The Variable Low-Cut Filter Cut 1/ Cut 2 from Schoeps is for suppression of low-frequency and infrasonic effects of wind and vibration. It is used with the CMC, CMD or M 222 microphone amplifiers in various environments to capture audio in applications for film, broadcast TV, field recording, videographers and more. It features two types of user-adjustable low-frequency roll-off filters at 24 dB/oct below 60 Hz (Cut 1) or (Cut 2) below 30 Hz.
This variable low-cut filter performs two tasks. It prevents the effect of infrasonic disturbances from being passed on to any succeeding device. Pressure-gradient transducers or directional microphones produce very high infrasonic signal levels when exposed to wind. This can saturate an input transformer or an amplifier stage before the audible portion of the disturbance becomes noticeable. To avoid this, a very sharp (24 dB/oct) infrasonic filter is usually engaged. This setting provides a negligible effect on speech, which is the principal field of application for the Cut 1 setting at 60 Hz. The Cut 2 infrasonic filter is an octave lower (i.e. 30 Hz), and has no audible effect on speech pickup whatsoever.
The second task is to offset proximity effect and/or to improve speech intelligibility in reverberant rooms by means of an additional 6 dB/oct roll-off. By turning a recessed thumbwheel the user can vary the frequency at which this begins to have an effect, and thus tailor the low-frequency response as required. Its turnover frequency can be continuously varied between 35 Hz (Cut 2) or 70 Hz (Cut 1) and 600 Hz.