Sennheiser MKE 400 (2021) Review: A Phone Friendly Mic
The Sennheiser MKE 400 (2021) is a fantastic tiny shotgun microphone that will be ideal for vloggers and aspiring filmmakers, thanks to its simple yet effective controls and excellent performance for the price. The MKE 400 could be one of the best mics for amateur video recording, even if it isn’t a complete recording solution for the most ambitious aspiring filmmakers.
Price and availability
The Sennheiser MKE 400 (2021) is available from a variety of retailers for $199.95, but you may get it for less if you shop around. Even at full price, the MKE 400 is a fairly affordable microphone when compared to similar models. Thus, it’s an excellent piece of gear for individuals just getting started in filmmaking and vlogging.
Design
This microphone lives true to its name as a compact shotgun microphone: it’s small and light, so even if you already have a lot of gear, you should be able to fit it into your bag.
You’ll only need a space of 4.9 x 2.6 x 1.5 inches (126 x 67 x 37mm) and the willingness to carry an extra 93.5g. It’s also easy to handle because of its size and weight, whether it’s hooked into your phone or camera.
The recording’s audio output port contains a screw connection, allowing you to secure the cable and avoid having your recording spoiled by a wobbling wire.
Another useful feature is the new headphone jack, which allows you to quickly and simply analyze the audio picked up by the Sennheiser MKE 400 (2021) and see whether it needs to be adjusted before hitting the Record option.
The buttons and ports will be slightly obscured once the windsock is on, our only criticism of the design. Most of the time, this isn’t a big concern, but you’ll have to remember to connect the audio output cord before putting on the sock — the fluff got in the way when you tried connecting the cable afterward.
There’s also a design flaw with the mic’s wires, which is unrelated to the mic. If you’re only going to use the MKE 400 as a shotgun mic with your phone or camera, the wires that come with it won’t cause any problems. They’ll be especially beneficial for people who record on their phones because the cable includes an adapter that allows it to function with your aux port.
You’ll need some additional equipment if you want to use this mic for other applications (such as podcasting or business meetings). Both of the given cables are incredibly short and will almost certainly not be enough to set up a working PC.
Performance
During our testing, the Sennheiser MKE 400 (2021) worked brilliantly – we spent several days recording with the mic in as many varied circumstances as possible, and we were blown away by the results. The audio was crisp, and a lot of the background noise was reduced to a manageable level, making it ideal for vloggers and aspiring filmmakers.
This is owing to the microphone’s built-in features. To begin, the microphone is super-cardioid, which means it only records audio from directly in front of or behind it, excluding noise from the sides.
Furthermore, you can quickly eliminate undesired low-frequency noise, such as road noise or vibrations created by manipulating the mic during recordings, thanks to the mic’s low-cut filter (which you may toggle on or off).
Finally, the gain switch (which can be set to -20dB, 0dB, or +20dB to make inputs louder or quieter) is a convenient way to balance recordings on the fly, a task made easier by the headphone jack.
This aux port, together with the neighboring volume buttons, allows you to observe what the mic is recording in real-time and make adjustments as needed. This will surely save you a lot of time – and heartache – when you think you have the perfect take, only to discover that you have to redo it because the gain was set too high and the audio is blown out; if you’ve ever experienced this, you’ll understand how annoying it can be.
Recording in areas with a lot of background noise from all directions or when the wind picks up can cause issues. Still, in most cases, we could make out what our subject was saying quite clearly by adjusting the settings and making sure to angle the microphone correctly to take advantage of the cardioid profile.
The windsock can also be counted on to help with wind noise reduction. There’s practically no reason not to use this beautifully fluffy cover with the Sennheiser MKE 400 because it works wonders at blocking out unwanted noises (2021).
Sound quality
The MKE 400 offers crisp, clear speech indoors, as you’d expect. If the MKE 400 is oriented appropriately towards the speaker, the recordings favor their speech over any background noise, and extraneous sounds like rustling garments are kept to a minimum.
Between using my phone’s internal microphone and the MKE 400, there was a noticeable difference. My Google Pixel 4a mic isn’t bad at capturing speech, but because of its less concentrated directional recording, it picked up undesired sounds like foot-tapping. It doesn’t completely remove wind noise in these challenging conditions, but it does reduce it to a low hum that you can comfortably chat over. The low-cut filter, as well as setting the gain control to zero, are both beneficial.
When the low-cut filter was turned off, background sounds like traffic and the occasional screaming child were audible, but they were kept to a minimum when it was turned on. They weren’t completely eliminated, so if you merely want to record a presenter’s voice in a crowded area, you should generally stick to lavalier mics. Nonetheless, the MKE 400 will aid in the production of sufficient content for vlogging and travelogues.
The MKE 400 is resistant to light wind even without the wonderfully fluffy windshield that comes with the kit. However, when the weather turns genuinely blustery, you’ll be glad you have this item. It doesn’t completely remove wind noise in these challenging conditions, but it does reduce it to a low hum that you can comfortably chat over. The low-cut filter, as well as setting the gain control to zero, are both beneficial.
Verdict
With its zeal to interact with smartphones, a gadget like the MKE 400 risks inappropriate placing. It isn’t exactly professional, but it may appear an unneeded extravagance for regular phone use.
Despite this, it manages to strike a nice medium and will make an excellent little microphone for DIY content creation. If you’re vlogging or streaming, the MKE 400 will deliver the sound quality you need without taking up a lot of space in your bag or requiring three years of film school. It isn’t even necessary to use a standard camera for this.
Source: https://lewis457mccoy.blogspot.com/2021/08/sennheiser-mke-400-2021-review-phone.html