Capture direct sound and ambience in fine detail with the SSH-6e from Zoom, a mid-side stereo shotgun mic for the H6essential portable recorder. Utilizing the Capsule System 3.0, this alternative mic capsule offers a precisely adjustable mid-side stereo capture and supports 32-bit float raw recording for easy adjustment in post.

The onboard knob lets you shift your microphone mix between the hypercardioid shotgun element and the super wide bidirectional element for an ideal balance, and raw recording support lets you optionally adjust this balance after recording. This makes the SSH-6e an ideal choice for capturing dialogue, ambient sounds, and on-site sound during video shoots. The SSH-6e includes a WSU-2 hairy windscreen for protection against wind noises.

Alternate Capsule for H6essential    Mid-Side Stereo Shotgun Design    Precisely Adjust Stereo Mic Balance    Supports 32-Bit Float Raw Recording    Shotgun Picks up Hypercardioid Pattern    Side Mic Picks up Bidirectional Pattern    Includes WSU-2 Hairy Windscreen

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. What kind of distance will this work with, roughly?

A: There is no specification for the operating distance. Variables like ambient noise,sound level of the subject, indoors or outdoors, size and composition of the inside space and flooring, wall and ceiling are all factors to consider. In general - get your mics as close to the source as possible.

Q: 2. I'm wondering: is the SSH-6 as good as the SGH-6 in terms of directional 'power'? Or do i need to move it closer to the subject than with the SGH-6?

A: I conducted several tests using both the SGH-6 and the SSH-6. The SSH-6 is 1 inch longer than the SGH-6. The end of the microphone was moved back by 1 inch for each SSH-6 test. So, the distance from the end of the microphone to my mouth was always the same for both. I conducted the tests at 6 inches, 1 foot, 2 feet, and 3 feet. In each case to achieve a level above 12 dB but below 6 dB I adjusted the gain on the microphone. In all cases the two microphones required the same gain. The side stereo level on the SSH-6 was set to 0 dBfor all test. So, I would say to your question, Yes, the power and beam for the shotgun portion of the two microphones are the same.

Q: 3. Does this mic record to three tracks; the mid to one, and the stereo side to two? If not, how would one go about mixing dialogue with ambient sound in post?

A: It is only 2 tracks. The mono mic will pick up the dialog as any shotgun would straight ahead. Then the desired amount of side can be mixed in accordingly.

Q: 4. Will this also work with the Zoom H4essential recorder?

A: The Zoom SSH-6e Stereo Mid-Side Shotgun Microphone for H6essential Portable Recorder is not compatible with the Zoom H4essential 4-Track 32-Bit Float Portable Audio Recorder.

Q: 5. How does a microphone support 32bit float wide dynamic range recording?

A: The Zoom SSH-6e Stereo Mid-Side Shotgun Microphone for H6essential Portable Recorder connects to two (2) analog to digital converters (ADC) inside of the Zoom H6essential—one that handles all of your low-SPL audio and one that handles all signals that are high SPL. The ADC that handles your low-SPL signals is there to be able to capture very quiet sounds and retain a low noise floor, while the other ADC (for high-SPL audio) is used to help prevent clipping.

Q: 6. Does this work with the H8?

A: Yes, this will work with the H8.

Q: 7. Can we mix the directional shotgun mono with the stereo ambience in post? Or is the mix embedded into the audio track as set on the device?

A: The mix will be a mid-side stereo track. You would need mid-side decoder plug-in software to separate the mono mic and the bi-directional mic stereo track in post production.

Q: 8. What's the max dB SPL this mic can handle? thanks

A: A maximum SPL rating for the Zoom SSH-6 Stereo Shotgun Microphone Capsule for H5, H6, U-44 and Q8 has not been provided by the manufacturer.

Q: 9. Would this mic work well with a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera? Many thanks for your answers!

A: If you are connecting this mike to a Zoom H5, H6, or Q8, and you wanted a stereo shotgun mic (as opposed to a standard mono shotgun mic) then it will work with virtually any camera. But it will not connect directly to your BMPCC without first going through a Zoom recorder.

Q: 10. Is it possible to record the M and S mics on separate channels for matrixing in post? Can you do this with the Q8? Thanks in advance.

A: There is an option to either enable or disable the mid-side matrix. If you disable it and you record in MOV+WAV format, one of the WAV channels will be the shotgun mic and the other will be the side mic. Please note side is a single source in a figure-8 pattern, not two different sources (left and right side). If you are going to do post-processing and want to control the ambient sound in the mix, definitely disable the matrix. It is quite straightforward then to mix in the ambient sound in post production. You may have to split the stereo WAV file, depending on what DAW you are using.