The Best On-Camera Shotgun Microphone 2023 | Sennheiser MKE400

There are a lot of good on-camera shotgun style microphones out there. Most have some really great strengths and a few nagging flaws that you wish someone would address. Sennheiser, no surprise here, did their research. The Sennheiser MKE is hands down the best on-camera shotgun mic out there, imho. The biggest plus is that it uses 2 AAA batteris and you get 100 hours off life and it turns off with the camera. The bonus, the sound quality is OUTSTANDING!
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Links to microphones:
Sennheiser MKE400 - amzn.to/3o3MnFf
Sennheiser MKH416 - amzn.to/3o9iT8L
Deity V-Mic D3 Pro - amzn.to/41KSMTA
Rode VideoMic NTG - amzn.to/3BBYegO

[@r-omega]

This is such a valuable A/B comparison of the two mics. Your room does look like it's very acoustically treated and I'm wondering if they would sound so similar in less treated rooms but still, thank you!

[@shingAMarie]

Thanks for this video. Especially because you included the 416 for comparison that helps so much!

[@babybluekangaroo]

Thanks for this. Great review

[@Lgjfbgnxsb]

Very informative. Thank you!

[@ivanselleng6086]

Great video man, thank you!

[@thefivearrowsmedia]

Hey bud. This is super helpful. Hope this channel is bringing you joy. Cheers from Maryland.

[@justinbrogdon]

Thanks for the love Peter! Cheers!

[@stephenccoleman]

Hi Justin, great video! I have a four-piece rock band and want to do some video recording at our live small venue gigs for KZbin. Thinking of using Canon r50 with the Sennheiser MKE 400 that you recommend. I'm not looking for anything fancy but a decent quality that I can put on KZbin. Does this make sense or do you have any other recommendations. thanks!

[@AndyKow]

Really nice setup you have for shooting. Love your studio! Thanks for taking the time to shoot, edit and sharing this.

[@justinbrogdon]

Thanks for the love Andy! Cheers!

[@floriangladis]

Hey I am from Berlin and really appreaciate this video! I came across this video, because my old Rode Video Mic is broken and I need a replacement. You helped me deciding on the MKE400, so thank you :) Can you tell me what audio rec level you use in camera if you use the MKE400?

[@markshirley01]

Hi looking at the Diety it doesn't except lr6 batteries

[@gckless]

Great stuff! Which of the mics you showed would you suggest for a wildlife or outdoors mic where you might be pretty far from your subject?

[@annebokma4637]

I bought the mke400 it is perfect for beginners because it is ideal as a backup microphone when you become more demanding 😊

[@justinbrogdon]

Agreed. I've got a more elaborate setup, but often find myself just using that mic and making a few tweaks in post. Cheers!

[@annebokma4637]

@@justinbrogdon I route my audio separately, I have the mke400 connected to my camera to have better quality in case sh*t happens. Better safe than sorry 😁 And for outside it is great

[@justinbrogdon]

@@annebokma4637 Very cool. What is your signal chain for your audio if you don't mind me asking?

[@annebokma4637]

@@justinbrogdon Lewitt 440 pure into behringer X18 (not the air) into pc. For monitoring I use beyerdynamic 700x pro and Adam audio a7v. Was thinking about the Mackey DLZ, mostly for the NDI, but am going to wait to see what rode will do with it. Besides I plan to make use of the many more inputs and outputs on the x18 for synths and such. Also am secretly saving up for a md441-u. If that sounds as good as it looks (and I have seen many reviews that it does) it will be the greatest ever 😁 Also have listening room in the attic with quad esl 57 driven by Harman Kardon citation pre and power. Marantz cd80 and Thorens. Nothing made after 1985 except for the dac and pc connected there 😄

[@justinbrogdon]

@@annebokma4637 That sounds like an awesome setup. I usually run a Sennheiser MKH416 into a Tascam digital recorder/pre into my Sony A7 to get all video and audio in one file and process the audio in Final Cut Pro, but sometimes The MKE400 gets it done without so many steps in the setup.

[@braxal6983]

Justin, I like coming to your videos no matter what it is. I did happen to noticed you have what appears to be a Soyuz 017 tube mic. I am trying to decide on buying a Soyuz 017 FET or an Lauten Audio Atlantis FET. Do you have any advice? I cannot decide and I have been debating it now well over 2 -3 months.

[@justinbrogdon]

Thanks for the love and support Braxal. That Soyuz 017 tube mic is the best sounding mic I have ever used, on anything and everything. I would imagine that FET is just as good and lives up to the hype. Soyuz is doing something really special. They're pricey but well worth the money. I don't have any experience with the Lauten stuff, but they also come with hi praise. You probably can't go wrong either way.

[@mattgreen9518]

Would this be good for louder, outside venues? Not a concert by any means, but busy streets or places with some medium music playing in the background

[@kevindavis3369]

Let’s say I wanted to throw one of these on my camera and record my friends metal band live show. Would I be able to tell the difference?

[@justinbrogdon]

Hey Kevin, as long as you had your input levels set properly you could get amazing audio in any live performance.

[@weekendexperience]

Great video! Have you tried the MKE400 outside by any chance? I'm currently using a VideoMic Pro. It sounds great but it'll pick up even the slightest bit of wind.

[@justinbrogdon]

The MKE 400 comes with a deadcat windscreen that works great! If you are satisfied with the audio you get from the VideoMic Pro outside of the wind noise, you should try adding a deadcat, I bet it will fix your problem. Here's a link to the one I use on my VideoMic Pro... amzn.to/3ObmAVI Cheers!

[@slf_rldtv4482]

I’m really leaning towards this mic. I need one for run and gun interview situation. Do you believe this is a good option? I’ll try to find out, but do you know if it has a distance of the audio source? Thanks for the video

[@justinbrogdon]

Get this mic, you won't be disappointed. I have had most of the popular run & gun shotgun mics, all of the Rodes, Deities, and a few others. The MKE 400 ishands down my favorite for its quality, functionality, size, battery life... it's the one. As far as distance to the source, it's going to be like any other mic. The closer the better. It has 3 different gain adjustment settings. It's what I use for all of my run and gun stuff. Good luck! Cheers!

[@stephenccoleman]

To my recent comment, would the MKE 440 stereo mic be better for live rock band gig recording?

[@justinbrogdon]

Hey Stephen, I haven't used the 440 but I bet its great and I think you have the right idea with getting a stereo mic for live show recordings. Let me know how it goes! Cheers!