Last year I was shooting a micro budget indie feature that was supposed to be a 15 day shoot (ended up getting slashed to 10 days). I wanted better sound than my Rode NTG2s were giving me, so I borrowed an AKG 480B with CK69 capsule (used on the AMC show Preacher) from a professional videographer friend. We thought we would have someone experienced running sound, but things fell through, and we had to use someone very green and crashcourse train him quickly. I had snagged a MKE 600 as a backup mic since the NTG 5 was on back order at the time. I didn't get to play back any sound until we were two days in (shooting away from home and most equipment). When I reviewed the sound from the AKG 480B plugged into my Zoom H5 I was horrified to find that every breath and stomach noise from people 20+ feet away from the mic were being picked up, not to mention vehicles from far far away. Two days of filming were almost completely wasted. Every test I tried with the mic on that recorder gave similar results. Being so far away from home and having no ability to acquire new gear or crew, my only option was to switch over to the MKE 600 as the primary mic and keep a very close eye on the sound operator while trying to shoot and direct. Other than constantly checking levels over his shoulder and occasionally putting on the headphones and listening to the actors--I had to cross my fingers for the next 8 days. After filming was completed, I waited a long time to even look at the footage or listen to the audio because I was so worried it was going to be a disaster... Over one year and a finished product I'm surprisingly happy with later, I can say that the MKE 600 saved our asses. Not too long after that production I got the Rode NTG 5, and I honestly still prefer the MKE 600 and its clarity and crispness, and it's $170 cheaper.
Like you, I talk a LOT with my hands so having an SM7B in my shot really messed with my flow when filming a talking head video. I tried the AT897, but it sounded terrible in my home office with lots of reverb. I recently picked up the MKE 600 and am THRILLED with it's performance! I have it hooked up to my Zoom F6 and record in 32 bit float so I can process it to taste in post. Quite simply, it's the best microphone value on the planet!!
thanks for this great & informative review! also especially from the point of view for musical instruments - I'm an unplugged guitar+vocal guy. my mke600 will arrive in about 2h by delivery. I hope it does well also in about 2m distance!
I considered the MKE600 as a boom mic for my corporate work, but I ended up with the Sennheiser ME66 instead. More expensive but closer (IMHO) to the legendary - and pricey - MKH415. I still use my Rode Wireless Go 2 with a lav mic for redundancy and scratch audio (plus the 32-bit float on the Rode system has got me out of the occasional sticky situation). Love your videos, Harv.
I use the Sanken CS3E for location based tv/film work. With no rear lobe, it has the best rear and side rejection I've ever heard. It's also great for recording sound fx in studio. However at $1650 its not a budget mic :)
I love this mic indoors but I've just used it for a video on a beach and my audio is 40% wind (despite the dead cat) and a strimmer 400yds away. I think the rear rejection is a bit lacking.
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? (I prefer to avoid syncing my video/audio in post).
I recently purchased a dinged up and probably 5-7 years old MKE600 with a missing low cut filter button. Seems to be working okay but not sure. Do you know what would be the cheapest way to get it fixed? Still waiting for a response from Sennheiser.
sir, I have a mke 600,,, and want record my audio through external recorder,,, I mainly use this mke 600 for asmr sounds,,, and I am thinking about buying the zoom h 5 audio recorder,,, should i go for the h 5 or thinking about some other models?...
The h5 is a fine recorder and would certainly serve you well, if you could stretch to a recorder that has 32bit (like the Tascam Portacapture x6) then I’d recommend this as 32 bit is vastly better 👍🏻
I just purchased an MKE 600 and run it through my Rodecaster Pro 2. I’m lost though, it seems as though I have to set the gain to 45-55 in order for it to pick up my voice properly and have it in the green bar range. Doing this though I get all the horrible sounds of the room and house coming through to the max. It doesn’t sound good at all, I’m very lost as to how to make it sound good. Everyone on RUclips seems to have one and it sounds awesome, is everyone just doing a load of post processing? I’m so lost…
The clip is absolute rubbish. I had one completely fall apart during a shoot, screws and all. I bought another thinking I had a lemon but no. Finally solved it by buying a SmallRig rubberized clamp with a cold shoe built in - much more suited to supporting a long microphone like this. Great quality mic but very directional and that can cut both ways. If you’re panning a choir singing for instance you won’t get a complete sound but only what is immediately in front of the camera as you pan - everything on the sides drops off. The foam protector is almost useless in wind. Nice review and I enjoyed it!! Thanks!
@@stevegibxon To replace the foam windscreen that comes with the mic I ordered the Auray professional windshield (deadcat) 5.5 inches long from B & H which works really well! It’s not cheap though - just under a hundred Canadian. Also ordered from Amazon the Smallrig Shotgun microphone cold-shoe holder. BSM2352 for $71.39 Canadian. Much more robust than the included Sennheiser one
I have this mic and think it great for the money, the acoustic guitar sounds ok but a long way from a large diagram mic. The sound is focused for spoken word
Spot on review. Amazing mic for the price. Blows away completion at the price point. Yep- the clip is rubbish! Bit long on the FX3, but don’t care because of the quality….
Agree with you on all points. I use the mke600 for dialogue (Indoor and outdoor) on my films. Also to record foley. It is excellent outdoors using Rode blimp with deadcat if needed. Anyone ever try it on vocals!
@@pathegartyfilmssongs9487 Thanks for reply. I'm thinking to buy it with Zoom F2. Did you face any reverb, fase issue using mke600 for dialogue in untreated room?
No, I disagree with the desire to have "auto off". I don't want it to just turn itself off on its own while I'm recording. It's good that Sennheiser didn't include an "auto off" on this mic.
I splurged a couple of years ago and purchased the Schoeps CMC6 with MK41 capsule. All my other microphones are much lower budget (i.e. Rode NTG3 and Audio Technica AT4053b). For commercial and documentary interviews I wouldn't go back.
Last year I was shooting a micro budget indie feature that was supposed to be a 15 day shoot (ended up getting slashed to 10 days). I wanted better sound than my Rode NTG2s were giving me, so I borrowed an AKG 480B with CK69 capsule (used on the AMC show Preacher) from a professional videographer friend. We thought we would have someone experienced running sound, but things fell through, and we had to use someone very green and crashcourse train him quickly. I had snagged a MKE 600 as a backup mic since the NTG 5 was on back order at the time. I didn't get to play back any sound until we were two days in (shooting away from home and most equipment). When I reviewed the sound from the AKG 480B plugged into my Zoom H5 I was horrified to find that every breath and stomach noise from people 20+ feet away from the mic were being picked up, not to mention vehicles from far far away. Two days of filming were almost completely wasted. Every test I tried with the mic on that recorder gave similar results. Being so far away from home and having no ability to acquire new gear or crew, my only option was to switch over to the MKE 600 as the primary mic and keep a very close eye on the sound operator while trying to shoot and direct. Other than constantly checking levels over his shoulder and occasionally putting on the headphones and listening to the actors--I had to cross my fingers for the next 8 days. After filming was completed, I waited a long time to even look at the footage or listen to the audio because I was so worried it was going to be a disaster... Over one year and a finished product I'm surprisingly happy with later, I can say that the MKE 600 saved our asses. Not too long after that production I got the Rode NTG 5, and I honestly still prefer the MKE 600 and its clarity and crispness, and it's $170 cheaper.
Like you, I talk a LOT with my hands so having an SM7B in my shot really messed with my flow when filming a talking head video. I tried the AT897, but it sounded terrible in my home office with lots of reverb. I recently picked up the MKE 600 and am THRILLED with it's performance! I have it hooked up to my Zoom F6 and record in 32 bit float so I can process it to taste in post. Quite simply, it's the best microphone value on the planet!!
thanks for this great & informative review! also especially from the point of view for musical instruments - I'm an unplugged guitar+vocal guy. my mke600 will arrive in about 2h by delivery. I hope it does well also in about 2m distance!
Wow! First time seeing you play in all those years!
I considered the MKE600 as a boom mic for my corporate work, but I ended up with the Sennheiser ME66 instead. More expensive but closer (IMHO) to the legendary - and pricey - MKH415. I still use my Rode Wireless Go 2 with a lav mic for redundancy and scratch audio (plus the 32-bit float on the Rode system has got me out of the occasional sticky situation). Love your videos, Harv.
I use the Sanken CS3E for location based tv/film work. With no rear lobe, it has the best rear and side rejection I've ever heard. It's also great for recording sound fx in studio. However at $1650 its not a budget mic :)
bugger off 1650 quid this costs 300
I love this mic indoors but I've just used it for a video on a beach and my audio is 40% wind (despite the dead cat) and a strimmer 400yds away. I think the rear rejection is a bit lacking.
That’s when you get the blimp.
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? (I prefer to avoid syncing my video/audio in post).
No
I recently purchased a dinged up and probably 5-7 years old MKE600 with a missing low cut filter button. Seems to be working okay but not sure. Do you know what would be the cheapest way to get it fixed? Still waiting for a response from Sennheiser.
Do you use a recorder? If so which one?
Nice review! Question. Where would you place it for two speakers sitting doing product reviews?
Many thanks, personally I’d pop it above and of course as close as possible without being in the shot 👍🏻
Do you think this would do well with vocals and acoustic guitar if mounted overhead and out of the video screen?
It’s quite directional so placement could be tricky but in theory yes 👍🏻
sir, I have a mke 600,,, and want record my audio through external recorder,,, I mainly use this mke 600 for asmr sounds,,, and I am thinking about buying the zoom h 5 audio recorder,,, should i go for the h 5 or thinking about some other models?...
The h5 is a fine recorder and would certainly serve you well, if you could stretch to a recorder that has 32bit (like the Tascam Portacapture x6) then I’d recommend this as 32 bit is vastly better 👍🏻
Great review, thanks!
I just purchased an MKE 600 and run it through my Rodecaster Pro 2.
I’m lost though, it seems as though I have to set the gain to 45-55 in order for it to pick up my voice properly and have it in the green bar range.
Doing this though I get all the horrible sounds of the room and house coming through to the max.
It doesn’t sound good at all, I’m very lost as to how to make it sound good.
Everyone on RUclips seems to have one and it sounds awesome, is everyone just doing a load of post processing?
I’m so lost…
do you think this is good for recording an artist in the studio for a song ?
I used it for my most recent talking videos and I think it’s great. There are better but not for the price.
Could you compare it to deity d3 pro? What about the Rode NTG-2 …and 3…?
very helpful video, thank you! :)
The clip is absolute rubbish. I had one completely fall apart during a shoot, screws and all. I bought another thinking I had a lemon but no. Finally solved it by buying a SmallRig rubberized clamp with a cold shoe built in - much more suited to supporting a long microphone like this. Great quality mic but very directional and that can cut both ways. If you’re panning a choir singing for instance you won’t get a complete sound but only what is immediately in front of the camera as you pan - everything on the sides drops off. The foam protector is almost useless in wind. Nice review and I enjoyed it!! Thanks!
Hi thanks Pierre - can you link to the SmallRig clamp that you use?
@@stevegibxon To replace the foam windscreen that comes with the mic I ordered the Auray professional windshield (deadcat) 5.5 inches long from B & H which works really well! It’s not cheap though - just under a hundred Canadian. Also ordered from Amazon the Smallrig Shotgun microphone cold-shoe holder. BSM2352 for $71.39 Canadian. Much more robust than the included Sennheiser one
@@Pfagnan Thanks! :-)
I man nice video love, one small advice. .b.g music took me off completely .
it sounds great
Hi i buyed two for serious video work instead of mkh 416. I am in audio too.
I have this mic and think it great for the money, the acoustic guitar sounds ok but a long way from a large diagram mic. The sound is focused for spoken word
Spot on review. Amazing mic for the price. Blows away completion at the price point. Yep- the clip is rubbish! Bit long on the FX3, but don’t care because of the quality….
Simon try the Smallrig clamp with cold-shoe mount on top!
Can it connect to an iPhone. record sound?
You said, " a cup of coffee" like it's still $2.40. I see you, bro! ;)
Agree with you on all points. I use the mke600 for dialogue (Indoor and outdoor) on my films. Also to record foley. It is excellent outdoors using Rode blimp with deadcat if needed. Anyone ever try it on vocals!
Which recorder you used with this mic?
What's max distance above mouth mke600 record good audio?
@@film2375 I use the Zoom H8. I have got acceptable results outdoor in rode blimp+deadcat even at about 2 to 3 metres from talent.
@@pathegartyfilmssongs9487 Thanks for reply. I'm thinking to buy it with Zoom F2. Did you face any reverb, fase issue using mke600 for dialogue in untreated room?
No, I disagree with the desire to have "auto off". I don't want it to just turn itself off on its own while I'm recording. It's good that Sennheiser didn't include an "auto off" on this mic.
Yeah that’s not how auto on/off works!
I splurged a couple of years ago and purchased the Schoeps CMC6 with MK41 capsule. All my other microphones are much lower budget (i.e. Rode NTG3 and Audio Technica AT4053b). For commercial and documentary interviews I wouldn't go back.