VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Rob Ellis]

Any thoughts on these? I believe you normally get what you pay for but the price difference is significant. The question: is is worth it?

[Frank F]

Rob,

Just curious, why are you looking at shotguns?

I use shotguns quite often when doing location film/video work. My favorite is a Schopes. I have several Sennheisers and the Rode, along with a myriad of other shotguns - each has a different use and specification.

I like the Sennheiser for film and the Rode for video. The reasons are simple, the Sennheiser has a more "true sound" and when placed in reference to the large screen it sounds "alive", not affected.

For video the Rode is a bit more compact and sounds that way. It is not as bright and feels subdued, although this a good microphone for around $300.00.

The Rodes is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

The Sennheiser is 40 Hz to 20,000 Hz. SPL on the Sennheiser is better dynamically.

So the basic comparison should be based upon what use is the microphone intended to serve. If you are thinking VO - it can be done, but "why"?

A shotgun microphone is designed for very narrow sound collection - at a distance... it is very sensitive. Unless you are doing your VO from across the room, this is not a good idea for a VO mic.

Think of your intentions for the use of the microphone. It will make things a lot easier for you in the long run.

Toodles

Frank F
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[Rob Ellis]

Thanks for the input...I had been told that shotgun was best for promo-type work (eg. movie trailers, news promo, etc.) and those may be areas of interest in the future....

[Rob Ellis]

P.S.-My current all around mike is the Rodes NT1-A and I am very happy with it, just considering adding a shotgun to my arsenal if, after exploration, it seems warranted...

[Jowillie]

There are several pros on this forum that use the Sennheiser 416 and they can tell you best how and why they use it. It seems the folks that get paid the most regular usually end up with the Neumann U87 and the 416.
I am looking for a 416 to demo. The Sennheiser has some very hyper cardiod characteristics that seem to really center the vocal pattern where it counts. I don't think Sennheiser intended its use for that purpose....but hey, whatever works.
I also believe that there are newer, better shotgun mics for video acquisition and I'll rent those as needed. They just don't sound very good as VO mics.
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Wild Willie Edwards
www.hometowntvtoday.com
http://vomictest.blogspot.com

[VO-Guy]

I compared the NTG-1 and the Sennheiser MKH 416 before I bought my 416. No comparison. Difference was night and day. You get what ya pay for. The NTG sounded thin a brittle compared to the 416.

Russ