Friday, May 22, 2009

Big Investment for Bigger Voice?

Well, I finally did it.
I finally decided to quit being cheap and upgrade to a better microphone.
While my trusty Rode NT1a is perfect for so many things including Commercials, Narration, Elearning and more, I really wanted/needed something to help my voice cut through the clutter.

So, a Sennheiser MKH 416 short shotgun mic is now on its way to BV World HQ in beautiful downtown IRB!
The 416 is called "The LA mic" because of it's used so much there for anything audio, ESPECIALLY Movie Trailers and Promos.

My Rode, along with many classic voice over mics (Neumann, Telefunken, AKG, etc) are Large Diaphragm Condensors with a cardiod pick up pattern...about the size of my generously-sized head. (Think basketball size) They are very versatile and provide excellent audio.

But the 416 is HYPER-cardiod, which means it's pickup pattern is more the size of a softball..(or so). When aimed/addressed properly, it will pick up more voice and less side sound which is what helps it cut through the clutter that is music, sound effects, etc.
Look at the pic and you can see how it could funnel/focus the sound

If I can ever figure out how to add mp3 audio to this site, I'll do some comparison tracks.

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