I just got kicked out for using the wrong mics. What did I do wrong?

J

Jarred Jones

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Today, I was getting together my standard gear set. Boom, Senn MKH 416s, Sound Devices recorder, and some other things.

I was with a high end production studio who'd done quite a few shoots with this set up and said they had flawless results. They kept telling me it was "the industry standard."

However, upon arriving at the client's studio (A beverage company I will not name), the producer and director asked us what mics we were using. We hadn't started recording yet.

We already told their office earlier we were bringing MKH 416's since it's an exterior shoot and confirmed this with their secretary. However, when we repeated this to them at the set, THEY FLIPPED OUT.

They said:

"Why would you bring that ancient mic to a professional shoot? I had my secretary look up that mic and she told me it was over 40 YEARS OLD. She managed to find a better version of it called the MKH 60 within 5 minutes. WHY WOULDN'T YOU BRING THAT? YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL YOURSELF A PROFESSIONAL STUDIO AND YOU CAN'T EVEN ADAPT TO THE NEW INDUSTRY STANDARD?"

He kept going on and ON about how bad it was and how we should have known better. He terminated our contract and now my boss is saying we might sue him.

I don't understand what I did wrong. Is the 416 really that bad and out of date now? We'd never lost a gig because of our equipment, but if the 416s are old news, should we just replace all of ours with MKH 60s?
 
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Um no. The MKH416 is an industry standard mic. I have no freaking idea what these folks are talking about unless they are looking for an AES option or something. Still, way out of bounds. I'd say 70% the movies in theaters at any given time use these mics in some way shape or form. Heck. Maybe more than 70%.
 
Yep. Phil is dead on. I own a 416, and the company I work for a lot owns several. Most audio mixers I know prefer that mic over many new mics. Not sure what these dudes are tripping on. You probably don't want them as a customer anyway. Still a bummer though. Good luck.
 
Lol, sorry for your frustration, but that's just insane! I have a 416 and never had a bad experience with it, let alone an insane client like that. And the reason I got one is because I have seen so many when working with pro sound guys that I wanted one for when I have to bring my own gear to small shoots.
just sounds like bad luck with a crazy client that doesn't trust the crew they hired.
 
these people have never heard a 416 guaranteed, its like someone firing the DP because he told the producer he wanted to use
zeiss superspeeds....
 
OK, I own both the 416 and the 60. Doesn't make a difference when a product line started - both are currently used throughout the industry.
The 416 is excellent - rugged, quite immune to humid conditions. If I'm heading where climate is a factor, or if it might get beat up, this is the one I'll take with me.

I treat the MKH60 with a bit more care. Though advertised as "weatherproof", it is not built like a tank. Excellent sound quality and has the added advantage of pairing with other MKH mics (such as the 30 and 40) for M-S configurations. If I remember correctly, it is more sensitive to high SPL - as is any condenser mic.

There is absolutely no reason for your client to go ballistic...
 
I agree with Marcos - sounds like they were looking for a way out of the contract to me... I've never heard of anything like this before (and I'm an old fart - been around since the late 80's). Pretty sad really. Leave it to your Boss to sort out.
 
Sure, it sucks, it's confusing, even upsetting. But the fact they sent you away was probably a blessing.
 
The MKH416 is a fine microphone and is still a current model in the Sennheiser line:

http://en-us.sennheiser.com/short-gun-tube-microphone-camera-films-mkh-416-p48u3

The clients are being unreasonable jerks. This would be like firing somebody because they use Cooke lenses and not Zeiss Master Primes. In the right hands, both can make great pictures.

I've owned both 416's and MKH60's and they're not that far apart. As with anything else, it's more in how you use the equipment, not necessarily the equipment itself.
 
Wow, I can't believe a professional would do something like that. Why would he trust any research his secretary did in 5 minutes? I think Paul is right, They never heard of it so they googled it, and didn't quite understand what they were reading.

You don't need clients like that, be happy you're done with them.
 
If you are compelled to sue for loss/damage to professional reputation etc., maybe talk with your advocate as to whether Sennheiser might be joined or might want to be joined.

40 years or so of professional reputation might also be at stake for Sennheiser if in evidence, a clear distinction cannot be demonstrated between the mike you offered and the mike the client referred to at the end-stage of a production.

However, reputation loss might not be altogether attributable to the client in that you have been party to that reputation loss by publishing your misadventure and grievance.

If on the other hand, the client has bad-mouthed you to other potential clients then it is a different tale to tell. Whether the cost of gathering the evidence and witnesses is worth the bother is another matter.

At the end of the day, the beverage company may be a major player but the emloyees of audiovisual media production may also be such a major market for their product as to hurt their bottom line if the employees become cheesed off by the attitutude and pop the cap off something else in the future.
 
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Update. Just got off the phone with my boss and they're saying we were trying to rip them off. Since the contract didn't stipulate specifics microphones, they're saying it was our obligation to bring the best and we're at fault. He said he's already got another company lined up and he called me "an idiot" numerous times.

Boss is talking to a lawyer now. How are they allowed to say that about us? I'm still green to the field but I didn't know this could happen.

I'm terrified I could lose my job over this because I'm the one who chose the 416s.
 
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Since they say that you have brought a mic that was manufactured 40 years ago you should remind them that Human beings are essentially the same for several thousand years. We haven't yet evolved from human beings to something else. So they should go for robots. Morons!

Those guys have no idea about Sennheiser MHK 416. I have used the MKH 416 in rainforests, deserts, sea beach and not an issue at all. It is an industry standard and hence Sennheiser continues to manufacture it till date. There are more MKH 416s sold than the MKH 60. Sue the hell out of them.
 
I'll even add more spice to the punch. Not only is the MKH416 popular on set, but it's used industry-wide as a foley and ADR mic. Interestingly enough I've seen it in some recording studios in LA as well.

I don't know what other mics they want you to use, but sometimes people have crazy ideas due to some reckless information from somebody who doesn't do anything related to the task at hand for a living. Which often leads to an ill informed Google search which has imbued the power of misinformation into the bladed tongue of somebody who doesn't know what they are talking about.

Bottom line. This is crazy talk.
 
This is absurd. Can't believe that guy has the "audacity" to kick you guys off for something he'll never even notice.
 
Jarred - sounds like a nightmare scenario but something of an odd first post. What made you decide to bring your case to Redusers in particular since it doesn't involve any RED equipment?
 
Terry VerHaar said:
Jarred - sounds like a nightmare scenario but something of an odd first post. What made you decide to bring your case to Redusers in particular since it doesn't involve any RED equipment?
Click to expand...

I signed up a few weeks ago because this production house uses REDs, Scarlets I believe. Thought a membership would be useful somewhere down the line as I've got very limited knowledge of them.

Certainly wasn't expecting this.
 
A corporate calling someone "an idiot" dismissively is a default fire-from-the-hip position of individuals trying to defend the indefensible by bullying their way out of it when they have neither the wit nor the hard evidence to back their stance. It is probably how this unpleasant individual has prospered in his career and will probably continue to do so. Such individuals also tend to be fairly mobile, join a company, get some good hits in, then move on to a higher position somewhere else before the fan has a chance to catch the proverbial, leaving their successor with the unsustainable mess and more often than not the demotional consequence. As far as I am concerned and I am not teetotal but an infrequent user of the product, sales execs in that industry are no more legitimate than drug pushers except that they are licenced. The persona? probably the same. I wonder perhaps if there is not more going on in the dynamic between the boss and his assistant than is apparent on first look. That might explain the overplayed behaviour if there is a personal position in the mix as in overzealous investigation to make an impression upon the boss, protect the boss and in turn the boss being overprotective of the staffer.
 
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