Mic Comparison: Budget Røde NTG2 vs $1k Sennheiser MKH 416
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ย. 2024
- What are the benefits of a $1,000 microphone over a $269 mic? How do they compare in an untreated room, inside a recording booth, and in a fully-produced VO spot? And why would you use a shotgun microphone for VO anyway?
Actors, streamers, podcasters and aspiring voiceover artists: put on your best headphones and see if you can hear the difference between these two industry-standard microphones!
$269 USD Røde NTG2: www.bhphotovid...
$999 USD Sennheiser MKH 416: www.bhphotovid...
$269 Røde NT1: www.bhphotovid...
Thanks for the comparison! I have been using the NTG2 and just purchased the 416 because I'll be reading an audio book. Worth a little mention, the NTG2 can get more of that warmth simply with proximity -- if the copy supports an intimate or softer sort of read, you can get close and NTG2 picks up more bottom end warmth.
Among the best comparison videos I've seen, ever. Thank you!
Great video.
I have had the MKH-416T (12v phantom) for about 20 years and a couple of years ago it stopped working after a drop on carpet. With not much budget available I bought the NTG2 and was disappointed knowing the results I was getting from the Sennheiser.
I managed repair the Sennheiser and rarely use the Rode now, though I use other Rode microphones for different situations.
I clicked on that previous mic comparison video you linked. Nice job improving your video setup. Leaps and bounds difference 👏
That is SO nice to hear, thank you!
I’d love to see more videos about microphones, please!
Neat video! I have an NTG-2 and agree that it sounds "fine." I hear the extra oomph and magic that the Sennheiser gives your voice, for sure. Question - how would you EQ an NTG-2 to get it to sound more comparable to the Sennheiser's magic? I realize that this is not 100% possible, but where on the Hz spectrum would you bump the lows to try to replicate it?
Amazing comparisons! Thank you for that, i fall in love with the mkh 416 now
Nice comparison. I can definatly hear the lower and mid range presence on the MKH 416 and I was listening through monitor speakers then Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones. I found Rode mics usually tend a slightly harsh on my voice due to the way they boost the higher frequencies, except the NT1 which I had but found it a little too flat on my voice which was the opposite to the NT1-A I had before that which was too bright and I couldn't fix it with EQ. I also tried a Neumann TLM 102 but the highs didn't work well on my voice. I bought a MKH 416 and as it has the lower and mid range presence and smoother highs, I like it a lot on my voice and I can use both indoors in my vocal booth and outdoors on camera if I need a mic for voice recording which it being directional and the extra sensitivity it has helps.
I don’t have a perfect pitch but I definitely hear the difference. They both sound for what they worth. Great video!
Great mic shootout. I definitely hear the difference with the ad. Thanks for this video, going to try a Sennheiser out :)
Thanks, this was quite helpful! I didn't know they use shotgun mics for voiceover
You're really comparing apples to oranges. The NTG2 was designed as on camera mic replacement. This is why it can run off a single AA battery. It doesn't have the same fidelity because of that. It was never designed for high fidelity. The NTG3 on the other hand was, but it still doesn't have the sonic signature quality the 416 provides. However, with proper EQ, you can get the NTG3 close to the 416....sort of.
How interesting! I’ve never heard the NTG2 described as being intended to sit on-camera; that’s how I’ve always thought of the NTG1, honestly. What I will say by way of explanation is this: in my market (the Rust Belt, so lots of industrial and commercial video production but not a major film market in any way) the NTG2 is basically used as a budget 416. It’s so ubiquitous that, before I owned any shotguns, the question I couldn’t get out of my head was “is there some unique sound signature that’s common to ALL shotgun mics, and therefore, could I get some portion of the sound of a 416 from a NTG2 in my VO work?” I know better now that I’ve owned and used both those mics plus several others, of course :) But it was clear to me that others had the same thought when I received comments asking to compare the two on a previous video, so I thought it was worth exploring.
And the story of the NTG3 is a fascinating one, albeit one that seems to exist somewhere between fact and internet rumor 😄 I’ve only ever seen one used on set once, and the sound guy who owned it raved about it, but I’d love to get one in my booth someday and hear the difference with my own ears.
It's really more a difference of build quality, reliability and namesake. RF bias vs non. Slightly higher sensitivity. Slightly wider dynamic range. Better signal to noise ratio..In a proper use case environment (typically out of doors, boomed and cueing), the 416 is definitely better suited. Frequency response is only part of this price difference but people like telling others that a less expensive option is a substitute. Both yea and nea, tbh. You definitely reach a point of diminishing returns somewhere along the line but I haven't seen many who ten or twenty years into their career still have something like an NTG2 in their bag they swear by that also cuts well with other mics and they won't part with. 416's tend to stand the rest of time and the rigors of the road. They're a proven workhorse and sometimes paying more for that is beneficial in the right circumstances.
Thanks. Love the comparison. Synco D2 is another budget shotgun mic.
Bring them both outside in the rain or very humid conditions - the MKH will continue to work a lot longer. The sound is more a taste matter - you might like the one the other more.
I do hear a better sound coming from the Sennheiser, but only when you are hearing it right after/before the NTG2. If I had no reference to each other, I would not be able to tell. Given that, a client would never have known if you spent $1,000 vs $250 on a shotgun mic. The NTG2 sounds “fine” or “acceptable” in my opinion.
Thank you! Can’t tell the difference :’D
hi David, thanks for your Video. love your view, base on your Video, the 416 hads more warm and punch, and this what we after a mic. We in the market of Mic. It so much choice and I spend so much time when come with decision purchase. Our room is untreated, and we want a mic can do vocals, like head talk/Karaoke on LIVE Streaming on fb/TH-cam.
Amazing demonstration!
Nice review! Mkh 416 definitely sounds better as expected considering its price point.
Rode did a very good job for its price.
There *is* something a little special about the Sennheiser, but I think that it's only able to be heard in direct comparison to the Røde. IMO, both heard alone would be indistinguishable.
Hey, thanks for the great video. Sub’d. What do you think of the Sennheiser MKE 600? I just happen to have one of those lying around, but I absolutely love the sound and clarity of the MKH 416. In addition to the frequency response differences, the 416 sounded much more clear than the NTG-2.
The MKE 600 is one of those mics that I've been dying to try in person but just haven't had the chance yet! I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen it used more frequently when I do on-camera work, because most people seem to agree that, given the choice between it and the other notable mics in its price range (like the NTG2 or the Audio-Technica AT897, both of which I own), the MKE 600 is the superior choice. But I have a feeling it probably still falls a bit short of the MKH 416, because at that price, it must compromise on SOMETHING. What makes the 416 so great, in my opinion, is that is makes zero compromises: it has high-end clarity and detail without being harsh, low-end presence without being muddy or boomy; it provides a stronger signal than my cheaper mics, so it requires less gain at the preamp stage; and its lobar pattern is longer, meaning it sounds closer and more present even when it's further away. I never have to worry about it failing me in ANY regard, and that makes it a valuable work tool for me, justifying the price. To get it down to the $300 range, the MKE 600 must sacrifice at least one or two of those qualities, but depending on what you want to use it for, you might be able to live with whatever compromises it makes, ya know?
I've got a 416 and a 600, I'm a big fan of Sennheiser. I use them both mostly outdoors now as I purchased a Schoeps CMC 641 last year and for me nothing can touch this mic.
very useful, thanks!
Thank you.
This video was great. Good job.
At first I thought I thought the extra low end of the Sennheiser sounded muddy when combined with the music, like they were competing too much in certain frequency ranges.. I listened again though and it did feel like the the VO stood out more. Damn it can be so subjective and difficult to judge, especially when you don't have a lot of experience!
Believe me, I've been doing this a long time, and I've totally had the same experience! :) While it sometimes feels like my own ears are playing tricks on me, something to keep in mind is that any commercial copy like this is going to be mixed at least three different ways, for distribution over TV, radio, and web. There's no "one size fits all" way to mix for every speaker out there. Even experienced professionals can screw this up sometimes: streaming movies, for example, often don't get remixed from their theatrical releases, and end up sounding much muddier and harder to hear at home. So don't let your lack of experience make you think you have bad judgement, just trust your ears! :)
Excellent job, my friend!!! Was it the same commercial take with both mics set up? Or did you do two separate takes, each with the different mic? -Spitale
Thanks bud! Yeah, exact same take, with both mics recording at once, equidistant from my mouth, running into two channels of the same audio interface (an Apogee Duet). Wanted it to be as close a comparison as possible.
Thanks this souinds great!
The 416 picks up much more of the timbre of your voice whereas the NTG2 hardly picks it up.
Super helpful!
David, my voice is low and muddy, so I wonder if Røde is the right capsule for me. Your channel is a best-kept secret! New subscriber here. 💛🙏🏼
Thanks for the kind words! Røde’s condensers have a reputation for being on the bright side, so they might add a bit of sparkle to your voice. But before you spend any money, never discount the power of selective, subtractive EQ. Open up a multiband graphic EQ plugin in your DAW and drag those sliders down by at least 9db, one at a time, until you find the frequencies to eliminate that will help your voice sound “right.” Good luck!
@@davidautovino Thanks again so much!
hello sir. very well presented review. can you tell me the brand/make of shock mount used on the MKH 416?
Thank you! The mount I'm using on my MKH416 is an AKG H30. The Sennheiser comes with a basic clip-style mount, which would probably be sufficient when using it to record VO. But the person I purchased my MKH416 from (an experienced audio engineer, colleague and friend) just happened to include that AKG mount with the mic, when he sold it to me, as that's what he used it with. Thus, so do I!
Good evening, I am new to V/O.
I have a question regarding the Rode shot gun mic. My husband is in the process of building me a V/O studio in a SHED that is in our back yard. Would you recommend a shotgun mic for a treated Shed. Or a rode condenser Mic.
I've always daydreamed about building a studio in a shed, to get away from my kids while recording! ;) For me, in New York, the biggest obstacles would be outdoor noise like traffic, airplanes, lawnmowers and snowplows. Though, in theory, a shotgun should do a better job of rejecting those noises than a large-diaphragm condenser, I know from film experience that they're certainly not foolproof. If you've sufficiently soundproofed your shed (at least one layer of dense rockwool insulation on every surface, if not two layers) it might not be an issue. But if you're worried about picking up outdoor noises in your area, the safest bet is always a broadcast dynamic mic like an Electro-Voice RE20 or RE320 (I've never loved the sound, but some people adore them on their own voices) or a Shure SM7b, which is currently on sale for the holidays at virtually every retailer that carries them. Best of luck with your awesome shed studio!
☺
I would like to know if you could post a raw test without ro edit the sound
The samples at 4:15 in the video are a pretty good example of how they sound, as these clips are completely raw and unprocessed... except of course for the inherent compression that comes from watching a video over TH-cam :) If I can dig up the original files and post them on a file sharing service somewhere, I'll post them here!
Can probably be matched with eq. 😊
The sound is a significant difference.
You obviously know what you’re doing since you do voice for a living. But one question, aren’t you supposed to point shotgun mics at your chest and not talk directly into it?
Well, uh... nope! I'm not sure where you may have heard that, but even when booming film dialogue, the goal is to have the mic's diaphragm (in the case of a shotgun mic, it's pointing outward from the end, making it an "end-address microphone") pointing toward the source of sound (i.e. the speaker's mouth) as much as is possible. Any degree to which you deviate from this will cause the mic to pick up the sound "off-axis," and it will sound quieter and more muffled... and some mics are more forgiving in that regard than others. When the source of your sound is a moving target (like an actor who's walking, running or fighting while talking) it can help to use a boom mic with a wider pickup pattern. But considering VO is relatively stationary, it's pretty easy to aim your mic directly at the source of sound.
Is it possible you're referring to the debate as to whether or not booth mics should be positioned from above, pointing down, vs from below, pointing upward? This theory goes that mics that are positioned at chest level (but still pointing up toward the speaker's face) will capture more low-frequency chest resonance, and that this can be a desirable sound for certain purposes (like a deep, booming commercial delivery). As far as I know, this hasn't really been proven to be conclusively true, but some people have strong opinions about it 😆 I hope that helps clarify things for you!
Another thought: perhaps you're referring to the notion that you shouldn't position a microphone directly in front of your mouth? THIS is true. You want to make sure that the mic's diaphragm is clear of the path of the air you expel as you speak. The breath you force outward when speaking hard, propulsive consonants like "p" impacts the mic's diaphragm and results in a loud, low thud, called a "plosive." While this can be mitigated by using foam covers or round fabric windscreens, the most effective way to avoid plosives is simply to position the mic at a 45-degree angle to your mouth, instead of directly in front of it. The diaphragm should still be pointing toward your mouth, however; we're just moving the mic clear of the path of your breaths :)
@@davidautovino oh ok gotcha. Yea I was just wondering. Thanks man! Do you still recommend this mic today?
@@philliptamez The Sennheiser MKH416? Absolutely. I still use it in my booth every single day. It's pretty widely-used in the industry, which means pro-level producers are gonna be happy to hear that you use one. There are def MANY cheaper microphones that sound just as high-quality... but this one has a very particular "voice" that nothing else can quite replicate.
The Sennheiser is just better.
Question for you: is the 416T basically the same microphone as the 416 P48? (Aside from the extra power device you need to power the T microphone)? As long as you get the T power supply, I'm wondering if the quality, otherwise would be the same.
I've noticed that on eBay, used 416 P 48 microphones don't usually hover anywhere below 600 bucks (and even used, tend to be between 700 and $800) but you can find quite a few 416T units for under $475! I'm wondering if, other than needing the additional power supply or whatever, is the quality considerably lower with the design of those T microphones? Are the P48 mics noticeably better in quality of sound? Thanks in advance!
Great question: yes, the circuitry and sound quality are identical between both versions. Mine is actually a T, sold to me by an experienced older audio engineer who used it professionally for years. Whether by its dedicated power supply, or using an adapter that allows it to function over 48v phantom power, the quality is the same, and is just as good as a modern 416. In fact, if you’re buying used, you might be better off grabbing a T, since it’s less likely to be a counterfeit (fake 416s have become more and more common the past few years, but no one would bother counterfeiting a T). If you find a good deal, snag it up without hesitation!
This is the $41 adapter I grabbed in order to use my 416T for location sound w/ a field recorder; I now use it in my studio as well, since it’s a bit more convenient than my bulky old power supply:
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/275819-REG/PSC_FPSC0010A_A4812_48V_to_12T.html
@@davidautovino thanks!
@@davidautovino That is AWESOME. Thank you for the data :-)
As it is said before, you get what you pay for.
why ntg2. it s more comparable to ntg3 or ntg5,
Fair question! Short answer: I hadn't really seen anyone else compare them and someone asked me to! :) The longer answer is that, while you're absolutely right about those more expensive Rødes being closer sonic matches, I think most people who have looked into that sort of thing probably already know that. And better folks than me have already made great comparison videos (like Mike DelGaudio of Booth Junkie fame) so that if you really wanna hear how close the NT3 is to the MKH416, that's pretty easy to find. But in my neck of the woods (a smaller metropolitan video production market), the NTG2 is way more ubiquitous because of its low cost (every video production house around here seems to own at least one, whereas, by contrast, I've only ever met one sound guy in 20 years of professional work who owned a NTG3). Furthermore, if you DON'T know a lot about mics yet, it stands to reason that you might think all shotgun mics sound the same, or at least, more similar to each other than they do to studio condensers. So I set out to illustrate that you're not necessarily getting that particular sound that people are looking for in a MKH416 JUST by switching to any old shotgun. Hope that clears things up!
@@davidautovino you are right on.
Thing is when people watch a person on youtube there is the forget of why that video was made . You re right makes sense. It is about who is looking for the info. I am also looking to buy a shotgun and i dnt have a sound guy. I come from a music studio background and to me these comparaison sounded wrong, bcz what i am looking for is more what is the video sound world like so i know how to buy my stuff. Bcz online it seems like there is only info about what people are researching and not a catalogue of these mics are from the same xategkry from all these brands lets tell you bow each is different. I saw that audiotechnkca had a shktgun bp4073 more expensive than the mkh416 but no one compares them. But everykne is making video about how an atrr875 for 170 bucks sounds compared to sennheiser 416. So i guess i shd stop looking around this was and just buy the standard. Hahah . Cheers
@@rumorscameras Heh, yeah, I totally get you. FWIW: I was just on a shoot with a sound guy I know well, and I noticed he wasn't using his usual MKH416, so I asked him what it was he had mounted on his boom pole: it was a Sennheiser MKH 50! He says he loves how much more of the room it eliminates, thanks to its hypercardioid pattern, but otherwise it sounds almost identical to the MKH416. Only thing it sacrifices is a little distance, so you have to get it slightly closer to the subject, plus it's slightly more expensive... but he says he's kicking himself for not buying one years ago! Might be worth a look :)
@@davidautovino thanks. cheers
To my old ears it is easier to understand the rode ntg2
I don’t think your ears are lying to you! I suspect a lot of engineers would mix away much of the extra bass that the Sennheiser catches for final delivery to client, especially for TV. I think that’s just further proof that you really can cut a broadcast-quality VO just fine with the $270 Røde. Now, on the flip side… can I PROVE that more studio engineers hire me after hearing me audition thru the Sennheiser? No, but I wouldn’t be surprised ;)
Silly comparison, the NTG2 doesn't work anywhere near as well indoors as it does outdoors.
The Senheisher is an old cat, outdated and overpriced.
Lav's don't sound as good as indoor dialogue mics but have placement advantages.
You're preferring a subjective characteristic and passing it off as a statistical benefit, you also seem to value the history of the mic which has no place now.
Price, sound quality, purchase and repair options, manufacture morals in that order are more likely the preferences of the customer and a blind test would've been better.
Before watching the video I can assure you the 416 is the superior mic.
Yep, I was right.
Fired😂😂😁😤😤🖐️🖐️ no i would not hire you nope!!!!😁😤