sE Electronics BL8 Boundary Microphone User Manual

BL8 Boundary Microphone
User Manual

BL8
User Manual

BL8 Boundary Microphone

Thank you
Thank you for choosing an sE product! In addition to some basic safety precautions, this manual includes details and specifications to help you get the most out of your microphone. Please take a few minutes to read through it.
Capturing excellent audio is our passion. We sincerely hope you’ll enjoy using this microphone as much as we’ve enjoyed designing and building it for you. Happy Tracking, The sE Team

Brief description

The BL8 is a half-cardioid boundary microphone, utilizing the same capsule as the celebrated sE8 small diaphragm condenser. Its hand-crafted, true condenser capsule utilizes an ultra-thin three-micron golds puttered diaphragm for superior transient response. The BL8 is designed to reproduce low frequencies with stunning accuracy, often eliminating the need for an additional outer kick drum mic. It is also compatible with The Kelly Shu ® Flatz Isolation System, making it ideal for touring applications.
The BL8’s transformerless Class-A circuitry ensures plentiful headroom without distortion, while its lownoise electronics deliver transparency and clarity. The integrated low-cut filter, the switchable attenuation pad and the EQ shaping switch make it a very versatile microphone; excelling at ambience recording, room miking, and can even be used on grand pianos. A switchable attenuation pad keeps high-SPL sources from overloading your mixer’s input.
Robustly built, the BL8 features an all-metal construction, a dent-proof grille, and gold-plated XLR contacts to ensure long-term reliability.

What’s in the box

Your packaging should contain the follow items. If anything is missing, please contact your sE Electronics dealer for assistance.

• BL8 microphone
•  Pouch

Controls
The BL8 features three switches on the bottom, allowing you to shape its tone and prevent overloading your mixer, microphone preamp or audio interface.

Low Cut
This switch allows you to the curb low-frequency response at two different frequencies or leave it flat. For applications like room miking or speech, the low-cut switch reduces unwanted footfall noise and rumble. It can also be used to minimize proximity effect.
Att Pad
The attenuation pad reduces the microphone’s signal by 10 or 20 dBs when activated, preventing loud sources from overloading your mixer, preamp or audio interface. In its center position, the pad is disactivated, and the microphone’s output is unaffected.
We recommend initially activating the 10dB attenuation when miking a kick drum. For very loud sources you may need to activate the 20dB attenuation. Moderately loud sources should be fine at the 0dB setting.
Character
The ideal studio kick drum tone is often different than our preferences in a live sound environment. Similar to our award-winning kick-drum mic, the V KICK, the BL8 offers “Classic” and “Modern” character voicings. These options both  cut and shape the low-mids to emphasize transients and punch. In its center position, the capsule’s neutral response is retained, which is ideal for a plethora of other applications.

Changing the capsule

To switch the BL8’s capsule, first make sure it’s not connected to an XLR cable. Then, turn the screw at the center of the microphone’s grille counter- clockwise until it’s loose. Once the screw has been removed, the grille can also be removed.

Turn the capsule-retainer screw counter-clockwise, until it can be removed.

Lastly, turn the capsule counter-clockwise and remove it.

Turn the replacement capsule clockwise to lock it.
Refasten the capsule-retainer screw.
Place the microphone’s grille back on its base, and finish by replacing the exterior screw.

Mounting on a surface

Using screws, the BL8 can be mounted to a surface, wall, ceiling, or the lid of a grand piano. Open the microphone as described in the section “Changing the capsule”. The two mounting points are covered with black stickers; remove them with a sharp tool.

Then use a sharp tool to punch through the underlying protective foil, and mount as desired with screws (not included). At last, please close the microphone as described in the section “Changing the capsule”.

Technical specifications

Powering

To ensure proper operation, your sE product requires a Phantom power source that provides 48 Volts according to IEC 61938.
Risk of damage
Do not connect your sE product to any power supply other than a Phantom power source (input with Phantom power or external IEC standard Phantom power supply) with a floating connector, using a balanced cable with studio-grade connectors to IEC 268-12 only. This is the only way to ensure safe and reliable operation.
Please be aware that Phantom power cannot pass through TRS connectors. A balanced microphone cable with XLR connectors at both sides is required to provide Phantom power to your sE product.

Safety and maintenance

Warning
The product may contain small, detachable parts, which may cause choking, personal injury, or death, especially in children. Please exercise care in the use and handling of small parts and keep them away from children under four years of age.

• This product is safe under normal and reasonably foreseeable operating conditions.
• Do not open or modify the product.
• The product must be returned to the manufacturer or festinated vendors for any service or repair.
• Do not disassemble or attempt to service this product.
• This is not a children’s product and is not intended to be used by children under 14 years old.

Risk of damage
Please make sure that any piece of equipment to which your sE product will be connected fulfills the safety regulations enforced in your country and is fitted with a ground lead.

Compliance

This product complies with relevant legal requirements for Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and management of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE).
For RoHS and WEEE information, go to http://www.seelectronics.com/compliance
Maintenance is not required for product compliance.
Batteries, electronic and electrical equipment should not be disposed of with household waste. Wherever possible, they should be separated and brought to an appropriate collection point to be recycled and to avoid potential impact on the environment and/or human health. For more information, contact your local authorities or place of purchase, or visit http://www.seelectronics.com/recycling

Made in China

Warranty
sE Electronics warrants that its hardware product shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship beginning from the date of original retail purchase.
See http://www.seelectronics.com/warranty for specific warranty information about your product and procedures for a warranty claim.
sE Electronics’ entire liability and your exclusive remedy for any breach of warranty shall entail, at sE Electronics’ option, to repair or replace a functional equivalent of the product, or to refund the price paid, provided that the hardware is returned to the purchased location along with a receipt.
Warranty protections are in addition to rights provided under local consumer laws and may vary among countries. See the full warranty information to know your consumer rights and the additional protections provided by this product warranty.
Our headquarters:
sE Electronics International, Inc.
448 Ignacio Boulevard, STE 411
Novato, CA 94949, USA
Our R&D and manufacturing center:
EP Electronics 289 B2 West Songxiu Road, Shanghai 201703, China
Full Warranty Information: https://www.seelectronics.com/warranty

Support

In case you have any questions about your new sE product, please do not hesitate to contact us directly: http://www.seelectronics.com/contact-us
In the event that your new sE product is operating improperly, it must be returned to us as the manufacturer or to a festinated vendor for any service or repair. For the fastest and most direct service, please contact your dealer first. If  authorized service is required, it will be arranged by that dealer: http://www.seelectronics.com/dealers
If you are experiencing difficulties with support or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us directly: http://www.seelectronics.com/contact-us
Lastly, please remember to register your new gear with sE to extend your warranty to a full three years: http://www.seelectronics.com/registration

Contact
Feel free to contact us:
sE Electronics International, Inc.
448 Ignacio Boulevard, STE 411
Novato, CA 94949, USA
Our international distributors & sales representatives: http://www.seelectronics.com/contact-us

IMPORTANT
WARRANTY REGISTRATION
Thank you for purchasing an sE product! You are
automatically entitled to a two-year warranty but
can extend this to a full three years with
registration. To register your new equipment and
to read the full warranty details, please go here:
http://www.seelectronics.com/registration
Sincerely,
Your sE Team

Documents / Resources

| sE Electronics BL8 Boundary Microphone [pdf] User Manual
BL8-U, BL8, BL8 Boundary Microphone, Boundary Microphone, Microphone
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References

• Blog - sE Electronics
• Contact - sE Electronics
• Contact - sE Electronics
• Retailer Archive - sE Electronics
• Blog - sE Electronics
• Register a product - sE Electronics
• Warranty - sE Electronics
• Warranty - sE Electronics

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