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Buying first shotgun: MKE600 vs NTG-4?
Hey there audio professionals!
I’ve been doing DSLR video work for local businesses for the past year now and am still learning the ropes and adding to my collection of equipment. I do primarily interview style videos and testimonials for nonprofits and businesses like these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPJcxY5arc4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hvto3LGMaw
Almost all my interviews are done indoors.
I just bought a Tascam DR-60DmkII and since business is picking up I’m realizing it’s time to invest in a shotgun mic rather than keep renting one from Borrow Lenses. In the two videos above I used a Sennheiser ME66 and did some amplification, little noise removal and EQ in post.
As a college student, I don’t have a ton of money to drop on my first shotgun (looking to stay under $500). From what I’ve read online, the Sennheiser MKE600, ME66, and Rode’s NTG-4 routinely come up as good starter shotguns. Can anyone weigh in on these three mics and suggest one over the other for my recording purposes?Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
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1 Reply
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Hello Erin and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.
The LIttle Fork VO sounds a LOT better because I don’t hear the room. Plug in a good set of headphones and you will plainly hear the difference. I spec Sony MDR7506 or Audio-Technica ATH-M50 for this kind of work. If the headphones you have are not telling you the truth, you will make mistakes every time.
If you did use the same mic for both, then.
1. Your choice of environment could have been better for the first one. An environment without so many hard, flat surfaces to reflect the sound would have been better R. Also, you have plenty of room over the top of the head. You could tighten that a bit and that would allow you to get the mic closer, therefore hearing less room. Remember to keep the lens as high as the face. That lets you position the mic really close to the top of the head without being seen. Positioning the lens below the face (shooting upwards) means you have to have the mic farther away to not be seen,
I do hear a zero crossover error at :50 seconds in between words where I’m guessing you made an edit without a proper crossfade. That’s why there’s a click there.
Instead of a shotgun mic, try a super cardioid or hypercardioid. At your budgetary level, I’d suggest an Audio Technica 5053B or Audix SCX-1 HC. Here’s a video that explains the reasons for using different mics for diferent shots, and YES, you can use a hyper or super outside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaUSXP-a3hA
Regards,
Ty Ford
Cow Audio Forum LeaderWant better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
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