Between 1973 and ‘75 German microphone manufacturer MB Electronic (today known as MBHO) designed a range of quality microphones that were licensed to Polish state owned electronics company UNITRA TONSIL.
Back in May 2020 I wrote a post about the UNITRA Tonsil MCU-53, an excellent cardioid condenser. Now, (from the same stable) here is the MDO 23, a slender, omnidirectional, studio dynamic.
So What is it Good For ?
The thing I have always liked about omnidirectional dynamic microphones is the absence of proximity effect coupled with the ability to handle high SPLs. This makes them perfect for close-micing loud guitar amps without having to mess around EQing unwanted boominess caused by proximity effect. I have often used a Sennheiser MD21 on rock ’n’ roll theatre shows for this purpose.
Omni dynamics also make excellent speech mics and are very often used in TV and radio for interviews. Once again the absence of proximity effect is useful, allowing a good deal of freedom of movement without significantly affecting the frequency response.
Picking up sound from 360 degrees, Omnis are also just the job when it comes to capturing ‘atmosphere’.
CLICK HERE to hear a range of sound sources recorded with the MB UNITRA TONSIL MDO 23
Technical Specifications
Frequency Response graph
Standard 3 pin small Tuchel connector
Conclusion
Having scoured the internet for information about this microphone I have come to the conclusion that it is somewhat rare! Apart from a couple of photographs, the tech spec and frequency response graph pictured above were pretty much all I could find. Sadly, it would appear that company records of this period have long since vanished in the mists of time.
In common with the MCU-53 I wrote about previously, this microphone has been generously sent to me by a friend in Poland, Adam Wilma. It is a serious quality professional microphone with a myriad of uses, and a very welcome addition to the Polish section of my collection. So thanks once again Adam!
MB UNITRA Tonsil MDO-23
Martin Mitchell's Microphones 