Five TRUTHS of the Sennheiser MKH 50

[@tombuck]

The MKH50 has been my main mic for video since the end of 2021 and it’s stellar! I think it’s often overlooked by people who want a great sounding mic that can be placed out of frame.

[@brodiebrazil]

Totally agree. That’s why I wanted to give it a shot! Watched some of your vids: great channel. Subbed instantly. Keep up the solid work

[@tombuck]

@@brodiebrazil oh wow that’s super flattering! I’m also starting to work towards my pilot’s license, so your channel is a very specific assortment of things I like.

[@brodiebrazil]

that's amazing. i started a separate aviation channel, just realized i wouldn't have the time/resources with my day job, etc. hit me up at my contact email if you need anything along the way with flight lessons. i'd be happy to help.

[@noname-gp6hk]

haha, I wonder how many MKH50's you've sold because of that video you made a while back Tom. I bought one about six months ago after seeing your video and have been using it overhead at my desk. Complete overkill, but it sounds great.

[@ben-benedict]

« Overlooked » is so accurate to describe this…. Actually when you say overlooked it’s an overlooking statement of that situation. 😅😅😅😅. This mic seems to be a no brainer ( expect for the price of course )

[@4Dcruz]

Mics are fun, good comparison! I bet you'd like the MKH 8060 too--shorter (better indoors) and smoother sounding than the 416 and more directional and less boomy than the 50. Rycote InVision Lyre mounts are often a go-to for pretty much any MKH mic. They'll fit both the square bodies and shotguns perfectly and will give you a little bit better shock isolation than the normal clip

[@AMarvelousLife]

great video! just stumbled upon your channel - awesome content! I just picked up a 50 myself after using an MKE 600 for indoor dialogue (yea... I dont know what I was thinking).. It's definitely stronger on the low end but I feel like thats a more flattering sound anyways - to each his own!

[@---ml4jd]

great content as always, would love a comparison between the 50 and the 416 in your studio.

[@ericbickernicks3195]

I used one of these to record the dialogue for my big, fat, failed indie feature back in 2000. This is such a good microphone for basically anything. If you're a young filmmaker, spend the extra dough to buy one of these now and you'll use it for the rest of your life. They mount nicely on a camera and don't bump into things like the MKH-416. Are you embarrassed that it's not phallic enough for your stupid podcast? Fine, buy an additional Shure SM-7B just for showin'. :)

[@annekedebruyn7797]

Honestly, the lack of sparkle/edge with this mic sounds pretty pleasing to me. Reminds me a bit of the SM7b if that makes sense? Like, not the sound. But the easy on the ears part. Thanks for bringing this mic on my attention!

[@edjefferson9175]

This mic is not intended to be used the way you are using it. All Hyper cardioid mics are more prone to plosives. Bought one about 8 years ago for my interview gigs. Highly recommended and well worth the cost. Most people complain $1200 is too much for a mic. A good lens costs the same.

[@asianguy6174]

I have one. You can make it sound very much like a Sennheiser MKH 416 if you activate the bass roll off filter on the mic and a 4k presence or air boost on your interface, or in the EQ. It has the advantage of having less siblance and fewer problems with artifacts and distortion that the 416 has when the mic position isn't just right. The MKH 50 doesn't have as much of the resonance and boominess the 416 has because unlike the 416 it doesn't have open slats on the side, which create a muddy sound in a small space. By making these adjustments, it is actually better than the 416 in a small booth in my opinion. It's much cleaner and more forgiving if you reduce the bass on it.

[@ntchi]

One of my favorite mic for indoor dialogue. My only gripe is my copy is plagued with RFI in some environments

[@SohNatan]

which in ear monitors are you using in this video? they look VERY discrete...

[@tefrenatgmail]

Don't complain about plosives when you're talking into a mic that's designed for and marketed as being an instrument mic. 😂

[@danieljohnson5861]

Good choice. The 416 is hands down the worst mic to ever hit the VO world. It's a staple because historically, one had to have mixing skills to sit things in a mix. With production budgets and schedules the way they are, there is simply no time to mix properly. That's why it's "the best" VO mic. That and it's relatively "affordable" compared to a proper condenser. The 416 slices through things so violently, it's problematic. But not in the way people think in regard to mixing. The 416 is problematic because it has assaulted the ears of society through ads and radio over the last few decades to the point where we "think" the MKH is "dark". That's the true evil of this mic. It's the loudness wars packed into a mic. Awful.

[@PureJmist]

The lower octave of the 416 is creamy. The tone is more natural than studio mics for visual media. Please explain why you don't like the 416 or how it's the product of bad mixing skills / a recording hack. I'd love to know :)

[@danieljohnson5861]

@@PureJmist You just answered your own question with your first two sentences. And with your last sentence, don't put words into my mouth. The use of that mic doesn't make one have bad skills, or a hack. When this mic was created in the early 70's, transformers and analog tape was at every stage of the recording process. A buildup of transformers can cause lots of distortion in the mid-range, and analog tape can result in ample high frequency loss. The 416's curve is almost entirely scooped of mid-range and the highs are deliberately exaggerated to compensate for analog tape high frequency loss as well as the loss incurred by recording a source from a distance. The entire purpose of a shotgun mic. So, fast-forward to the present with very little to NO transformers in the chain, as well as no tape, AND one uses the mic opposite what it was designed for (recording from a distance), you get a very strident and abrasive sound that is entirely unnatural. That unnatural sound can be used as a tool in post because it slices through everything like a sushi knife and makes a mixer's job (in the current year) "easier" who is pressed for time. The reason you think it sounds more natural to a proper condenser (which most are exaggerated as well) proves what I said in my original comment....everyone expects everything to be that abrasive, bright and overcooked, and everything opposite of that is "dark". That overly bright characteristic has been attributed to "good sound". Good sound is balanced sound, and the 416 is anything but balanced because it wasn't designed to be. Now, the final reason is because all of the meat in the human voice is located in the mid-range. This is the low-mids, mids and high-mids, or 200hz to roughly 10khz. The 416 is almost entirely devoid of detail from 200hz to 2khz when it begins to ramp up to support consonants. That creamy you speak of is due to the proximity effect of the mic's lobar pattern. These low octaves do not translate over all systems and is the reason they're usually filtered out. Not to mention they rob all the headroom in a mix. So that cream is a moot point as there is no energy in the human voice that low and is simply a bi-product of a performer eating the mic. Now...the reason people FEEL the 416 sounds good is because it makes said performer's voice sound how they hear it resonating throughout their body and facial cavities as they're speaking/whatever, but NO ONE hears your voice that way except for you, and therefore 180 degrees from natural albeit subjectively pleasing. Now...why is this a bad? Because you can't take that sound out of the mic. And with all voices being different, a tool that limited isn't where you want to hang your hat. That's why it's dreadful for voice. Perfect for sound stage dialogue, which it's not even the standard for that any longer. That title faded in the 90's. I'll let you guess why.

[@John-e4p1x]

@@danieljohnson5861 Michael meyers is right I used to own the 416. Dumb people think its good, the end. They are sheep, or... sheeple is the proper term.

[@donwarren3253]

@@danieljohnson5861 Is the 8050 balanced sound? Compared to mkh50? What about 8060? Im trying to buy a good mic

[@lionheartroar3104]

Doesn't sound very good.

[@brodiebrazil]

i didn't end up keeping it, but it's still a world class mic