Voiceovers And My Sennheiser 416 – The Not Silent Blog 5/24/16
I love my Sennheiser 416.
I got it just in time for APAC (Audio Publishers Association Conference). I’ve been using the AKG Perception 420 for years and it’s a fantastic mic, but I wanted a mic that’s easier to transport and has more of a “commercial” sound, if that makes any sense.
Here’s the 416 all brandy-new in its case.
It’s full name is the Sennheiser MKH 416-P48U3. To quote the Sennheiser website:
The venerable MKH 416 is a compact pressure-gradient microphone with short interference tube, highly immune to humidity due to its RF condenser design. Featuring high directivity, low self noise, high consonant articulation and feedback rejection, the MKH 416 can handle difficult exterior filming and reporting conditions without any difficulty. Supercardioid/lobe pattern, matte black finish, supplied with the MZW415 windscreen.
And no, I don’t pretend to understand what all that means.
Being someone who isn’t a techno-file, I don’t know much about microphones. However, my comic book partner and recording studio owner Angelo Panetta of Panetta Studios certainly does. When I told him about my new mic, he suggested I bring it to his studio and have a “mic shootout”. In other words, I try out my microphone in his studio along with some other mics and compare how they sound.
That’s me at Panetta Studios with the 416.
I grabbed some copy and read using four different microphones:
- AKG C414 XLS @$1,074.99
- AKG C535 EB @$349.99
- AKG C1000 S @$199.00
- Sennheiser 416 @$1,249.00
Click on the link to hear them in order: https://soundcloud.com/tom-dheere/sets/sennheiser-416-mic-shootout
TIP OF THE WEEK
The old adage, “You get what you pay for” seems to apply in this case. The Sennheiser 416 and the AKG C414 sound markedly better than the other two. I do think the Sennheiser 416 edges out the the AKG, though and not just because I own it. To me, it sounds a bit fuller & richer. It also seems to work well with my voice. BTW the 416 was recommended by multiple veteran voice talents both male and female. I recommend it, too!
NEWS AND NOTES
Part 2 of my Voice Over Xtra article about APAC is up! Click here to check it out. If you missed Part 1 of the article, click here.
HAPPY HAPPYS
Happy Turtle Day and Towel Day! And remember; DON’T PANIC.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
From my village to yours; this is Tom Dheere, GKN News…
Tom Dheere is a 20-year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for clients in over a dozen countries. He is also a coach at Edge Studio, voiceover business consultant known as the Voice Over Strategist, and is currently writing & producing the comic book “Agent 1.22”.
Hi Tom, thanks for your review! I found it super beneficial. What type of shock mount do you use with your 416? I just purchased one but the one I have is a universal one that doesn’t hold still.
Glad I could help! I don’t have a shock mount for it. It’s attached to a floor mic stand and I’ve never had any issues with it.
Hi Tom, thank you for the review. Does MKH suitable best for recording audio books as well?
My pleasure, Chandra! The Senheisser 416 is a superb all-around microphone, but I can’t recommend it to any one person for any particular genre. You may sound great on a certain microphone but I may not because microphones are “good” or “not good” based on your gender, age, and pitch as well as quality and price.