MKE 600 Shotgun Microphone Bundle with Sennheiser MZH600 Hairy Windshield for MKE600, Complete Optics Care and Cleaning Kit

I usually stay away from bundled packages, normally purchasing things separate (mic, mic mount, etc...). However, I took a leap on this product and couldn't have been happier. Sennheiser is a fantastic product. I have used many different mics but this one for the price takes the cake. I pair this mic with the H5 zoom. I have had other professional businesses ask me what I use and are just as amazed. Pros: -Great sound quality -Easily set up (may need to purchase separate mic stand which is helpful) -The accessories are of great quality. -Bang for the buck Cons: -None Other: The one thing to be aware of is sound. This is considered a shotgun mic, it does a fantastic, and sometimes unwanted job, of picking up sound and noise. Know the environment in which you will be recording, as long as you have control over the noise level you will receive a great product.

I need the microphone for my Panasonic GH5 camera. The Sennheiser MKE 600 is a very good microphone. It is not noted that it only sends a signal to the left channel. For sound in both speakers you need to do post audio work. Splitter cables are available to put sound on both channels but it lowers the amplitude out of the mic and introduces more noise. The microphone is ideal if you have a preamp that will mix to both channels and then to your camera. Compared to the Rode VideoMic Pro it has a slightly better signal to noise ratio. The sound curve is a bit more linear as the VideoMic Pro pushes the lower frequencies more. The MKE 600 is more of a professional mic for more specific applications. The Rode VideoMic Pro is a bit more versatile for direct cameral mount without the aid of preamps or post audio work. I would say the MKE 600 and the VideoMic Pro are comparable for their price. For a standalone microphone on the camera hot shoe, I like the VideoMic Pro a little better. I repeat, if you are going to record to the left channel and then copy to the right channel in post-production then the MKE 600 is better. With the listing of more complete specifications the MKE 600 would be a 5-star mic for many people.

Based on the reviews, I believed this was going to be a fantastic microphone, and I expect that it is, but I must have gotten a faulty one as every recording I have done with this microphone has led to there being so much static in that I have had to use background noise canceling software, and even with it, the static is not completely removed. If there is a way to fix this, please let me know, it would be greatly appreciated.

As others have said, "Don't skimp on your audio!" This mic sounds great. This mic delivers way above its price in my opinion. I have used it for interviews indoors and outdoors with fantastic results. What I like: -Very directional sound as you would expect from a shotgun mic -Very clear, true reproduction of the audio being captured -AA phantom power is very handy -Build quality is superb -The furry windscreen works great outdoors. -Sounds great with my H4n (which is notorious for poor pre's) What I don't like so much: -The "shockmount" is pretty pathetic. I picked up an Eggsnow shockmount which is far superior and I think it was only about $20

A little short to capture appropriate sound quality. Ended up getting an AT instead, longer shotgun.

So I almost went beserk trying to get good sound into my cameras. I was not going to sync tons of clips for every project, it's way too much work. For my first production I used a cheap Takstar 598 mic (after trying tons of cheap mics- that one was the best of the bunch) which had passable sound quality but too low audio, I had to raise the volume in post and the mic wasn't reliable and out of the blue would produce muffled sounds; in short it wasnt professional to say the least. I also used cheap wireless lavs for that project. With TONS of editing in post the audio quality was just passable. So going forward, for my new projects, I was going to invest in pro sound equipment. I first tried the Azden smx-30 mic and it produced pretty good sound. I produced an interview-style video for a school and the audio came out really good. However, the volume was still too low with the preamps in-camera being lowered to prevent hiss. I then bought a Sennheiser mke-440 but the volume was even lower with more hiss at the same level the camera preamps were set at with the Azden smx-30. So I bought a Zoom H6 and while the audio quality itself was very good, the preamps were horrendous and the hiss was worse than ever. I even lowered the Zoom H6's output as per the instruction manual ( which at that point rendered the output to levels lower than the previous two mics I mentioned...) Here I was spending money for higher-end mics and the hiss was passable to awful and the volume low. I was ready to plotz. So I decided to try this mic, the Sennheiser mke-600 in hopes that an xlr input ( converted to 3.5mm at the camera's end) would produce better sound. Thank God, with this mic I was able to get higher audio levels even while lowering the camera's preamps to desired levels. FINALLY!!! I also ordered a Sound Devices preamp to get even higher quality audio. I'll see how that works out. Get this mic if you want good quality audio straight out of camera!

Flat frequency response is better for more accurate recordings (assuming your other gear is good too). This mic is probably not for the new home type video artist, but for a Pro or semi-pro who needs a cleaner recording. Also, the front/back rejection means recording more of what you're aiming at. These folks have been making high quality mics for decades.

Your closest competitor to this mic is something like the Rode videomic line. If you're vlogging or attaching this to the camera, it's much bigger than the Rode for not that much better quality. The mic also uses a switch to keep it on, which can drain the battery if you forget to turn it off, or, even worse, cause you to record no audio if you forget to turn it on! The Rode videomics turn on automatically when you plug them in. But hey, if you're using it in a studio or on a boom, it can work. Sound can be very tinny straight out of the mic and it pics up quite a bit of noise but it's EQ-able and comparable to other mics in this price point. This is a good choice, but consider getting a Rode if you need portability or ease-of-use.