The Best Shotgun Mic For YouTube & Streaming? Sennheiser MKH 50

OK, here's a thought and I haven't seen anyone mention this elsewhere, what happens if you tape up the sides of the mic? Maybe I'm crazy but I'd love to know your thoughts. As usual, a top notch review.

the opening on the sides of shotgun mics are for fase cancellation effect, they do exactly the opposite of what u state in this vid.

What tripod is the mph sitting on? Is there a way I could use that mkh 50 and and have the tripod 5’ from me and get the mic closer?

Will the MKH 50 block the sound coming from studio monitors, so I don't have to use an earpiece to hear them?

Is this mic too sensitive to use on a zoom call with studio monitors in use for audio? The monitors would be off-axis, but the volume would be high enough to be heard.
Right now, I am using a A/T BP40 dynamic mic, which works pretty good and doesn't feedback, but it does take up some screen space. Also, I prefer not to wear headphones.

What microphone would you recommend for IRL streamers & for video calling while out & about?

how would you compare it to a mkh 70? I've seen some tests online and it sounded really good but I can't test both and compare. On paper to me the appealing things are side rejection and lower self noise (whopping 5dbA) compared to the mkh 50, but can't attest for sound quality tho. Have you any thoughts? thank you so much.

dude this is expensive.

How to you make a room less Echoey ? My room is small and has some echo in it. Any tips that actually work ?

I film all my videos and send them to an editor. I am not an editor and don't do any of my audio editing. Do you recommend a simple to use microphone that you like for talking head videos in a small room ?

Hi Tom, how would you say the MKH 50 is vs SM7B for keyboard, fan and rear noise rejection for live video calls?

We can block my moneymaker, I got a face for radio. LOL

Hey Tom, thank you for sharing the video.

Your room setup looks great! Could you let me know the dimensions of your room? I'm looking for inspiration for my own space and yours seems to have a bit more room than mine. Also, how much space do you have between your desk and the wall in front of you?

Thanks!

I've a very basic question; You mentioned the Rode Mic plugs directly into the camera, what other equipment do I need to record audio using the MKH 50?

Great Video! I was wondering what lens you were using on the FX3 while at your desk to get that amount of blur in the background? 35mm? I have a similar sized space. Thanks in advance.

the reason there are holes in the side of the microphone is actually why they can erease side sounds and be hipercardioids. they balance the unwanted sound reverb from left and right with those holes (this is the short un-nerdy version of how it works, just so you know. without those holes it wouldn't probably be a shotgun mic... the mkh 50 is an emprovement of that tech, this is why it's unbelievably good. but it's what we could call an anomaly in microphone and audio engineering. sorry for my english, hope i've been clear)

Hey! I'm just about to pull the trigger on the zoom h1n with the Rode Videomic Go II.. You think this is a good combo for filmmaking? I'm on a budget so :D

What would be a good mic for picking up the true sound coming from a guitar cab in the room. I have tried condensers and dynamics, nothing does it.

Great discussion Tom! I have the RODE VideoMic NTG as well and noticed the room reverb as well. After seeing the MKH 50's design and you pointing out that the air ports were only near the front, I took some electrical tape and covered up all but the first 3 rows of ports on both sides of the NTG. It moderately reduced the reverb pick up from my voice bouncing off the walls. Hope this helps others while we're all saving up our dollas for the 50. Cheers!

PRO. Liked and Subscribed, thank you.

This mic has zero siblance, by the way. Zero!

It would be great to compare Sennheiser MKH50 vs Shure SM81.
SM81 can sound even better on the frame with correct direction as it has cardioid pattern vs MKH50 has a super-cardioid.

Shure SM81 can be the best for video podcasters who want to keep mic off frame and do not have soundproofed room for a shotgun.

What do you think of the MKE 600 vs MKE 400?

Great video, Tom! Would a shotgun mic work okay being placed on the table on, say, a table tripod? Sounds wise that is. Available room on the table is another thing 😀

Oh my! I have been pondering what microphone I should get to replace the current one. I was super excited about MKH 50 until I checked the price. It's 1500 € !

Other than going to B&H Photo in Midtown NYC to test out which microphone sounds best on my voice, is there another option before laying out $1200? I've heard that the MKH 50 picks up on sibilance (per Curtis Judd). I don't like having to return mics when they don't work out.

The RØDE NTG3 (XLR) is very good with strong bottom end. It is generally agreed that shotguns are sub optimal inside, so I would either use the RØDE NT5 or the new RØDE PodMic USB, which has both XLR And USB-C. The latter can also be configured with Noise Gate, Big Bottom and Aural Exciter. Lot cheaper than the MKH 50.

I love my Rode mics. Had one of the Videomic NTG battery die on me in the middle of a gig. Couldn’t revive it. Rode replaced it happily. But I bought the Rose NTG3 so I’d never have to deal with an internal battery bricking my microphone.

do you have more budget friendly options? the Sennheiser sounds great but it costs more than my computer unfortunately..

anything that doesn't cost my first child and my left leg? XD

The absorption in your room is greatly offset by all the pictures on your wall and other hard surfaces

Tom, on what arm with what other connectors are you mounting that arm to your manfrotto tripod for the shotgun mic? It’s not in your description and I have been trying to figure it out in order to purchase. I will got through your links so you get commission.

I have used the MKH 20 and 40 a lot. They are really great mics.

Can you do a video on how you set this up for Rhode Caster Pro 2?

Woah! That Rode definitely holds up. As a first time viewer, and swithcing over to my over the ear headphones, the Rode has a bit more sparkle, boosting the higher frequencies is what it sounds like. But for the price differnce, shoot that Rode is not bad at all. May just nee to boost a tiny bit of that low end to match the MKH. I can still hear a bit of the room still, but overall not teriible. If I was using it, besides adding a bit of low end, I would hit my audio with some Izotope DeVerb or DeNoise. Good stuff brother!

The MKH 50 is designed for analogue which has a high presence boost, the more modern version that is designed for digital is Sennheiser 8050.

My hearing is just.. bad I guess :D Tried desktop speakers and headphones.. Could not tell the difference between them in studio :D

I've used the MKH 50 for a while, and it's been one of my favorites. However, it can be a little heavy on the low end, so I find it's one of the few mics that I enabled the bass roll-off switch. Quick question: how are you attaching your mic arm/pole to your video tripod? I like the idea of using the easy link to attach a boom to the threaded holes on the tripod.

How about MKH 50 vs 8060? Can’t decide between the two for my Sony FX3 set up

Wow, MKH 50 sounds very good in the low-end frequencies on your voice. I'd like to have 4 of these for a mic-free (in the shot) podcast.

Hi, thanks for this video. What do you think about the sennheiser MKE 600 Mic? I want to use it for livestreams and don’t like to have the microphone close to my mouth. Is it a choice for my case? Thanks :-)

Short shotguns are better inside, longer are typically better outdoors

Its a great microphone but here in the uk it goes for about £1499 which is a lot of money. I would love to have one but it is too expensive.

I completely agree!
Lot's of misconception about using mics.
Have a fabulous week!
Best,
Matthias 👋

🤯🤯🤯 One question, how did you remove the rode logo on the microphone arm??? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Schoeps is way better in my opinion 😂