Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun Condenser Microphone Reviews

I am new to the world of audio and filmmaking but I am so happy I decided to get the Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun mic. Bob Furlong was especially helpful to reach out and make sure he was there to answer any questions I may have. He also went above and beyond to make sure I received all of my equipment before my first film day. Thank you Sweetwater!

Great shotgun mic. Not as much low end presence as an NTG3 or a Schoeps, but very directional. Can reach subjects at a pretty good distance and still get usable audio.

A lot of people will dismiss this mic for voice-over, but nothing could be further from the truth.
In your home studio, it filters out a lot of extra noise that a big condenser or tube microphones will pick up.
Mate this mic with a quality preamp and you will have a great sound for voice-over.

Be it voice alone or mixing with a commercial track and sound effects.
For the money, it does the job very well and it's all you really need, but, that PRE AMP is also
of paramount importance as it will change the dynamics of the mic. So make sure your preamp
is up to the task.

I first used this mic in film school and a decade later, I have yet to find one that balances price, durability, reliability, and quality like this one does. 416 for life.

This mic is one that I should have bought a good while ago. As a professional voice over talent for 28 years now, I have relied mostly on my TLM 103 for my work. And it is a great mic. But the 416 is different. It's a bit hotter and at times smoother than the 103. This comparison has been made a lot. But really you just have to listen to the finer differences. Both mics are great with my voice. Each one used for different purposes. I use it with the provided windscreen in the studio and find that it works as a pop screen and I can barely tell the difference between when it's on and when it's off. So, I leave it on at all times. What took me so long to get the 416? I don't know... but I do love this mic!!!

I was using the Sennheiser MK4 large diaphragm condenser mic for voiceover, which is a great mic for the price. But, I needed something more to give me that edge.

The 416 is awesome! It's one of the most popular mics for voiceover these days, especially for commercials and promo. I've been using it close to a year now and I've booked voiceover gigs using it.

Believe the hype! This blocks all unwanted sound.

The Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun Microphone has a long-established reputation in the film industry for outstanding sound quality when recording dialogue, as well as legendary reliability. I've been wanting one of my own for over 30 years.
Imagine my surprise when mine quit working at the end of 3 weeks' use teaching an online course! I know these are fantastic microphones - they've been on almost every film set I have worked on.
I bought this microphone for shooting documentaries and corporate interviews, so I was disappointed that my first interview was going to be recorded with my old microphone. I was surprised again when Sweetwater offered to do an "Advance Replacement", i.e. they sent out a new Sennheiser for me even before I had packed up the first one to return it.

The first interview for my new company looks and sounds fantastic and I have to thank Sweetwater customer service for getting another Sennheiser MKH 416 to me in time to use it for the shoot. It's the best customer service I've ever experienced.
It is extremely unlikely you would ever have a problem with this microphone, but it's great to know Sweetwater has your back!

I cut a VO demo in LA at a major recording studio and they use this Sennheiser in the booth...From the first sentence I was hooked on the resonance, clarity, and the audio impact this mic had on my final voice recording...Reached my sales engineer at Sweetwater (wife has to always know when I order anything because she digs the candy that comes with the product) and ordered it up...At the time he had not heard about how many PRO audio studios used the mic for their VO work...I filled him in and waited until it arrived...Oh my, that was a great day when I heard my finished cut on a VO project...The Sennheiser MKH 416 is way beyond "the cat's meow" as it delivers MEGA impressive audio recording after recording...It still is my "go to" mic in my locker and I suspect it will be for a long, long time...Six years in and it has not failed me yet...Looking for a more than decent VO mic for not a wallet busting price? This IS it...Buy it because you'll be one very happy recording camper...

This mic is exactly what my voice was looking for. It provides a great sound, it gives a bit more brightness to my voice (I'm a voiceover artist, so it's been a big help), and it truly is what one would call a "lifetime mic", as I would be hard pressed to find something else that would work as well as this.

I needed a professional-grade mic to do high-end ADR work for a television series, as well as Audiobook and podcast tape sync projects. Dave Brow immediately pointed me to the Sennheiser MKH 416 as the industry-standard mic for those applications, and I am absolutely delighted! The clarity and fullness on the vocal tracks are phenomenal, giving depth and a type of "gravity" to the recordings--without excessive proximity effect. My clients are very happy with the results. Absolutely solid build and quality!

I have A LOT of mics (pretty good ones like an RE20, MA-200, and TLM-102), for broadcast, VO, and podcast work and I no longer want to use any of them. I love my new 416! This mic has incredible clarity and, when pointed toward my chest add depth and resonance that I have only experienced when in the studio using a U87. I would have never imagined a shotgun could sound so good up close. You will not regret buying this understated beauty.

This microphone is an industry standard for a reason. Great microphone super durable.

I've used this mic for over twenty years for video production and it's no wonder to me it's a highly recognized standard in the industry. Pristine, clean, true sound - rich and full. Very low noise base - just a flat-out great shotgun microphone. The Side-rejection is great, but sometimes I find the tight axis of the mic a little unforgiving, but it's hard to criticize this stellar mic.

I am a voice actor and this mic suites my voice perfectly.

I also record interviews and podcasts on the road with a pair of 416's I already own.

I have no complaints with the 416... except...
I wish someone would make a double, small diameter, pop screen exclusively for the 416.

I just purchased the Sennheiser 416 and just blown away at its performance. This is the best VO mike in the world. If you want top performance and want to sound professional then this is the mike for youI am so happy the way this mike performs and makes my voice sound so smooth. Make sure you pick it up

I started doing my Voiceover work with the Neumann BCM 104 and the TLM 103 and they were exceptional microphones with great warmth and fidelity but when Sweetwater offered a special price on the Sennheiser MKH 416 I jumped at the chance to purchase it. The instant that I connected it to my DAW the microphone gave my voice the best quality and presence without adding any coloration to my voice track in post production. It was just what I needed!

Now, my Neumanns are used for backup or when I wanted to present a diffrent feel to my recordings. All the Pro Studio's and sucessful Voiceover talents are using the Senn 416 and so can you. I highly recommend that if you don't have this microphone get one today from Sweetwater. You won't regret it!

Great mic. Very tight and unforgiving polar pattern. I now see why this is the voice over mic for baritone or bass voices. Really shines on those voices. Great off axis rejection. Proximity effect is...very useful. Not sure how else to describe. I guess the bass roll off let"s you get right up in there without mud and boom.

I loved my first 416 so much that I needed another one. Can't recommend it enough. If you need a shotgun mic just buy this one.

I have a TLM49 and I love it but this 416 is really something special. No wonder it's the standard. I have recorded 2 books with it (to give the 49 a rest) and now I am wondering if I should let it rest a bit longer. The sound floor is lower and the sound is really rich...to me. I even sold off my old CAD E100S, cuz these two mics are really all I should EVER need.

Just amazed how good this mic sounds. I was going back and forth over which mic would work best for the space I record in. At first, I was leaning towards the TLM 103 but after checking a lot of reviews about the 416, I decided it was the best mic for my situation. I run my 416 through a Warm Audio WA 12 and couldn't be happier with the sound quality. Now back to work.

The Sennheiser MKH416 is one of the best voiceover microphones in existence. Anyone serious about taking their voiceover game to the next level absolutely needs one of these beauties in their locker. The sound quality is clear, full bodied, and frankly, astonishing at this price point. Side-rejection is outstanding, and the sweet spot allows for movement within your "bubble". Most importantly, the positioning allows you to comfortably look at your "cheat sheet".

Simply put, this should be one of the very first microphones you add to your voiceover arsenal (the Neumann TLM 103 or Mojave MA-200 are also SOLID options).

The 416 has made such a big difference in my voice overs. Clear, crisp full body sound. The best investment in my gear collection so far.

I've been using this mic for 15 years and it's never disappointed. This mic may be 20-odd years on the market, but it's a proven workhorse. Solid build for many enviromental conditions. Clean, full sound from highs to lows, very little hiss and just great all-around. Phantom power would be nice, but for all it's pluses it's hard to nit-pick

The Sennheiser 416 is, simply, THE go-to mic for nearly EVERY industry application. Its popularity with VO talent is unmatched. I've personally owned every mic in the business but kept coming back to the 416. And most who use this mic the first time don't want to give it up, either. Worth it at twice--even three times--the price.

I'm a Voice Actor and I've recorded commercials in studios that have used this mic. Never gave it much thought at the time. Then I began hearing some of the audio recorded by the top Voice Actors in the country using this mic. I was really impressed.
At my home studio, I was using the Neumann TLM 103, which I love. However, it's not suited for everything. Now my mic collection is complete. The Sennheiser MKH 416 just blows me away. Both the Neumann TLM 103 and Sennheiser MKH 416 are classics. What else would you need?
I would highly recommend this mic.

This is a must have tool for your arsenal if you do voice over work. It is excellent at reducing background noise and helps add a warmer bass tone to your voice! Excellent for narration or reading work! Expensive but for a professional tool, its worth the investment. I also use a Sure KSM32 for some projects but the MKH will brighten any project with its clean warm tone!

I record audio for fim and video clients. These clients come to Chicago from all over the USA and Europe. They do not have the time to re shoot because of an audio problem so I never give them one.
The Sennheiser 416 short shotgun mic is my go to mic for any scene. I can hang the mic over the head of the talent, or hide it. For example, I did a shoot in an hotel room that measured about 15' X 25'. After setting the lights and camera, puting the actors on the set, There was very little room for audio. There was a room that led to the bathroom on one sie and the closet on the other. I set up in that room, put the 416 on a carbon boom pole and attached the boom to a C stand. Now, I was able to raise the boom to the ceiling which was above the camera shot. The shot took five takes, but not because of audio.

How I have gotten away this long without having this mic in my mic closet is a mystery, but I can safely say it is a new favorite. No wonder it is as popular as it is. Absolutely perfect. Does exactly what its intended for: Precise and focused pickup of any sound source with superb sound quality. My first use was recording a lecture in a noisy loft in New York City with a Zoom H4N. Nothing fancy. Importing the recording into my DAW yielded a virtually noiseless recording, despite the sirens and plumbing sounds that I could clearly hear in the space. Perfect.

Okay, five stars. Everybody knows that the Sennheiser 416 is "The Hollywood Mic" because it is the premium dialogue mic that is used in nearly every movie trailer and promo. It's also the mic that the audio guys hold on poles over actor's heads to pick up dialogue and it's used in many commercials. This microphone is rich sounding and extremely sensitive.

For years I avoided buying one for my home voice-over studio because I felt that I didn't have the necessary dead space and acoustically treated room. That is, until Sweetwater made me a deal that I couldn't refuse.

WOW! WAS I WRONG! This mic works extremely well in a home studio environment. It's highly directional and very forgiving which makes it easy to control ambient sounds. It's very compact so it doesn't get in your face and block your reading light. It will pick up your voice clearly at any distance and it is impossible to pop your p's with this mic. That's right. No pop screen necessary.

To top it off, I combined this mic with two other items that I bought from Sweetwater that really sweetened my sound: an SE Reflexion Filter Pro which helps deaden reflected room sound from behind the mic, plus some high tech software called Izotope RX 4. This amazing software has a "dialogue denoiser" that effectively removes background sounds without adversely affecting the dialogue itself, much the same way that Photoshop removes the background from a photo while leaving the foreground intact. And it can do so automatically.

So if you want to create broadcast quality voice-over in an ordinary room with your home studio, start with the Sennheiser 416. Very happy here.

I do voiceover work and this mic has been on my list for a long time. I'm more of a mid-range tenor vocally, not your deep ballsy announcer, but I do some promo work and was curious if this would work with my voice type to give me immediate, present sound that cuts through. It does. Plus it's rugged so I can take it on the road and not have to treat it with kid gloves.

If I could choose just one mic the 416 would be it.
In truth it's not as warm as a Neumann U87, nor can it handle ultra high SPL like a snare drum, but for what I need, which is foley, sound design, field recording and some voiceover, it's the best thing out there.

been wanting one of these for my home set-up for a long time and finally scored one. i love it as much as i thought i would. it's "industry standard", end of story.

I'm a VO guy and clients expect quality sound. The 416 takes you to the next level in quality. Will it sound good on everyone? No, but when it does it's golden. Producers have told me they like it because they don't have to do that much to the voice over it just sits in the mix. If you are a VO guy or gal give the 416 a try it just might blow you, and your clients, away!

One of the best mics I have ever used! I was looking for a mic that would make me sound more bold and I found it here! I get less extraneous noise and I don't have to manipulate my audio files any more. The Sennheiser MHK 416 makes me stand out!

After being behind a U-87 for 35 years, hey, ya can't do better than that can you? But. There was still something missing that I could not seem to capture. Those movie trailers and TV promos along with many National Ads had that certain sound that I could not seem to get. I was doing some home work on another mic when quite by accident I ran into a discussion about the 416 that really grabbed my attention. Could this be the answer? The fast answer YES. After all these years...I finally "got it".
......."In a world..... with thousands of mics".......lol!!!

The Sennheiser MKH-416 P48 microphone is a shotgun mic that Voice Talents use for its cut-through sound. Up close and personal this mic rocks! Its almost like the mic has a built in compressor... It just pulls your voice in and captures all your vocal character!! The Sennheiser MKH-416 is the screaming bullet you may want. The Sennheiser MKH-416 is in our personal microphone collection. Thanks Sweetwater:)

A million years ago, I was the location sound guy for a number of MTV's "Rock Against Drugs" public service announcements. This was a number of years back, as I said, and I was carrying a Nagra Stereo Open Reel TAPE MACHINE (!) around my neck, while holding a telescoping aluminum mic boom in both hands with a Sennheiser 416 inside a Zeppelin with a "tribble" on the outside of that! This rig was analog and NOT light!! However, I was told later by the guys who edited the stuff I recorded (some was right next to the ocean, some was a simulated party at an expensive Beverly Hills hotel, and there were several others) with the 416 pointed at the Rock Star who was in whichever PSA we were shooting that day, and those editors just LOVED the sound quality I was able to get with the 416 over the Star's head and just out of frame. I saw several of them on MTV, and the editors were RIGHT! If you need a shotgun, you can't go wrong with the 416!!!

Purchased for recording VO promos. This mic does not disappoint. Great sound; it's gonna be my workhorse.

After buying the MKH416 I can see why this mic is a go-to in the VO industry. It sounds robust, does a great job rejecting off-axis sounds, and it definitely cuts through mixes. But that doesn't mean it's the right mic for you. The response curve on the mic includes a pretty good bump in the "presence" frequencies, which ended up making it too bright for my voice. While the bump isn't crazy, it was also exactly in my sibilant frequencies, creating new problems of its own. With a my deeper baritone voice it also ended up creating a slight mud/boominess in my space that wasn't present with a LDC, regardless of positioning and/or acoustic treatment. With some EQ and other fine tuning I could get the mic to sound good, but it required too much sauce in post for me to feel comfortable using it as my daily driver. Ultimately I returned mine. Again, it's an excellent mic, but do yourself a favor before you commit and see if you can rent one from a local gear shop.

Don't really like it on tight booming of talent. Works much better at a distance where it becomes a little more natural. It's still what most directors expect to see in a kit. I still prefer my Schoeps for voices!