Sennheiser MKH 416 Review (STILL AWESOME) 

$500 US dollars? Where are you based out of? I’m not interested but some viewers might be.

I'm in Portugal and I'll throw in a Rycote wind shield and pistol grip.

@@orlandoventor1754 hi i’m very interested, i’m based in France. How can i get in touch with you?

Is it fake?

@@tb1235 ?

Oh wow! Thank you so much! I really appreciate that wonderful comment! It makes my year! Cheers, man!

Exactly 😊

Hey thanks so much, John! I really appreciate it! And thanks for watching!

Hey thanks so much, Michael! I really appreciate it! Oh man! The 416 is where it’s at! I love mine. I barely have to do anything in post but a little de-essing sometimes. I love it so! You’re going to just love that thing. And it’ll last you your entire life if you take care of it. Thanks for watching!

@@TheRecordist I can't wait!! By the way, I have a bit of feedback if you're open to hearing it. I found your content to be incredibly unique and of superb quality. I really enjoyed it! I saw your 416 review vid show on my feed multiple times over the past week, but I was hesitant to click it because the cover photo looked pretty meh. If the quality of your cover photos were to match the quality of your videos, then I believe your view counts and CTR would greatly increase. Best of luck!

@@TheRecordist It could be worth testing this as your cover photo and let it run for a few weeks to see if CTR goes up. i.imgur.com/IhEhdr3.jpg

@@mwolf84 you know, you’re absolutely right. I’m terrible at the thumbnails. I hate them so. But I have no idea how to make them better. I need to figure this out. Thanks for your feedback! I’m very happy to hear it! Do let me know how you like your 416! So exciting!

Haha. Thanks very much! Cheers!

Woo hoo! I love this mic! I think you’ll love it too! But be mindful of sibilance haha.

Haha. Thanks so much, Alex. You’ll love it! Cheers!

Thanks so much!

Hey thanks so much! And you’re damn right! The 416 is one of the classic best! Cheers!

Thanks! That’s great! I think you’ll love it! Just be careful of the sibilant frequencies. Use a de-esser if they become a problem. Very easy to tame. Cheers!

Thanks so much! Cheers!

Oh thank you so much! That was a wonderful comment! Thanks for making my day! Cheers!

@@TheRecordist :)

Hey thanks, Adam! I really appreciate the compliment! Cheers!

Woo hoo! You’ll love it!

Thanks! Great choice!

Hey thanks so much! I do love audio more than any one person should. The NTG 5 is a fine mic, and there’s no doubt you’ve herd that on a movie to two as well. The NTG 3 is Røde’s flagship shotgun and is used on a lot of movies too. I’m currently testing out the Deity S-Mic 2 and seeing how it compares to the 416. I think I might even make an EQ profile to see how close I can get them. Thanks for watching!

Hey thanks! Feel free to share it! I could use some watch hours. 😉 And I can usually fix some of those issues with a dose of Soothe 2 or even Pro-Q 3. Sometimes it doesn’t fix it completely, but definite improvement. RX10 will probably take care of anything. It’s a fabulous mic! Thanks for watching!

@@TheRecordist I definitely will man it’s much deserved! I ended up buying a 416 and mixpre 3 just because of this haha. I’m looking forward to creating videos and podcasts with it. Might even dabble in some voice acting like I’ve been wanting to. Do you have any recommendations for book stands that could be out of frame but still reach? Right now I have my camera like 10 ft away from where I’m sitting so it’s a bit difficult to keep stuff out of the shot.

@@julianmdelfin hi Julian! I’m happy to see you scored a 416 and a MixPre! What a powerful combo those are! When you say book stands, do you mean boom stands? I’m my studio I use a 30mm prime lens on an APSC camera. So really my lens is 45mm full-frame equivalent. I use a C-stand that I got from Amazon. If you check under any one of my videos in the descriptions I have links to my Kits. My Film Kit has the exact model of the C-stand I use. You can get some distance from it as is, but if you need more distance, you could always buy a cheep boom pole and a boom pole holder that attaches to the boom stand. This will give you at least 10 more feet of reach. You might need a sandbag to handle the weight though. Maybe not, but it’s good to look out for those things. I hope this helps!

Hey thanks! That 4017B though. It’s a nice mic. DPA makes great mics. Good enough, in fact, to go to Mars! But yes, any shotgun is going to have some phasing issues indoors near reflective surfaces. I’ve since deadened that part of my studio and made it a green screen corner. No more issues. Thanks for watching!

Haha. Thanks, Antoine! You’re gonna love the 416. Everyone does-except the extreme purists who will insist the MKH-50 or the 8060 are far superior. In the end, everyone knows and loves the sound of a 416-even if they don’t know it. Haha.

@@TheRecordist there is a french expression for purists « il y a Que les con qui change pas "🤣 am running a audio business and needed to upgrade mic for a pristine voiceovers mic that will last ! I heard a loads of great stuff about this one in particular 99% of the industry uses it !! X pensive ? Not really ✅but great for business

@@7MOONS2023 only idiots don’t change? Something like that. My Français is rusty. Haha. Yep. $1000 is nothing for a great VO mic! You’ll have it for the rest of your life!

Haha. Thanks, Mark!

Hahahaha! So word got out! Superb! I didn’t think anyone else knew of that story! I’m glad to know I had a small part to play-even if it was due to an accident. 😉

Hi Robin, you nailed it. The CMIT5U is an astounding mic in its own right, but not as robust as the 416. The 416 can take quite a beating in pretty much any weather and keep on going for years. This is the very reason I settled on the 416 over others. It’s all about the built-to-last products for me! Thanks for the compliment!

You should also check the Schoeps MK41, which i like more.

@@frederikgroborsch3367 yes. That’s a mic I intend to review perhaps this year. Just have to get my hands on one. Thanks for watching!

Thanks! Oh it’s a must have for VO work and works amazingly well on a set. I think you’ll love it!

That’s a great idea! I will do one on that in the future. Thanks for watching!

Hahaha. Thanks so much, Daniel! Cheers!

Haha. Well thank you very much! Cheers!

Haha. Well thank you very much, Ethan! I appreciate the awesome support! Cheers!

Hey thanks! No I have yet to review the 600. I’ll try to get one! Cheers!

Hey thanks very much! And there’s a reason it’s been popular for almost 50 years! Cheers!

@@TheRecordist I am so amazed by your review and the sound of this thing that I rewatched some of the movies in the meantime and paid attention to the dialogue. I've placed an order for one today and can't wait to try it out! Thank you so much for this review!

Hey thanks! About your question, could you be more specific? Are you looking for the mic to pick up audience or a single speaker? I suppose for both applications this wouldn’t be my first choice for mics. Let me know specifics and I’ll try and help you as best I can. Cheers!

Hahaha. Thanks! Well, the MKE-600 is a decent mic. It’s not a 416 and it certainly doesn’t have the all-weather protection, but it’s a decent mic for the price. It’s got some high-mid resonance issues, if you ask me. But nothing a little EQ or multiband compression in post won’t fix. If all-weather protection is key for you (not sure if it is), have you looked into the Deity S-Mic 2 or the new (not yet released) S-Mic 3? Full weather protection and a pretty good sound. Way cheaper than the 416. But if weather resistance isn’t an issue, then the MKE-600 is just fine and sounds better than the S-Mic 2. But again, it doesn’t sound like the 416. Another mic that is double the cost of the MKE-600 but still cheaper than the 416 is the Røde NTG3. I’m not a Røde fan but they did a great job with the NTG3. I will say this, though: if the 416 is what you really want, find a way to get it, because you eventually will anyway and you’ll have bought two mics when all you really wanted was the one. Buy once, cry once! Haha. Hope this helps is some way!

Hey thanks man!

Thanks so much!

Hey thanks! And that’s a great question! Unfortunately the answer is no. It would not help the phasing issue indoors. But don’t fret. It’s not that big a deal and with a little forethought you’ll be just fine. The reason your suggestion wouldn’t work is because all those layers don’t stop the interference tube from “hearing” anything. It just stops wind while trying to preserve the frequencies. Ultimately, if you did that, you’d just end up with a lot of missing high end but the interference tube will still pick up early reflections (which are the only reflections you need to worry about with this mic indoors). When I shot this video, I did it from a location in my studio that I normally do not shoot in. It was right in a corner with two wood walls immediately behind me and to my left. I had a green screen up but I was right against it and rammed into the adjacent wall with many guitars hanging from hangers on it. I threw up a moving blanket behind the guitars and used the headstocks on the hangers to hold the blanket in place. It was quick and dirty and poorly thought out. To add to that, I shot the whole thing without headphones which I never do but did due to the length of cable from the recorder. Once again, lazy. I could’ve used an extension cable. Normally I think this through but my studio is in shambles as I’m having one wall re-insulated this week. I also thought that the reflections off of my usual table would add to that phasing issue, so I opted to try the couch-a letter couch. It was just a bad idea, but I used the video anyway. Now that I think about it, the video would have been much better at my usual table because I’ve got a far better acoustic treatment in that part of my studio. It’s best just to be aware where you’re using the mic and try to minimize early reflections. That’s it. To sum up: if I did it again, I would have covered the leather couch with a nice blanket, put a moving blanket at my feet, moved away from the corner, and wore headphones so I would notice this issue from the start. Haha. My own fault. I hope any of this will help you!

That helps me a lot. Thank you very much.

On of the very best! Thanks for watching!

Hi there. Thanks for the compliments! My Canon M50 settings are as follows: -23.98 FPS -1080p (upscaled in post) -Shutter 1/50 -ISO 100 -Lens Sigma 30mm EFM Prime @ F1.4 -White balance 6300 (for a warmer look against the daylight video light) Edited on a 4K timeline. I hope this helps. Enjoy your Sennheiser! You’re gonna love it! Cheers!

@@TheRecordistThanks 🙏

Hahaha. Well thank you very much! Cheers!

Woo hoo! Bearded similar-taste nerds unite! 👊🏻🤓 I’m so close to an MKH 50. It’s between that and a Cranborne Audio 500R8. Haha. I bet you love that 50. It’s a favorite of location sound people all over the world!

@@TheRecordist I do love it, but it hasn’t gotten any field use yet…. Film scene has been slow for me this year, but it gets daily use feeding into my Mixpre3 which I then use as my microphone on video meetings. I get a lot of compliments on my audio and video on corporate video meetings. Little do they know that I’m using professional gear for friggin zoom meetings.🤣

@@The-Logician hahahaha. That’s the way to do it! That’s the way I would do it! Hahahaha

Hahaha. It’s all about the insane amounts of digested cholesterol. Hahaha

Hi there. Well, the MKE 600 is about a third the price of a 416 and reflects that in quality. The 600 needs a lot of gain and in some cases requires you to get close than usual to your subject. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad mic. It’s actually quite decent. But it doesn’t sound like a 416. I’ve been doing audio for a long time, and I’ve come to realize (after buying the budget option at every chance I could) that I always end up buying the real deal in the end and lose money in the whole process. Buy once, cry once. The MKE 600 will do the job, but it won’t sound like a 416. Another great option is the Røde NTG3. I’m not a big Røde fan, but they made a great mic with the NTG3. It’s got an amazing low end that sounds divine on male and denial voices alike - and can take EQ well. Just some suggestions. Good luck!

Hey there. They’re basically the same mic. Some would say the T sounds better, but I don’t think there’s a difference. I’ve known people who have had them modified for 48v as opposed to using the adapter. The advantage being increased headroom. But depending on what you’re using it for, that may not even be important to you. Hope this helps!

@@TheRecordist that is great data, thank you very much!

Hahah. Thanks, Ben!

Haha. Well thanks! I’m located in Ontario, Canada. But sometimes I’m from planet Zero. The MKE 600 is a cool mic for its price. But the thing I’ve learned about mics is that there’s a reason expensive mics are expensive. The capsules are expensive even for the company to make. They have this sound that no matter who says “this is the 416 killer for a quarter the price”, it’s never the case. Ever. That said, it doesn’t mean the MKE 600 is unusable. It just means that when you’re really experienced with sound, you can hear the difference. A lot of people try to make a cheap mic sound like an expensive one, and sometimes you can get close, but never fully. I have a Deity S-Mic 2 as well which I think probably sounds better than the MKE 600 but is still a cheap mic. And the S-Mic is waterproof and everything proof. Probably around the same cost as the MKE 600. But you can’t just go straight into a camera unless your camera has phantom power. I actually have some EQ profiles to get the S-Mic 2 to sound like a 416. It gets closer, but never all the way. I can always hear that signature top and bottom end that just can’t be recreated with an EQ. The guys in location audio have a saying. It’s buy once, cry once. The reason is that buying something you’ll likely never use again once you upgrade is a waste of money. So before I got a 416 I got the S-Mic because I thought that if I’m ever in a sharty situation that’s wet and snowy and rainy and dirty and dusty or whatever, that I could always bring out the S-Mic 2 and get a very similar polar pattern and off-axis rejection and not worry about it getting pummeled. So it would have a use later. Other than that, if you can get ANY mic for a steal, it’s always worth having more mics. The MixPre is life-changing, eh? Haha. I hope this answers your question!

@@TheRecordist No way dude! We're about 2 hours away. I'm in Montreal now. I work in Toronto sometimes. I could've sworn you're an Ontario grown dude by humor and speech. Yeah I totally get you on all that you say and I strongly agree. Same with any gear and sports gear and so on: buy once cry once - I'm that kind of guy with a lot of things. Battery power was a big requirement when I got the mke600 and I did not acquire the cine cam at that point and it was fitting for the package - I almost bought the 416 but then I would've needed a zoom or mixpre and I said: let's focus on what needs the budget now, was getting ahead of myself. For the clients that I get, the mke600 will do the job for now. Btw, this is why I got into sound. Even though I wanna direct, I began learning camera and now sound to devlop my eyes and ears. I don't understand these people not focusing on the crafts they have to direct. I'm a trained actor btw. I got into film crew jobs along the way and I do photography as a freelance. Yeah the mixpre is eargasmic and I was surprised that the menus worked out great - I did not miss the arm/PFL buttons like I thought I would, it's actually fast because the function stays ACTIVATED while switching through channels or while toggling channel on and off - VERY SMART DESIGN, I was hoping it was like that - those guys definitely operated gear before. I'm going tomorrow to see if I can demo an F8npro in a store but probably sticking with the mixpre6ii. I'm gonna buy sandisk extreme pro cards and exchange them every 3-4 years to make sure they don't go bad or something (the vnand chip or whatever gets too much writing/wiping at some point and that makes it go bad) - my RED camera has one memory card so meh, getting used to it lol . I pointed out the window the mke600 today like Travolta in Blow Out and I started listening to the rain, neighbors etc. So much fun; bro not gonna lie, sound recording somehow gets me even more excited than photography. I do my own editing - not to sound arrogant, but I know I'm good at it - and the fact that I can create my sounds suddenly opens such flexibility that my heart is about to burst. Thanks to channels like yours and other I hope to learn more and to get some serious sfx and folly skills over the next years. Of course I'll be happy to work with a crew once I get to a level where I get serious clients - but I think I have to get good at the crafts that I would eventually direct. This was my instinct and learning about other film directors I see this over and over again: they were good at photography, sound, sfx etc - they cared, they obsessed, they loved to obsess about it. If you have insta, connect with me here: instagram.com/andreinothere/ . I'll probably make a new account once I curate some work properly (that was just a small demo profile). I'll try to shoot some film over the next few months too - putting the red komodo and recorder through proper tests - idk what it will be, we'll see.

@@cubul32 that’s so cool! All of it! Yes. I’m sure you can tell I’m a Canadian and if you’re a Canadian you can tell that I’m from ontario. Haha. Sound is a whole world. It stirs the imagination and ignites feelings. It transports you instantly and siphons your attention. Nothing like it in the world, if you ask me. That’s awesome that you’re an actor as well. A long time ago I wanted to be a director. I did direct some projects but nothing memorable or big. I’m sure you will achieve it! But make sure that when you do, and you’re on a set, that sound is respected. It all too often isn’t. No one wants to give the mixer a minute of room tone. But when a director recognizes that sound is equally-if not more-important than picture, a masterpiece just might be made. When the director is involved in spotting sessions and loop group and all that stuff, you’ve got a good director. I hope you’re that. Sure. I’ll find you on Instagram. Cheers!

Oil of Olay. Every day. Hahaha

Hey thanks! It was not mounted on the camera. I would never do that unless I’m right in front of it and talking to the camera. The mic was about 3.5 feet above my head, in front of me, and pointed at my upper chest/throat area. Hope this helps!

@@TheRecordist Sounds good thank you. Looking for a good solution for run and gun doc work. No real time to mic someone up so I’m looking for the best shotgun to mount to the camera.

@@TheMMAMoneyMinute hey. No worries. For run and gun the 416 will do nicely as long as you’re pointing directly at your subject. The 416 has a very unforgiving narrow beam. If you need a wider beam there are other options like Schoeps CMIT 5U but that’s insanely expensive. There are Sanken ones as well. Even Røde NTG3 has a wider beam but it’s a much less articulate sound. Hope that helps!

@@TheRecordist Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Have a great day.

@@TheMMAMoneyMinute no prob! You too!

Hey. For just a little over $300 is the Deity S-Mic 2 or S-Mic 2s. Also the Sennheiser MK600 is around the same price. If you have a good blimp with a good shockmount system, mics like the Octava MK-012 can do both (but the Octava is not in any way weather resistant like the other mics I suggested). Under $300 is tricky. I hope I’ve given you some usable suggestions.

@@TheRecordist thanks

The 416 is best as a directional mic. For booming outdoors. Not so great for ambience recording. I’d recommend a stereo pair of omni mics for ambience recording. Like the Clippys or Pluggys from www.micbooster.com

Hey. Well for a run and gun situation, on top of the camera will do. But it’s not ideal. The best sound is going to come from a boomed mic as close to the subject as possible. It’s a whole other world when you can get audio that way. But on top of the camera will work. But only when you’re in close to the subject. What do you mean defective light?

@@TheRecordistI meant reflective*

⁠​⁠@@TheRecordistI’m gonna have to make another friend just to hold a boomed mic for me.

@@BeanCrosbydoodles yes. That’ll do a much more professional sounding job. As close to the subject as possible without being in the shot. Don’t point the mic at the top of the head. Point it at the upper chest/throat area. This is where the pros point their mics if they can. Good luck!

Haha. Thanks, Aleena! Though, I’m not sure if it’s a good adorable or bad. Haha. Cheers!

Right?! And his light JAWS flex 02:00 in was what made me subscribe. So cute!

Hey thanks! The Deity S-Mic 2 is a cheap alternative. The Røde NTG3 is more expensive than the S-Mic but is insanely good. These are the only two lower cost shotgun mics I’ve tested personally. Hope this helps!

@@TheRecordist yes it did and i thank you. im sorry you have not tested the Audio Technica AT897. i really want to hear it from a good source, like your channel. you add a sense of enjoyment to your videos, while we get the points we need to help us decide

Thanks so much!

Hey Jason. The 416 is great for if you want to keep it out of sight and still get a great sound. It’ll reject sounds from the sides, unless those sounds are reflections bouncing off walls that are close to you. It’ll pickup whatever it’s pointed at. So if you have the mic pointed to your headphones, or that general area, then yes, I’ll pick up that sound too. Great mic, but very specific uses. I would need to know more about your setup to recommend.

@The Time Preservation Society I have a desk setup in the corner of my room right against the wall and I don't have acoustic panels but I was thinking about buying 3 or 4 of them and hanging them on the wall right next to my desk but I don't know if that would stop the echo of my voice bouncing off the wall as I have a low ceiling too thats 9 feet high.

@@jaycranmer2001 hey. The ones you can buy on Amazon suck. Far better to make your own with Rockwool and linen and even a frame if you can swing it. There are all kinds of instructional videos on RU-vid that show you how to make your own acoustic panels that are far superior to the crap online. Barring that, a dynamic mic might be the way to go. RE20 is a nice mic. Same with SM7B as you may know. Both are excellent sounding mics. The 416 will work, but you might get those reflected sounds messing with your mic causing some phasing issues.

It just so happens that I reviewed that one too! Sennheiser MKH-50 Review (vs Oktava MK-012, MKH-416, & Line Audio CM4) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--HEj-IF7FYg.html

Hahaha. Well that’s because I AM a time traveler. 😉

For VO work? Absolutely. But when you get down to the minute details of specialized work, you’ll find that the 416 is preferred for movie trailers and some commercials. It, of course, will work for every kind of VO job, but generally this mic is chosen for the more in-your-face type of jobs.

Thanks for that helpful information! @@TheRecordist

@@tinylittlefilms3043 Cheers!

Hahaha. Awesome! Thanks for the well thought out comment! You know, if tried my martinis stirred but found that I rather like the frantic nature of a shaken drink. I find it ever so to my linking. Thanks for watching!

I would choose the 416 any day of the week, hands down. There’s a reason it’s so popular. But the price is much higher than the Audio Technica.

Well, maybe not 90%. These days a lot of sound pros choose Schoeps (CMIT 5U etc) but many still prefer the 416 along with the 50. You can’t go wrong with that combo!

Ontario, Canada!

Hahahaha! I know eh?! I’m still paying for mine. I’ve had to finance it. It was the only way for me.

Haha. I always throw a few tall tales in with my videos because I think it’s funny. It’s also part of the “time traveler” lore. Hahaha.

Woo woo! Loving the 416 club!

I have not. What do you think about it?

MKE600 is decent and can be made to sound really close to the MKH416 with some EQing, but it;s not going to replace the 416 anytime soon (like…. Ever.) As our bearded hero has stated, there is a reason the MKH416 is a movie making standard.

Hahahaha

Hahahaha

Haha. Well I’m no comedian but I sure like to have fun. Haha. Thanks for watching!

@@TheRecordist I love to see ur videos