Best Video XLR Shotgun Microphone? 

thumbnail is so good dude

I did a test like this with a half dozen shotgun mics in about 1996. I saved my pennies, swallowed hard and bought the then $1,200 Sennheiser MKH 416-P48, rather than the much cheaper options most of my colleagues were using. About a year later I bought a second one. That pair has circled the planet with me for a couple decades now. They’ve been the best audio investment I ever made, which includes multiple studios, and they’ve paid themselves off 100 times over. Funny thing is, every year or so a new mic comes out that claims to be a 416 killer and I first blow it off, then keep hearing about it, then have to know for myself. So I get one, and sometimes they sound good and I give it a try. For a while. But I always come right back to my 416s. Literally yesterday I was doing an interview with a doctor in a hospital conference room, with AC humming that couldn’t be turned off. Before he got there, I had rolled of the room at about 120hz, but when he sat in and I heard him speak, I changed my plan. He had a deep rich broadcaster voice, that was authoritative and fit the purpose of the interview perfectly, and I didn’t want to roll off his voice. If you know the 416, you know that yeah you can obviously aim it at the subject, But almost equally important is that can you aim the rear of it at the noise source, and change that ratio dramatically. (Acoustic Source to Noise as opposed to Signal to Noise Ratio). So the combination of using the rear of the mic to reject as much of the room as possible, and having him speak while adjusting my HPF, I was able to find a sweet spot for intelligibility and authority all the way down at 50hz, and his rich voice joined the 10,000 other interviews captured by that trusty old microphone. Tip: In all audio, second (if not first) to Microphone Choice is Microphone Placement. (Any mic on this list, if well placed, beats the 416 if poorly placed.) For a talking head interview, thread your boom through whatever mess the camera operator has created. Now pretend you’re in a recording studio and only recording audio. Start by aiming your 416, at mouth level directly between the interviewer and interviewee, smack dab in their eyeline, parallel to the floor at mouth level. Got it? Skull-416-Skull. Okay so in your imaginary studio, bring the 416 to about 8-inches away from the subjects mouth (and imagine a pop filter in between while you’re at it). With your headphones on, and talent speaking, if you bring the mic any closer you start to get proximity effect and their voice gets bassier. (This is precisely the setup you will find in many Voiceover studios around the world, and the 416 is a top choice for spoken word often beating out LDCs costing 2-10 times as much.) Now back on set, imagine you have a second person raising your stand slowly, you are slowly angling the 416 (white tipped, no windscreen of course), and the higher the stand goes, you keep the mic aimed at the subjects lips in proportion by slowly twisting a section of your boom. When the white tip just barely clears the top of the cameras frame, stop. You’ll be at about a 45-degree downward angle, and most of the time you’re set. But let’s go further. If there is a side of the room or area that sounds worse than the other, assuming that your boom is parallel to the floor (I use a Mafer Clamp rather than the half dozen specialty boom holders I own), then you can telescope your boom either in or out from this center position, and ‘tilt’ the head of your boom keeping it aimed directly at that mouth, And out of frame, AND getting maximum rejection of whatever noise you’re trying to kill. Wanna go further? Imagine being at the beach for an intimate soft spoken scene, right at the water, on a pebbly beach with the waves crashing against some rocks, at golden hour. Looks beautiful. Sound is a nightmare. Oh, and it’s windy, so you have your zeppelin on the mic. About the best you can do is shoot the Wides like before, but when you move in for coverage, boom from the SIDE of the frame, with the back end of the 416 aimed directly at the noisiest part of the beach, and the front end so close to the talent that one or two hairs on your windjammer breaks the frame. Another common scenario is working on city streets with road traffic. I can’t tell you how many impossible scenes my 416s have saved from an ADR destiny. Get a 416. It’ll be with you longer than most of the people in your life. Till death do us part.

I've got to tip my hat to your thumbnail game. That's one of the best thumbnails I've seen ... I gotta step up my game.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May

Literally came just to comment about how great of a thumbnail that is, bravo 🔥

Oh, man, I love these kinds of videos. I was really surprised about some of these. I also personally love the MKH416. I have two of them, one for my RU-vid videos and one for my live streams. It sounds perfect on my voice, and that's the variable that no test can figure out for someone else on RU-vid. I always tell people to borrow or rent a mic before buying one because not all mics sound good on every voice (my voice sounds horrendous on the Shure SM7B). Great video, dude!

Yes, a current on-camera microphone round up is needed. I don't think any big channels have done a full roundup since the Deity D3/D3 Pro came out, so far as I can find.

The “natural light” background is so relaxing, people should do this more often. Also, you always put out such quality content, both visually and informationally. You’re one of the best, Mr Pike. Thanks for doin what ya do.

Can we just take a minute to acknowledge Caleb's amazing setup. That background is on point 👌

Nice job, Caleb! It is interesting how your tests mirrored your own subjective choice and I have to say, they're pretty close to my own impressions as well. That 416 sounds great on your voice!

I love how thorough your tests are and making sure there's a constant. We're looking to upgrade our fleet and you really answered that question. Your work in this video just got you a like, comment, and subscriber.

Great test! We've been using the MKE600 for years in soooooo many different scenarios. Landed aproximate to where I'd expect in your ranking as its truly an "everything' shotgun. Nice job Caleb.

I had the sales guys at B&H perform for me a test in their mic room and the Sennheiser MKE 600 was the clear winner. It was the size - mountable on my camera, price - under $400 and the fact that it was powered mic - could put a wireless brick on it and plug into DSLRs, were the reasons it won out. Also, it doesn't blow out - I shoot alot of concerts & loud events like my old phantom powered Audio Technica did. The Sennheiser MKE 600 has just been a solid top mic for my cameras through the years. I love it.

Thank you for this test. I enjoyed watching it. I got MKE600 and am happy with the versatility it provides, to be able to use one AAA battery and use it when needed on camera or use it with external recorder. Great option and I am glad to see it in 4th position at least, which it deserves.

This video was so helpful and well laid out, many thanks and kudos, the chapter separations and the charts at the end of each really made it super effective.

Thank you for this a lot! We need a break from these recent crazy camera releases and refresh our concern on audio department! Great video i really need this!

Welcome to the 416 club! It is fantastic for voiceover too. I love love love mine.

Awesome comparison. I personally love my MKH 416! I plan on reviewing it soon. This video gave me some ideas of shotgun mics that I want to test out! So thank you!!

I really like the exposure of your videos. especially in the last few months. great quality.

YES. On camera microphone video please, dude! That'd be so cool! Got 2 NTG2s arriving today c: wish this video was just a few days earlier haha

FINALLY. I've been hoping you do an updated mic video.

You're videos teach me so much, I'm not sure where I'd be without your videos Thank you so much for your hard work!

The NTG4+ was recommended to me by some people, but I’m glad I watched this video.

Thank you sir, been thinking about this very thing recently. Appreciate the constant value you bring!

Thanks for the effort you clearly put in this video! Plus: Man, that background! Awesome!

Fantastic video and great break down of the various mics. This was really helpful. Would you mind sharing what external recorder you are using, or would recommend?

Thanks for taking the time to make this. I was looking to buy the same mic.

Awesome comparison tests between so many mics these kind of videos are so helpful 💚

Daang love that studio backdrop design 👌

I love the lighting setup behind you in the talking head segments.

a HUGE help! you've helped me so much with my set up and I'm thinking of getting that NTG5, love the sensitivity, especially for ASMR. Thank you!

Didn't watch when you originally posted but shopping for a mic now. Thanks for this. You're always on point. Happy new year!

Excellent, concise shootout, Caleb! I love my 416. Because it gets mention so often in these shotgun tests, you'd think there's an inherent bias just because it's SUCH an industry standard, but then you test it and it just consistently averages up near the top of shootout tests like these. However, as Curtis likes to point out, finding the best microphone out that gives you stellar of the box results is a very bespoke exercise specific to your voice.

Great test! thanks for doing this. I am a bit confused on the math with the Rode NT5. Sensitivity: 3 points, Rear Rejection: 6 points, Side Rejection 1 point: Quality of sound: 12 points. 22 points total. but you have it in 11th place with 15. The only reason I noticed it was because after getting the top score on the quality, I thought it was weird it only had 3 other points from everything else. Not a huge deal obviously, just curious! Again, great test!

Been waiting for this thumbnail ever since your teaser video a couple weeks ago on Instagram! So solid 😍

You are clearly reading my thoughts - I’ve been looking for a mic for days!! Wizard!!

Watching this on my iPad means that all recordings sound the same 😁 But thanks for a really great video and observations!

Thank you sir! Just recently purchased the 416. Great sounding mic.

I had a matched pair of Rode NT5's for years that I absolutely loved. My big problem with them was the lack of a switchable pad on the mic itself. They were absolutely amazing to use as overheads on drums for genres like Jazz where you don't necessarily want to close-mic the toms. They were just too sensitive for my liking on instruments. All they needed was a built in pad to make them perfect.

Whoa! Talk about an undeniable thumbnail! You're going to get 100% click through rate on this one!

Love your lighting in the video - especially with the use of the cookie window simulation.

We’ve been needing this for SO LONG! You’re the best person to do it, 100% killed it! I’m curious...a lot of audio guys I work with on sets swear by the Schoeps microphones for any audio, both on set and in an interview setting. Any reason why those didn’t make the lineup?

Amazing video! Thanks for doing this Caleb!

Very timely! I was researching a mic after I did some room treatments and was leaning towards a shotgun. Thanks!

Thanks for the test and review. For me personally, after watching this video I would go with the NTG5 for situations when I need to reject as much surround sound as possible to make sure the subject I’m recording gets no other distractions.

Your set is amazing....colors, background blur, everything ...awesome!

The quality of this video is just stupid good! Very good stuff!

Love the studio setup with the "window" light! SOOO good!

Love this channel always learning !

Great methodology and an array of tests. Thank you!

Very well performed test: compliments! Love the Sennheiser as wel. Bought the NTG3 because of the price difference. But your test made me rethink. Thanks again! Very well done.

Loving the lighting man...Artsy yet straight up...

Former Technical Production Manager & Senior Technician for a corporate AV company, video producer/editor and musician here.. when I watch your videos your know your stuff and your ear is spot on ~ superb work! 🙏

The 416 is great. Been using it for a year and I couldn't do without it now.

Just here to say thank you. You've really provided more insights on which mic I should buy based on my needs.

Great comparison Caleb. The 416 seems to be a classic for decades. Thus I am wondering how the 80x0 Sennheisers which were engineered just a couple of years ago stack up against it.

Hey nice video as always! For indoor recording you should have probably tested more small diaphragm mics with either hyper or super cardioid pattern like the Audix scx1-hc or the Audio Technica at4053b. But I guess you can never go wrong with the 416 ;)

It's like you're in my head. Been on the hunt for a new shotgun mic all week. Wow!

I bought a used 416 a couple of years ago and it makes me genuinely happy to use it because of the quality it produces.

I think your tests are excellent at exposing the issue of "best" in many areas. It's really about the "best tool for the job" as one can see the different strengths and weaknesses of each. It would be interesting to extend your tests, using the same mics, for different use cases. Examples might be, indoor dialog, on camera, outdoor dialog, outdoor reach. This is very much why a good sound person often has a "tool kit" of microphones so they can pull out the right one for the environment. To make it even more fun, after you do the tests and commentary, perhaps have Curtis Judd provide his own as well showing how two sets of ears might evaluate the same test results.

Interesting video! I didn't know about pencil condenser mics before watching this!

Loving the new lighting setup. And thanks for putting this test together. When you measure distance from Mic to speaker, did you use the front or the back of the interference tube? Because on a long shotgun, that could be a pretty significant difference compared to pencil condenser with the element right up front.

Amazing Analysis. thank you very much!

Fantastic video and tests! I was getting worried for my Octava's until your sound quality test 😈

I got the MKE 600 probably 5 years ago and it has served me well - especially for $330

Thank you thank you! Just the video I needed!!!! 😍😍😍

Perfect Timing!! Thank you!

Grab an iSK pearl or gem. Quite impressive mics tbh! Would love to see your take on them!

Your channel is awesome! It's helping me a lot as a retool my own channel. Thanks for all your helpful information.

That set is so beautifully lit. Wow.

I think a front to back and front to side difference would be more useful than raw numbers but since you gave us the data we can calculate that ourselves if we want so thank you for that! My reasoning is once you tweak your gain based on the output from the front of the mic, how many DB quieter it is from the side will give you an idea of off axis rejection. If a mic has lower front output, you'll have to turn up the gain more than a mic that has higher native outtput to compensate, which will also raise the levels received from the side.

Awesome video and review!!Very detailed review for shotgun mics!!It was very helpful!Keep up the good work!!Thank you for sharing it with us!!😊🙏🙏👌

I'm glad you started off with the disclaimer about this being a test to your specs because the right mic is so specific to each individual need. Great video but unsurprised that the 416 came out on top. It's been The King of shotguns for over 30 years now - and for very good reason. Enjoy it!

Loved it. Definitely do on camera mic test!!!!

The best set designs on RU-vid! 👌 I'll have to watch the first minutes again coz that's all I was thinking about.

Thank you thank you thank you been trying to dive in to researching shotguns

Great job with this video. Knowing how you are going to use your mic before picking one is what you don't see enough of. Cheers

Man... your attention to detail is legendary.

**Very** thorough! This is a service to the community! Thanks for including the vocal "clarity" snippets: it allowed me to make my own subjective judgement. :)

Thank you for this very interesting video! Just One question, once you got the difference in sensitivity after the first test, did you set the gain for the different microphones accordingly before the two next tests? It would be very important as the rejection test has to be done while the different microphones are able to catch at the same level the source you want to record. Otherwise, it's normal that the NTG4 did better at rejection as its sensitivity is lower than the one from the other mics. Thank you!

Thank you! I just ordered the Azden SGM 3500L.

I have the Sennheiser ME66 and I believe it’s quite similar to the MKE600, I couldn’t be more happier considering it kicks around used for about 150-200. Great comparisons!

That thumbnail is SWEET!😁👊

Definitely want the on camera video version of this asap.

Love the title page image with a ludicrous number of mics! I’d like to see the video mic comparison you mention.

😃Side note: I LOVE what you've done with your background (much better for RU-vid to render...without banding😆

Oh man. I wish you'd done this 9 months ago. I ended up buying a Rode NTG2. It's great, but I'd have loved to really see this comparison before I'd bought. Great job Caleb!

The Sennheiser MKH416 is very well respected and no wonder it has been used for decades by pros. Thanks for making this video.

Love the a-roll lighting. Kinda film noir style. Suggestion: start adding a quick wide behind the scenes shot at the very end of each video to show your lighting setup and camera positioning

Amazing video, as always!

Can we take a minute to talk about the incredible lightning of this set? Remember when he turns out the light it's full black... And yet it looks like there is light going through some windows. Incredible and warm atmosphere here. It is one of your best lightning set so far imo! And the rest of the ideo is gold quality as usual. You're my favorite gear youtuber Caleb. Thank you for everything.

Bro, your set lighting is on another level.

Very good review. Gives me some ideas. I own a few of them and the one I love is my Sennheiser MKH416. I can't do any project without it.

Beautiful background! And awesome video as always!

Nice. We have been using the Senn 416 in the booth, well a closet, for a while. Great sound. Picked it up as a package deal at B&H that included a Zoom H5 for an additional $50.

Brilliant video. Thank you!

Hi mate, excellent video - thanks for making it. Don’t know if you’re aware of the SE Electronics SE8 - which I bought earlier this year to boom over dialogue and works AMAZING. It is super sensitive, extremely low noise (for pencil condenser) and has a nice flat curve that delivers a rich sound even at boom distance. I looked at the RODE M5, RODE NT5 and other mics too and found the SE8 to be the best. Thanks again for the terrific content you create. Cheers.

Would the deltas between dB measurements from the front, and dB measurements of sides and rear be a better measure than just comparing each mic's side rejection and rear rejection to get an overall sense of how each mic might handle rejection? Loved the side by side testing - very helpful!

Thanks for this informative video. I have never been able to get good sound and I’ve tried loads of different mic and recorders. I now have a rode video mic NTG which has improved the quality a lot, however part of me still wants to dig deeper into my pockets and get a pro quality shotgun mic.

Great comparison. I love the Oktava for its richness of sound and the clear harmonic content that it can reproduce. Which capsule did you use? I’m guessing, cardioid. I choose whichever capsule might reject most in the room I’m in .... a bit like having 3 mics!