Sennheiser - MKH 416-P48U3

Buy a used sennheiser mkh 416 p48 they can be had for 5-600!! Great microphone

I really will never understand the tlm103 love. For me, it’s u87 or MKH416 for that commercial cut-through.

I would cross post this on /locationsound. Anyways, for what you are looking to achieve I would find a pair of used lectro 411s, mkh416, zoom h8 or a mix pre. Since that is over your budget, I would buy what you can afford and rent till you can buy more gear.

Sennheiser MKH-416 gets used in sooooo many spots. Everyone knows it, everyone likes it, studios buy them by the case. You would be hard pressed to find an on-camera spot that isn't using at least one 416. What the U87 is to LDCs, the 416 is to shotgun mics. It's on the spec sheets all the time, and I don't think I've ever seen a request for a different shotgun.

Sennheiser 416 was the standard for outdoor shotgun mics for many years, and there are some better choices these days, but you can probably get a used 416 at a decent price now.

You gonna need sensitive mics. So capacitor mic with small diaphragm like neuman km184 or schoeps cmc6. But that’s expensive. You can use shotgun but sometimes it will be difficult to have enough distance in a small room. Sennheiser have good shotgun (mkh series) and it’s cheaper than Neumann KMR or schoeps CMIT. But my best mic advice would be Line Audio CM3 are really cheap and sounds great.

After seeing Booth Junkie’s review of the Synco D2 I picked one up and it worked well for me. Ultimately the MKH 416 was a better fit, but both mics work great. I’m willing to sell my Synco D2 (barely used) to any interested party.

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.

For voiceover, sennheiser 416 is the best mic. Rode is a very sibilant mic, it’s terrible. The neumann is more pro sounding then the 414 - it’s brighter and clearer.

Sennheiser 416 - industry standard for men/masculine voices. RODE NTG-3 - same guts as the 416, but several hundred bucks cheaper. Neumann TLM 103 - in a well treated space, it’s great. Another staple you’d find in pro studios (RIP pro-studios). Rode NT-2 (NOT the 2A) - Surprisingly, it’s a little bit richer than the TLM 103, plus it’s several hundred bucks cheaper. If you can find one of these gems, snatch it up! eBay is probably your best bet. Shure KSM 32 - I’ve done plenty of broadcast gigs on this guy. I prefer my 416, but this gets the job done.