I received (2) pair of MiniDSP's new UMIK-X for review yesterday. This recently hit the market so for those who aren't up to speed on things, the UMIK-X is an arrayed microphone setup that is designed to provide an averaged response across its four corners.
This would make taking spatial averages or measuring in various seats a more reproducible, accurate and time-saving task compared to the standard moving mic method (MMM) or moving mic average (MMA). There are many uses for this kind of thing.
Some quick notes:
The cost is $550 for a pair of microphone arrays, a USB adapter and a license to REW Pro ($100 value; necessary to use REW with an array microphone). Each pair means you get (2) arrays. Each array has (4) microphones; one at each corner of the array. So each pair then comes with (8) total arrayed microphones. You also get (2) stands and extension poles to set them up however you desire. This means you can attach the pair together on a single fixture as I have shown below OR you can place each individual mic array at different locations. Ideal for measuring different locations such as different seats in a car, multiple seats in your home theater, or possibly even used in lieu of the "subwoofer crawl" (I'm going to test this idea). Or, you can simply pair multiples to provide a more distributed array in a single seated position. Or, you can simply pair multiples to provide a more distributed array in a single seated position. You can also just use the array without a stand, in which case it takes up less than 7x7 inches and is paper thin. As I said, there are many uses for something like this.
Four arrays can be combined for a total price of $750, netting you 16-channels of recording.
Not sure when I'll get the proper review completed but hopefully it will be soon. But, yes, I obviously will do some comparison between the MMM and using the array. That's a given.
Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube page and click the notifications button because I'll be doing a YouTube video review rather than typing one up (easier to demo). Link:
https://www.youtube.com/c/erinsaudiocorner
Until then, you can read more about the UMIK-X here:
https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/umik-x-multichannel-mic
Below is a photo of the 4 arrays I received, individually wrapped, with one of the arrays out of the packaging. You can see the single array here is quite small (6.25in x 7in) and practically paper thin.
Two arrays connected together. Again, these can be configured in pairs or you can mount a single array to the mic holder. Depends on what you're trying to measure.
Here are some photos of the USB converter box, where the mic arrays connect and are then sent via USB to your computer.
