I’m a music professor and, when classes were forced online in 2020, I scrambled to recast teaching materials in cyber form. Besides creating graphics, audio and HTML pages, that meant shooting lecture-demo videos. My Tascam TM-2X Stereo X-Y mic sounded good in a quiet classroom but, at home, picked up frustrating amounts of noise from the street and nearby AC units. After a little research, I bought a Sennheiser MKE 400 Shotgun Microphone and tossed the TM-2X in a drawer.
Sennheiser MKE 400 | Mounted on a Canon EOS 90D with +20 dB set. The mic barrel acts like a sound blimp.
Build Quality and Features
This matte black beauty is a hybrid of metal and plastic, and has impeccable fit and finish. It's fingerprint resistant too. And it's attractive and petite for a shotgun mic: doesn't overwhelm small cameras or draw attention on the street. The rear battery door is thoughtfully accessible with the mic mounted in the hot shoe.
The super-cardioid polar pattern, while narrow, is not as tight as larger shotgun mics and, as mentioned earlier, is obviously optimized for close voice pickup needs of a video blogger shooting from a desktop or self-held camera. Certainly not the right mic for recording distant bird calls.
Unlike similar mics in this price range—VideoMic GO II—the MKE lacks USB for changing internal settings or connection to computers and smartphones. If you need such connectivity, look elsewhere or buy a TRS to USB-C adapter. The Movo UCMA-1 (female 3.5mm TRS Adapter Cable to USB-C) sounds good when recording the MKE 400 directly into my Mac.
Cables
The two supplied cables—TRS to TRS and TRS to TRRS—have a locking nut for mic attachment and 3.5mm plug for cameras. They seem sturdy and the bright blue color makes them visible in the bottom of a camera bag. Attachment to my EOS R, R7, R6 MK II and 90D cameras was secure. However, the thick molding on the TRS plug prevented connection to my EOS M6—pops out. If you have a camera with a small cable bay, you'll need a cable with a narrow plug housing.
Some users complain that frontal cable placement is awkward and prefer a cable out the rear. However, Sennheiser got it right: frontal cables don't poke you in the eye when using the EVF!
Incidentally, the TRS to TRRS cable worked well on my iMac Pro, making a decent voiceover mic in a pinch.
Sennheiser MKE 400 | The green power light is a thoughtful touch that many video mics lack. The adjacent switches are a low cut filter and gain sensitivity (-20 dB, 0 and +20 dB). | Image courtesy Sennheiser
Battery
Two AAA batteries are required for operation. Sennheiser provides an estimate of 100 hours of runtime. I've been using Eneloop rechargeable AAA and they seem to last forever albeit I've not tallied my hours of use. If you need to install fresh batteries during a session, the rear facing battery door may be accessed without removing the mic from the camera.
Auto Power
I like the auto power feature: when my camera powers down or enters sleep mode, the MKE 400 also powers down but wakes up with the camera. No more missed takes due no turning on the mic! The MKE 400 senses the device's mic plug-in power and uses it as a signal to power up or down. For this feature to work, be sure the mic plug-in power is enabled in your camera menu or audio recorder.
Sensitivity
The MKE 400 has three sensitivity settings on the left panel: -20 dB, 0 and +20dB. If you record race cars or rock bands, you'll probably need to use the -20 dB setting! I don't think I'll ever use -20dB—all my mics are at stuck at +10 dB or +20 dB—it but it makes this mic versatile and ready for almost any environment. For my speaking voice, +20 dB is ideal, allowing me to dial down the camera's preamps (for reduced noise) and still have a good signal.
For best results, control camera audio levels manually. Auto audio level algorithms defeat the background noise reduction benefits of shotgun mica: levels surge upwards on quiet sections, bringing out background noise. With +20 dB set set on the mic, I set gain on my Canon EOS R6 MK II to about 25% and see -12 to -6 dB levels for my speaking voice at a meter.
Low Cut Filter
Finally, the low cut filter rolls off the bass beginning at about 200 Hz. Bass reduction is progressive, so by 100 Hz the cut is about -17 dB. If I was only talking it would be fine, but it reduces the low end off my guitar too much. Wish it had a second setting beginning around 60 Hz.
Sennheiser MKE 400 | If your camera lacks a headphone port, one is available on this mic. | Image courtesy Sennheiser
RFI Resistance
I live in the inner city where RFI is a problem, but I rarely encountered static, clicks or rogue radio stations using the MKE 400 in the hot shoes of my cameras.
However, when I attached an extension cable to use the MKE 400 on a boom, RFI reared its ugly head: static and a classic rock station fading in and out as I moved the mic in my living room. The extension cable became a radio antenna. With that said, the cable worked fine in my classroom, a concrete bunker in a rural area.
I tested the MKE 400 on a hot shoe mounted extension arm. With the supplied coiled TRS cable stretched out an extra six inches, RFI became evident. At least with the MKE 400 in the camera hot shoe and the cable coils slack, RFI free recordings are possible.
I tried Sennheiser's little blue coiled cable on my Rode VideoMic Go II and darned if it nixed the RFI problem for that mic (it came with a long straight cable, making for a fine radio antenna). Now I'll have to buy a coiled cable for the Rode.
Wind Resistance
Outdoors I was shocked at how resistant the MKE 400 was to wind noise. Unlike my other mics, the bare MKE 400 can handle a gentle breeze without flinching. Apparently the barrel of the MKE 400 is a mini blimp with a condenser inside and doesn't need the dead cat except in strong wind. And that's a good thing since I lost the Sennheiser supplied dead-cat.
Shock Mount
A highly innovative floating support structure—shock mount—is integrated into the blimp-like tube of the MKE 400. Most shotgun mics have no interior vibration reducing mechanisms but, instead, use an external shock mount such as a Rycote. Sennheiser's interior shock mount worked well for me, yielding clean audio while panning or walking around.
Sound Quality
The MKE 400 made my speaking voice sound fuller, clearer and more natural compared to the Tascam TM-2X and built-in camera mics. Street and AC noise were still audible but greatly reduced.
The MKE 400 is surprisingly sensitive to changes in dynamics, so I had to watch levels more carefully than other video mics.
Music
Musical instruments sound natural and full, but lack the directional and spacious qualities of stereo mics like the Sennheiser MKE 440. Nevertheless, the MKE 400 is good enough for a musical passage in the middle of a lecture.
Speaking Voice
The best vocal tone and noise rejection is at 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 inches). Still decent at arm's length (45 cm), but tone becomes increasingly thinner beyond that. Sennheiser obviously designed this mic for arm's length video blogging. At close distance–10 cm—it suffers more off-axis coloration than I expected, with a noticeable loss of highs at 25 to 30 degrees off the center of the capsule. Mic tone is at its best speaking straight into the capsule.
The super-cardioid pattern is good at rejecting noise from the sides and focusing on what's in front of it. However, background rejection isn't as pronounced as the Deity V-Mic D4, a less expensive but longer shotgun mic.
Below is an instructional video I made with the Sennheiser MKE 400. Street and AC noise were overwhelming with my Tascam stereo mic but, with the MKE 400, noise was greatly reduced, albeit obviously still present. In this video, the MKE 400 is about 2 meters away, mounted in the camera hot shoe. I tried to bring the mic closer, but RFI was unbearable with an extension cable.
Pie in the Sky Lecture-Demo | Sennheiser MKE 400 on a Canon EOS 90D. Manual levels set on the 90D with MKE 400 sensitivity gain set to +20 dB.
While the MKE 400 performed well considering the circumstances—2 meters out with AC rumbling in the background—I came to the conclusion that a camera mounted shotgun mic was not a good solution for talking head videos.
Sound Comparisons
Below are short audio samples of the MKE 400 and other mics I've used for voiceovers. Samples were recorded at 48 kHz and 24 bits in TwistedWave. No processing was used on any of the mics. I spoke into each mic at a distance of about 10 cm (4 inches) and offset about 25 or 30 degrees (except for the MKE 400). All the mics wore a foam windscreen except for the MKE 400.
Sennheiser MKE 400
Here's bareback sound of the Sennheiser MKE 400 plugged into my iMac Pro. Considering how close I was, the unprotected MKE 400 has excellent control of plosives and sibilance. The integral blimp-like housing—designed for wind protection outdoors—also controls plosives and mouth noise.
Because of the off-axis coloration, I spoke directly into the MKE 400 from about 10 cm away. Off-axis coloration becomes progressively less pronounced the further away you speak. With that said, the MKE 400 sounds excellent at 10 cm so long as you keep reasonably centered.
The MKE 400 retails for $200 USD albeit often discounted.
Rode VideoMic GO II
The Rode VideoMic Go II is a small shotgun mic designed for camera hot shoe use. Besides TRS analog output for cameras, it supports USB-C for computer and mobile devices. Unlike TRS output, USB-C is resistant to RFI. It is compatible with Rode Central for settings but I recorded without processing.
The Rode has a tight polar pattern, rendering excellent background sound rejection. Clarity is good and bests the slightly murky sound of the Deity V-Mic D4. Off-axis coloration is well controlled, so you can speak 25 or 30 degrees off-axis for plosive control if needed.
The USB output of this wee condenser mic is hot—gain was about 25% for -12dB. It's also a tiny mic—size of a partially smoked cigar—and is at its best boomed just out of sight. The VideoMic Go II retails for $100 USD.
Deity V-Mic D4
Deity's V-Mic D4 is a camera shotgun microphone with similar features to the Rode VideoMic Go II and VideoMic NTG: shotgun mics optimized for close use such as desktop, interview and video blogging. Like the Rode mics, it has both analog and USB-C output for connectivity with cameras, audio recorders, mobile devices and computers. I used USB-C output for this audio sample. The D4 features a preamp with adjustable gain from -5 to +10 dB. For usable output, I needed to keep it cranked all the way to +10 dB, albeit gain was still on the low side.
Compared to the Rode VideoMic Go II, the Deity is more bass heavy, but also more rolled off in the highs. It's sensitive to off-axis coloration: at 30 degrees off-axis the Deity has considerably less high frequencies than speaking straight into the capsule. The same angle with the Rode VideoMic Go II made only a tiny difference. With that said, it sounds better than the V-Mic D4 Mini. Not a good choice for my voice but many YouTubers love it, albeit probably because they got it free.
Finally, the included foam windscreen dulls mic tone too much so I used a pop filter to nix plosives.
This mic retails for $100 USD.
Tascam TM-2X
The Tascam TW-2X is designed for music and ambient sounds, not close vocal use. There is no protection other than a thin and flat screen. As expected, plosives were crazy loud without protection. With the included dead-cat installed, the TM-2X worked surprisingly well for my speaking voice. Quiet sections between words are clean and noise free. Mic tone is pleasant and leans towards the clear and crisp side with rolled off bass below 100 Hz. I prefer its smoother rendering of my voice over the Deity V-Mic D4 and V-Mic D4 Mini.
For the test, I mounted it on a handle and experienced no handling noise so I imagine it could be used for street reportage in a pinch. You could also mount it backwards in the hot shoe and narrate videos while shooting.
The TM-2X retails for $100 USD albeit is often discounted.
Deity D-Mic D4 Mini
Deity's V-Mic D4 Mini is a tiny camera shotgun microphone. It has a similar name as the V-Mic D4 below, but sans Mini, leading to consumer confusion. The Mini has similar features and appearance to the Rode VideoMic Mini: battery-less shotgun mic optimized for close use such as video blogging. Like the Rode VideoMic Mini, it is has analog output only.
Like most shotgun mics, the D4 Mini has no built-in protection from wind and plosives. For a usable track, installation of the included huge dead-cat is essential. With dead-cat installed, it looks like a gray squirrel sitting on top of the camera.
The sound is bright and aggressive but with strongly rolled off bass. Not a great sounding mic but better than most built-in camera mics. I prefer the warmer tone of the Sennheiser MKE 400 and Tascam TM-2X for my voice.
This mic retails for $50 USD.
Musings
While a big improvement over the Tascam TM-2X and built-in camera mics, I didn't find isolation from ambient sound good enough for instructional videos in my noisy home. Moreover, when mounted in a camera hot shoe, it is too far away for the best sound. However, for talking head videos at arm's length or closer, this mic works great. Indeed, video blogging seems to be its forte. However, that is not my style. I like the space and more flattering perspective of having the camera 2 or 3 meters away, and the MKE 400 isn't at its best at such distances.
A logical solution would be to boom the MKE 400 just off frame—much closer but out of sight. Unfortunately, it suffers from RFI when an extension cable is used, so an overhead boom isn't viable in my neighborhood. For my instructional videos, I eventually decided to forgo a shoe-mount camera mic for the higher quality and and RFI resistance of a boomed XLR mic and outboard audio recorder.
Thoughts
The Sennheiser MKE 400 is not a shotgun mic in the tradition of the Sennheiser MKH 600 or 416. So not for distant wildlife or mounting high overhead in a studio. However, the MKE 400 is a great video mic for wandering around town, travel and vlogging. The Rode VideoMic Go II is a serious challenger due to the significantly lower cost, excellent sound quality and USB-C output. However, for outdoor use, the Rode VideoMic Go II can't compete with the blimp-like wind protection of the MKE 400. The Rode doesn't even ship with a deadcat...
The pleasant vocal tone, amazing wind busting blimp-like tube, petite size and good RFI resistance make the MKE 400 an essential mic in my gear locker.
Finally, please help support this website by purchasing this item at Amazon.
Features
Super-cardioid pattern
Pre-polarized condenser
50 Hz to 20 kHz response
SPL of 132 dB
Auto on/off when connected to cameras
Headphone output with volume control for monitoring
Low-cut filter and
3-step sensitivity switch: -20 dB, 0 and +20 dB
Integrated wind protection and internal suspension
Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted (rel. 94 dB SPL): 82 dB
Interchangeable 3.5 mm TRS and TRRS cables
Power: two AAA batteries (approx. 100 hours)
93.5 g | 126 x 67 x 37 mm
Included accessories
Drawstring pouch, deadcat (wind muff) and pair of AAA batteries
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Build Quality and Features
RFI Resistance
Sound Quality
Thoughts
Features