Sennheiser - MKE 600

Audio Technica AT875R ($179), Rode NTG 4 or 4+, Audio Technica AT 897, and the MKE 600 you already listed.

Do you have a budget or other needs? Something like the 416 is a classic for location sound and other models like the 600 can be a nice budget alternative. I’d get a blimp or other wind protection if using in an area with much wind and a boom pole to allow best placement. Placement is really key for getting the best audio.

Great comments hear about why the MKE 600 is an awesome mic. The only reason to *maybe* not get one is if its too long and you need a more compact setup. if that's the case the Rode NTG5 is shorter and also sounds great, but its phantom power only and cannot take batteries.

MKE600 Is great but reeeally long

So this isn’t on camera? not necessarily any reason to use concealing things in that case. a shotgun like a 416 on a pistol grip plus a recorder can go a long way. at your budget imo i would get (all on the used market to save money) \- Zoom F4 \- a nice location sound bag to wear the recorder \- Deity‘s radius shockmount that comes with a pistol grip \- a shotgun microphone like a deity s-mic2 or maybe a sennheiser MKE600 \- no idea where you’re located so frequencies can be a thing but there are great deals on sennheiser g3 wireless kits floating around, as they’re now a few models old but in the right locations they’re perfectly fine. \- Sony 7506 headphones set the Zoom F4 to record the shotgun on two channels, one gained properly and another with the gain -6 to -10 lower as a safety track.

I run and gun with an Audio-Technica AT875R Shotgun Condenser Mic. Shorter and lighter than a Sennheiser MKE600 which is also a great option besides the form factor.

Filmmaker and instructor here: Shotgun Mic: Sennheiser MKE 600. Yes the 416 is better, but also costs a ton more. \*Beware of deals on the 416. There are knockoffs out there. If someone is selling, require paperwork. Field Recorder: Zoom F3. Quality 32-bit float. Easy to use. If you don't have a boom operator: K&M 25530 Boom Arm & 20800 stand. Don't forget a windshield (Auray works) and I use Mogami Gold XLR. Hasn't failed me. I would not send sound into camera. Too restrictive. And for shoots without a dedicated sound mixer, you need 32-bit float. Don't forget a good set of cans to hear what the mic hears—someone needs to pay attention to that or stuff can happen that you will not know until it's too late. These Sony are accurate: MDR-7506

Sennheiser MKE 600. Make sure you get the wind protector. At least if shooting outside. Zoom F3 is an excellent field recorder that doesn’t crush the bank account. The MixPre IIis phenomenal. But much pricier. Both do well for production dialogue.

In a roundabout way, yes, you just need to use a usb audio interface which provides phantom power to the mic. There's lots. USB mics are universally bottom of the barrel selections, since anyone serious will be using either an audio interface or a field recorder or a console. If you have a battery you don't really need the usb, since there's a ton of other connectors to choose from like supplying 3.5v PiP via 3.5mm TRS or something. For your needs you're probably best off just getting a shotgun that fits a battery. The Sennheiser MKE600 is a decent option. Or a phantom power supply. There are some out there that take either a 9v battery or AAs.

My own preferences lean towards getting a boom, and a shotgun such as perhaps a Sennheiser MKE600. These, along with boompoles and blimps and windmuffs can be rented from all sorts of audio shops, or from private rental sites like sharegrid. Or just find a local social media group and ask if someone is willing to rent to you, or come help. I've helped on like....I don't even know how many student films now, got to be at least 50. It can also be worth checking with nearby schools, many of them have audio/music/theatre/film clubs and sometimes have equipment students can rent for free. If you find a student willing to help it can be a great solution for everyone.

I have the MKE600 and I like the sound. I also have the Rode Pro and had an H4e recorder and other mics. Even at this level, the recording on the Rode Transmitters are likely going to be the bottleneck. 32 bit float doesn't mean good quality, tonal range , SnR or noise floor, only that the file fits a huge latitude of information and won't clip easily. Tbh although the improvement is audible, I think even the H4e caps the system. I'm doing some tests this weekend with an audio interface into Reaper to attest this, as the quality should be comparable to higher end recorders like the F6 or Tascam X8 and higher (but needs laptop and it's not as easy as plug and record). If it proves my idea, I might be getting a Tascam FR-AV2 as recorder. The Rode still has it's place, to transmit scratch audio to the camera and maybe monitoring purposes (as the recorder stays in the boom mic tripod or in talent with lav). For monitoring I'm using the HDJ-CX, since I have a part-time as a DJ and it suits both uses. Similar option to the Sennheiser HD25, but I like some design choices better, although for monitoring out and about only, I'd probably pick the Sennheiser.

I'm a newbie/ignorant in the matter, but it's related to the design. Each type of mic will do well in different situations. Indoor the MKH50 does better than my MKE600 because of reverbs and stuff. Outdoor (never used the MKH50) my MKE600 is fine because there's no reflections, I use a deadcat and get it close to the talent using a light stand and a boom pole. But I also use a lavalier to get more clarity on the voice and then phase align them in post production. I was using an H4e (32bit float) but was told something like the F3 is better since I don't need the incorporated mics on the recorder (not using them anyways), smaller form factor and lower noise floor. Until I upgrade, I'm just using both Rode Wireless Transmitters to record (one for shotgun, one for lav) and send audio to the camera. My guess is that something like MKE600 + MKE2 going into a Zoom F3 would give me the best sound. But not there yet.

Hey guys, Was comparing some mics for indoor dialog and wanted to share my experiences + solicit feedback from experienced users. Looking for best mic in garbarge, untreated, reflective spaces, for 1hr long, seated, conversational autobio storytelling, warm dialog, talking heads format. (basically forced to work in spare bedrooms w ancient creaky wooden floors aka acoustic hell lol) Mics used: MKH 50, MKH 8050, MKH 8060, Neumann KM 185, Schoeps C641. Connected to Zoom F6 via canare XLR cable, boompole holder with KTEK 89cc boompole. Monitored w/ Audio Technica m50x hedfons. No foam windscreens used. Testing locations + method: Living Room: 8ft Ceiling, 10x14ft floor, tongue n groove floor, no treatment, soft couch Angle: \~45deg angle towards Collarbone (btwn bottom of chin + collarbone, generally towards throat/collarbone,...at closer 1ft distance, more overhead angle aimed 3-5 inches in front of head) Distances: 4ft, 3ft, 2ft, 1ft overhead, 2ft overhead, 1ft from ceiling/4ft from mouth Sibilance test: "Sally Sells Seashells By The Sea Shore." Spare Bedroom "Studio": 8ft Ceiling, 8x10ft floor, asymmetrical, tongue n groove, producer's choice blankets on x2 windows with 3x Godox LA300R units with fans ON (pleasant low pitch fan noise, about 2 ft-3ft away from mic) Distances: 3ft, 2ft, 1ft overhead. My impressions: MKH 50: (hpf and 10dB pad both OFF) Best polarity/isolation, great reach at 2-3ft, sounds best at 3ft to me. BUT SO DARK. Usually boom 1.5ft to 2ft range while filming irl, where it's too dark and HPF switch doesn't sound right to me. At 3ft its fine, but maybe not great for shooting in smaller spaces. Off axis is solid. For passage read, didn't sound clear with consonants, too muddy, until about 3 ft. A bit of sibilance at 1-2ft. A little bit weird, sounds too bitey to sound good for 1hr of talking heads imo. And w all the dark low end up close, i feel the listener would have to "lean in" too much to make up for lack of high end clarity/muddy upclose bass overload. Any slurred speech would be lost in the darkness. MKH 8050: Maybe my fave w my voice. Good polarity but not as good as mkh50. More neutral than dark, still rich bass, but picks up more room resonance than mkh50. Excels at 1-2ft range, starts to be muddy at 3ft imo. No signif sibilance issues. Pretty good off axis. Feels like it would be chilll to listen to for 1hr talking heads w warmth and neutral-bright enuf. main concern would be slightly more resonance than mkh50. MKH 8060: Sounds like mkh 416 but more indoor friendly. Still too resonancey/low end sounds weird. Seems idiot proof tho, barely have to aim it right w wider pattern, super brite and brilliant freq response. A bit broadcasty/tv-y sound. Pattern a bit too wide. Off axis pretty good. Sounds better at longer distances (3ft+), as expected from a short shotgun. Runs hot so set listening level to -10dB lower than the other mics. A little bit sibilancey up close, w all the brightness boost. Maybe worst of the mics, mainly becoz resonance and subjectively not likeing super brite broadcasty sound. Wouldn't want to listen to it for 1hr, too bright and shrill/resonancey. Feels like an advertisement more than a conversation. Neumann KM 185: Sounds very close to the 8050 and Schoeps to my ears. Pretty good isolation. Polarity is perhaps a little too narrow, and off axis discoloration is a bit bad, and more noticeable than 8050 and Schoeps. Slightly "boxy" freq response. But when you're in the sweetspot it's so good. A little dull and lifeless in the high end/overly neutral, but i kind of like neutral mics. Feels EQ-able. A little high end hype, but when I a/b compare headphones on/off, sounds pretty accurate to real life. Like 8050, sounds best in close, 1-2ft, (3ft starts a little muddiness). Seems to capture the voice well. No signif sibilance issues. Another mic I think would sound good for 1hr talking heads, enuf warmth there. But main concern would be narrower polar pattern/missing the sweet spot when u move/discoloration off axis, and perhaps a little resonance. Schoeps C641: Sounds immediately good, as expected re: price. But def "sweetened," and, to my ears, seems more resonancey than mkh8050 and km185, like the pattern is a bit wider n deeper. Also feels like the low end is a bit more scooped, and the high end bias makes the resonances feel more noticeable. But has the best off axis performance of all the mics, feels like no signif discoloration off axis. No sibilance issues. Impressive. But a little too sweetened, like the low end is scooped out too early. I like a bit of warmth for 1hr documentary talking heads/interview format, this mic feels slightly too high for me. Also pattern feels wider so more resonancey. As a goof, I used some red whips + ktek squid + VXLR PRO to mount a RODE VIDEOMIC PRO to the boompole and did the living room tests as well. Also tested it alongside the MKE600. Rode Videomic Pro: a ton of selfnoise, and pretty damn resonancey/shotgunny sound. BUT, all the frequencies you need for dialog are there, jus probs requires denoising in post and resonances might be an issue. Pretty good @ 1-2ft ranges. EQing required. Sibilance seemed controlled actually, maybe its all the hiss self noise competing w it, lol. Off axis was not great, but then again, seemed to capture dialog no matter where i was in the room, so good as an on-camera backup maybe? MKE 600: Better suited to booming/easier to work with. A bit resonancey. A bit sibilant, maybe worst sibilance of all the mics. Off axis pretty ok. but otherwise shining wonderfully at 1-2ft and still good at 3 ft. Def punches above its weight re price point. QUESTIONS: Am I crazy for not liking a standard mic, the dark mkh50 for indoor dialog? Is there some trick in post to make the sharp consonant sounds more clear when close miking 1-2ft? How would you EQ to deal with resonances in small spaces? I hear brickwalling, like a super hard cut around 80Hz, -48dB/oct or more, seems to be a standard. Any plugins? I use RX 10, analyze/learn 30 seconds of room tone, and DeNoise to remove Godox LA300R fan noise. Works well. Sometimes prempro's deverb plugin etc, to remove super obvious resonances. Also, separately, was curious if you had to improve dialog recorded with a deadcat on the mic what you would pull up in EQ to return some clarity. I know pro audio is acoustic treatment/mic placement sweet spot/trial and error, but jus seeing what i could do to improve less than ideal situation Sanken CS-3e I hear, for horrendous, small, highly reflective/"lively" indoor spaces, the Sanken CS-3e might be worth checking out? Some omni capsule design that has great rejection/isolation at the cost of natural sound, but versatile for indoor. Also hear DPA 4018C and DP 4011A, and the Telefunken M62 are good. anyway, hope this info helps ppl who are interested in these mics for indoor dialog in less than ideal spaces. interested to hear your experiences. my skills are sorta all over the place/nonlinear. i'm not able to be pro, re physical disabilities (spine injury), but i am trying to optimize my recordings in a negative situation, in a space i have access to. cheers

yeh maybe its just my voice, but i found the default state of the mic at 1-2ft distance, with hpf off, to be super bassy and a bit unclear in the highs. at 3ft its rly good tho in my tests. and it def has great off axis, and great isolation, maybe the best of all the mics, so i see why its recommended i havent had success yet eq'ing the fundamental darkness out of it tho. im of the mindset to have my equipment be reliable and sound as good as possible out of the raw recording so i dont have to get super surgical in post, especially with audio as thats extremely time consuming. but i think im in the minority: there are ppl who find the mkh50 too dark, but most ppl see it as a standard mic for indoor dialog