Sennheiser MKE-400 vs Rode VideoMic

photonashville said:
I prefer the Senn MKE400 for its small size and amazing battery life. It does the job well and I'm quite happy. Those qualities outweigh whether the new Rode is superior sounding, it's still too large for when you want better than internal sound and keep a small profile. Otherwise the real mics, recorders, boom pole and all that stuff is next to come out for when Audio is critical.
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Yup. The Sennheiser is a nifty little mic.
 
I've been using both the MKE 400 and the Rode VideoMic Pro recently. I like both mics for different reasons.

Why I like the MKE 400:

It's smaller. This is important to me. It's not about weight. I have an old Tenba D-8 camera bag that fits my GH2 perfectly. The MKE 400 fits inside my Tenba bag with my GH2. The Rode VideoMic Pro doesn't fit inside the Tenba with my GH2.

It sounds good.

Why I like the VideoMic Pro:

It sounds a little more natural than the MKE 400. Not to say that the MKE 400 sounds bad, but the VMP has a slight edge sound wise.

I don't own the Canon 5D mkII or the T2i with Magic Lantern or the T3i, so the +20dB feature on the Rode VideoMic Pro has yet to be useful. I've used this mic on my GH2, on a Panasonic GS200 Mini DV camera, and on a Canon 7D. The -10dB feature has been more useful so far.

I too am creating a shoot-out video, but I've been busy with other stuff too. Even though I'm making a shoot out video of my own, I'm looking forward Chad's video.

Summary:

Both mics are good. The build quality of the MKE 400 is much better in my opinion, but the sound of the VideoMic Pro is superior.
 
Chadfish said:
Hi again John. What is "MBHO"?
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Spartacus said:
It´s a not so well known German manufacturer www.mbho.de, I use their hyper capsule and absolutely love it.
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Oops - missed the original question, but Spartacus has posted the link.

MBHO are a German manufacturer of superb mics.. Their own range is close in quality to Schoeps, IMHO, but at a much lower price.

They also make OEM capsules for other high end mic. manufacturers such as Brauner and Soundfield as well as Ambient.
 
For a wedding reception what would be the perfect setting when the band playing,
canon 60D and Rode Video mic pro
AGC on the cam and -10 on the Rode
or manual settings on the cam,
please advice
thanks
 
Ruben Senderey said:
can you explain what is cliping
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You asked,
"canon 60D and Rode Video mic pro
AGC on the cam and -10 on the Rode
or manual settings on the cam,
please advice"

So I said that manual settings are better than AGC. Meaning manual level control is best, because AGC turns up the level during silent parts and that increases the noise too. So you set the recording level manually, and make sure that the green level indicator never goes into the red. The red means that your signal is clipping and will sound like a crackle. Not good.

I don't have a 60d, so I assumed you meant you had a choice on the camera between AGC and Manual audio levels. Read the instruction manual about "manual" level controls on the camera.
 
Chadfish said:
Hi again John. What is "MBHO"?
Click to expand...
MBHO makes a variety of mics that look a lot like Schoeps, but don't sound like Schoeps. The do sound a bit like the Audio Technica Studio series, but maybe a little rounder.
The MBHO mics I have a are well made, but I rarely use them. I slightly prefer a modded Oktava omni to an MBHO omni, and I prefer the Schoeps to both.
 
DrDave said:
MBHO makes a variety of mics that look a lot like Schoeps, but don't sound like Schoeps. The do sound a bit like the Audio Technica Studio series, but maybe a little rounder.
The MBHO mics I have a are well made, but I rarely use them. I slightly prefer a modded Oktava omni to an MBHO omni, and I prefer the Schoeps to both.
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I would say MBHO are much better than you imply here.

After all, they make the capsules for Brauner, Soundfield and others as well as for Ambient.

What you prefer is personal choice and I have no argument with that.

But I would certainly put MBHO up with Schoeps, DPA, Neumann, Sennheiser and Gefell in the quality stakes.
 
Why let the battery type make you choose an inferior mic? 9Volt batteries are common. Buy an 8 pack from Costco and you're good to go.
 
What type of mini shotgun did you get that's better sounding than the VideoMic Pro? The MKE400 certainly doesn't sound as good.
 
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