The Sennheiser MKE 1 professional clip-on microphone is now available. Comprehensive field tests have confirmed the outstanding sound quality of this compact professional microphone, natural and full with an exceptionally clear treble. Particular care was taken to ensure the microphone capsule was fully protected from moisture, enabling the MKE 1 to operate perfectly in harsh live conditions longer than many other clip-on microphones.

“Despite its tiny size, the microphone measures just 3.3 mm across, the MKE 1 offers outstanding sound quality; plenty of lower midrange and excellent presence with good speech intelligibility,” explains Astrid Vettin, product manager for Sennheiser Professional Systems. “It has a user-friendly omni-directional pick-up pattern and the microphone picks up predominantly direct sound with relatively little ambient noise; which is a real advantage for many applications, from broadcasting to theatre and musicals.”

Moisture is the natural enemy of any clip-on microphone, especially when being used as part of high-energy, high-perspiration stage shows. Accordingly, Sennheiser has developed optimal protective measures for the MKE 1. The clip-on microphone can be provided with a multi-purpose cap that simply diverts any humidity past the microphone and doubles as a windshield. And from within, a thin, acoustically open stainless steel membrane protects the capsule.

“Thanks to a new mechanical design all the contacts are now housed inside the casing or the moulded coating,” continues Vettin. “This makes the MKE 1 even more reliable.”

The anti-kink sleeve has also been improved in order to increase the life of the Kevlar-reinforced cable. With a diameter of just 1mm the cable is highly resistant to handling noise while a special plastic coating ensures that it tangles less readily.

The MKE 1’s multi-purpose cap that protects the microphone from perspiration also serves as a windshield (treble boost of 1.5dB). Also included is a small frequency response cap, which ensures a treble boost of 2.5dB for applications where the mic is hidden within a costume or when more brilliance needs to be added to a voice. For the finishing touches to this professional package the MKE 1 comes with three make-up protection caps and several thin plastic tubes for shielding the cable when attaching it with clips or adhesive tape.