For our documentary and news gathering productions we are using the MKE600 since around 1 1/2 years now. It is one of the tools we use every single day on production. Its quality and reliability are just brilliant. The pricing for that microphone is more than just fair. We use one MKE600 on Camera and one other ist used by our sound engineer and camera assistant. By the time there are some marks of usage on the microphone itself but that doesn't matter anyhow. The MKE600 has overtrumped all other microphones we have been using before: Rodes VideoMic, rode VideoMic Pro and even the NTG4 from Rode.
This has been my primary filmmaking microphone for a couple years now. It's pretty great overall. The only real trouble I've had is that it isn't a good choice for indoor spaces with too much reverb. So when I stumbled upon this video, I was shocked to see that they filmed it in an echo chamber lol.
Right? This is the weirdest space to film videos about audio by the company that is making the mic. I can't actually tell what this mic sounds like in any NORMAL room! And it sounds TERRIBLE in this hard brick corner.
So true, this microphone is so powerful, it records great outdoors and long distance. Indoors in a small room with loud music my nightmare is just beginning. (lol)
Sound guys are making too much money to take on a marketing role in an audio hardware company haha. They could’ve just pay a boom op his day rate to do the review tho
I have the MKE 440 and really like the sound quality. What I don't like is not knowing how long the batteries will last. My mic lasts about half a day before it doesn't work right anymore and that's with the battery light staying illuminated. Also, it would be nice if the mic came with even the slightest instructions.
Thanks for the info! Would I see a noticeable decrease in quality if I plugged the MKE 600 directly into my Fuji XT3 using the 3.5mm adaptor (versus XLR a XLR recorder)? I film indoors, in a treated room, and am planning to place it on a boom pole above my head, just out of frame. (I prefer to avoid syncing my video/audio in post). Thank you.
I just purchased mke 600 for my little sony zv1. I kindly wanted to ask if it is normal that you have to set a fairly high audio recording level on the camera, around 15 while with the previous Rode 5 was enough. If you can give me some advice. A thousand thanks
Hi Roma - the audio level will vary from microphone to microphone and this is perfectly normal. Ideally, you want to leave enough headroom on your audio meters so that you can deal with any fluctuation in what you're recording in case it gets louder (i.e. a level of around 75-80% can give you good headroom). If your level is set too low, you'll end up having a poor signal to noise ratio (i.e. how loud the signal is vs the noise floor of the electronics), which can cause problems when you normalize your audio in post.
For field recording, when should I use shotgun mic like this, a stereo mic like MKE 440 or directly on stereo mic on a recorder that can be XY and many other type of directions?
Hi Netvo - it depends a bit on what your application is... for dialogue capture, it's hard to beat a traditional shotgun design like the MKE 600 which will provide a fair amount of isolation. The added benefit of the MKE 600 is that it can be powered via Phantom Power or off a single AA battery, so it's at home on top of a camera via 3.5mm TRS or going into a more professional recorder via an XLR connection. If you're trying to capture the energy of an environment, the MKE 440 is great because you can capture clean dialogue while still getting enough spatial cues from what's happening around you (i.e. wedding, live events, etc). That said, the MKE 440 requires you to be closer to your subject (3-5 feet is ideal) and is generally used on-camera, so you'll want to ensure you have a lens that's appropriate.
Great video, I have a question that maybe you or someone can answer. the MKE 600 without the text made in germany on the microphone is original or false?
I just bought the MKE 600. I put the battery in and the power light flashes red for one second, then goes off. No green light at all. I cannot get any power to/from the mic. And ideas? Would the green power light come on even if it isn’t plugged into the camera? Or if it’s using XLR to TRS input? I’m trouble shooting. Thanks.
Hi Drew - the LED on the MKE 600 only shows green when connected to Phantom power... if you're using battery power, the LED will flash red for 1 second when you turn it on and then go off - if you see it illuminated red constantly, you have less than 8h of battery life remaining. As an aside, the MKE 600 offers around 150 hours of battery life on a single AA battery - let us know if you're still troubleshooting!
I have the MKE 600 and generally love it, but I have made the mistake of using it indoors. The result was as echo-ey as the performance captured in this video. If this is the sound you are going for, using a shotgun indoors is a good idea, but if you want to cut the echo (and get a sound closer to the voice of the narrator), a hyper cardioid mic might be a better option.
Thank you for your feedback! Please don't hesitate to get in touch with our support team so they can provide feedback of your setup: en-us.sennheiser.com/contact-center
I think you're talking about room reflection and proximity rather shotgun (lobar, super-cardioid) versus hyper-cardioid (which would probably be worse, btw). What you want to do instead is (1) reduce room reflection with fabric or foam on all hard surfaces to "deaden the sound" and (2) get the microphone as close to the subject as possible to get the best sound. If you aren't using a lavalier and if having the microphone in the shot is ok, a large diaphragm microphone would be best as you really have to project your voice for it to pick up any sound (better signal to noise ratio) and carries low frequencies (bass notes) very well, giving you "that radio sound". So it's not the microphone that is the issue, it's the hard surfaces in your home or place of work and proximity of the microphone to your actor. Fix those and you'll have much much better audio.
Hello, I've recently started this UA-cam channel Dad Tech and it has been growing very fast! My biggest quality issue right now is my audio. I've been looking at this microphone for a while and it was also recommended to me by another UA-camr. Would you be interested in sending me the MKE600 for me to review on my channel?
Dear Sennheiser team, I would like to record a professional short film, and so i want to ask if you can mount the Microphone on a boompole to record the characters speaking
For our documentary and news gathering productions we are using the MKE600 since around 1 1/2 years now. It is one of the tools we use every single day on production. Its quality and reliability are just brilliant. The pricing for that microphone is more than just fair. We use one MKE600 on Camera and one other ist used by our sound engineer and camera assistant. By the time there are some marks of usage on the microphone itself but that doesn't matter anyhow. The MKE600 has overtrumped all other microphones we have been using before: Rodes VideoMic, rode VideoMic Pro and even the NTG4 from Rode.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback here. We're thrilled to hear that! 🎉
RttttrrrrrRrrrrrrrrytrrtrnrrryrtg
I have the switch pushed to the straight line position means that the low cut filter is OFF correct?
This has been my primary filmmaking microphone for a couple years now. It's pretty great overall. The only real trouble I've had is that it isn't a good choice for indoor spaces with too much reverb. So when I stumbled upon this video, I was shocked to see that they filmed it in an echo chamber lol.
Right? This is the weirdest space to film videos about audio by the company that is making the mic. I can't actually tell what this mic sounds like in any NORMAL room! And it sounds TERRIBLE in this hard brick corner.
I died laughing at this bro
So true, this microphone is so powerful, it records great outdoors and long distance. Indoors in a small room with loud music my nightmare is just beginning. (lol)
Sound guys are making too much money to take on a marketing role in an audio hardware company haha. They could’ve just pay a boom op his day rate to do the review tho
I have the MKE 440 and really like the sound quality. What I don't like is not knowing how long the batteries will last. My mic lasts about half a day before it doesn't work right anymore and that's with the battery light staying illuminated. Also, it would be nice if the mic came with even the slightest instructions.
Best tutorial series for the MKE 400-600 Series mics!
I've always wondered about those boom arms. Now I know
Thanks for the info! Would I see a noticeable decrease in quality if I plugged the MKE 600 directly into my Fuji XT3 using the 3.5mm adaptor (versus XLR a XLR recorder)? I film indoors, in a treated room, and am planning to place it on a boom pole above my head, just out of frame. (I prefer to avoid syncing my video/audio in post). Thank you.
Did you test it out your self?
I just purchased mke 600 for my little sony zv1. I kindly wanted to ask if it is normal that you have to set a fairly high audio recording level on the camera, around 15 while with the previous Rode 5 was enough. If you can give me some advice. A thousand thanks
Hi Roma - the audio level will vary from microphone to microphone and this is perfectly normal. Ideally, you want to leave enough headroom on your audio meters so that you can deal with any fluctuation in what you're recording in case it gets louder (i.e. a level of around 75-80% can give you good headroom). If your level is set too low, you'll end up having a poor signal to noise ratio (i.e. how loud the signal is vs the noise floor of the electronics), which can cause problems when you normalize your audio in post.
@@robb.blumenreder thank you so much
For field recording, when should I use shotgun mic like this, a stereo mic like MKE 440 or directly on stereo mic on a recorder that can be XY and many other type of directions?
Hi Netvo - it depends a bit on what your application is... for dialogue capture, it's hard to beat a traditional shotgun design like the MKE 600 which will provide a fair amount of isolation. The added benefit of the MKE 600 is that it can be powered via Phantom Power or off a single AA battery, so it's at home on top of a camera via 3.5mm TRS or going into a more professional recorder via an XLR connection. If you're trying to capture the energy of an environment, the MKE 440 is great because you can capture clean dialogue while still getting enough spatial cues from what's happening around you (i.e. wedding, live events, etc). That said, the MKE 440 requires you to be closer to your subject (3-5 feet is ideal) and is generally used on-camera, so you'll want to ensure you have a lens that's appropriate.
Great video, I have a question that maybe you or someone can answer. the MKE 600 without the text made in germany on the microphone is original or false?
This is a new and original design
Hi there! Our support team would be happy to assist you here, please get in touch via en-us.sennheiser.com/contact-center - thank you!
Can i use it as an oberhead mic for interview with XLR and 3,5mm Input?
What is your recommendation for Boom Operator/Headphones and Also for the Director with a monitor who also wants to monitor sound?
I just bought the MKE 600. I put the battery in and the power light flashes red for one second, then goes off. No green light at all. I cannot get any power to/from the mic. And ideas? Would the green power light come on even if it isn’t plugged into the camera? Or if it’s using XLR to TRS input? I’m trouble shooting. Thanks.
Hi Drew - the LED on the MKE 600 only shows green when connected to Phantom power... if you're using battery power, the LED will flash red for 1 second when you turn it on and then go off - if you see it illuminated red constantly, you have less than 8h of battery life remaining. As an aside, the MKE 600 offers around 150 hours of battery life on a single AA battery - let us know if you're still troubleshooting!
I have this mic and I like it
I have the MKE 600 and generally love it, but I have made the mistake of using it indoors. The result was as echo-ey as the performance captured in this video. If this is the sound you are going for, using a shotgun indoors is a good idea, but if you want to cut the echo (and get a sound closer to the voice of the narrator), a hyper cardioid mic might be a better option.
Thank you for your feedback! Please don't hesitate to get in touch with our support team so they can provide feedback of your setup: en-us.sennheiser.com/contact-center
I think you're talking about room reflection and proximity rather shotgun (lobar, super-cardioid) versus hyper-cardioid (which would probably be worse, btw). What you want to do instead is (1) reduce room reflection with fabric or foam on all hard surfaces to "deaden the sound" and (2) get the microphone as close to the subject as possible to get the best sound. If you aren't using a lavalier and if having the microphone in the shot is ok, a large diaphragm microphone would be best as you really have to project your voice for it to pick up any sound (better signal to noise ratio) and carries low frequencies (bass notes) very well, giving you "that radio sound". So it's not the microphone that is the issue, it's the hard surfaces in your home or place of work and proximity of the microphone to your actor. Fix those and you'll have much much better audio.
Where did they get a Herzog sound double for the narration
This is a quality video. Thanks very much!
Thank you for the kind feedback - glad you enjoyed!
Oh - can you go wireless with this set up as well?
Hi, Can I connect this microphone directly to the camera via the cable Sennheiser KA 600? If possible, what sound will I get in mono or stereo?
It does not work with iPhone as shown :(
You need an MFI adapter
do you need a Tascam dr 70 when using the MKE600? Someone please answer, thanks.
Hello, I've recently started this UA-cam channel Dad Tech and it has been growing very fast! My biggest quality issue right now is my audio. I've been looking at this microphone for a while and it was also recommended to me by another UA-camr. Would you be interested in sending me the MKE600 for me to review on my channel?
Recomiendas el mke 600 para VoiceOver?
Thanks
Dear Sennheiser team,
I would like to record a professional short film, and so i want to ask if you can mount the Microphone on a boompole to record the characters speaking