Audio-Technica BP350ST-UL and BP350ST-UB mid-side stereo mics

Audio-Technica has released two mid-side (MS) stereo microphones for broadcast, production and field recording: the BP350ST-UL and the BP350ST-UB. Each combines two condenser elements in one body, a forward element and a figure-of-eight element.

BP350ST-UL: a camera-mount stereo shotgun

The UL model uses a line-cardioid element inside a 16 cm interference tube. It is meant to mount on video cameras or support rigs, for ENG and run-and-gun work. Its pickup is narrower and reaches further than the UB model. An included AT8495 clip fixes the mic to the power module, and the module can sit in a camera's mic holder or a third-party mount. The mic has a fixed 30 cm cable. The price is $749.

BP350ST-UB: boundary and gooseneck

The UB model uses a cardioid element. It comes with a low-profile boundary housing with a magnetic base and screw holes, an AT8490 5-inch gooseneck and an AT8491UC clip-on mount with a 1/4-inch thread. Its element shares the body of the ATM350a instrument mic, so ATM350a mounts also fit. It has a fixed 7.6 m cable. The price is $799.

The shared power module

Both mics plug into an AT8547 in-line power module through a TA5F connector. A switch on the module selects:

• wide matrixed stereo;
• narrow matrixed stereo;
• discrete mid-side signals for later processing.

The module also has a switchable 80 Hz high-pass filter. Each kit includes a 36 cm TA5F to dual-XLR cable for a camera's XLR inputs or any preamp with phantom power. Audio-Technica says the mid-side layout avoids time alignment and comb filtering issues and keeps depth when stereo is folded to mono. Both models are available now.