Voiceovers And My Sennheiser 416
Updated: 9 hours ago
I love my Sennheiser 416.
I got it just in time for APAC (Audio Publishers Association Conference). I’ve been using the AKG Perception 420 for years and it’s a fantastic mic, but I wanted a mic that’s easier to transport and has more of a “commercial” sound, if that makes any sense.
Here’s the 416 all brandy-new in its case.
It’s full name is the Sennheiser MKH 416-P48U3. To quote the Sennheiser website:
The venerable MKH 416 is a compact pressure-gradient microphone with short interference tube, highly immune to humidity due to its RF condenser design. Featuring high directivity, low self noise, high consonant articulation and feedback rejection, the MKH 416 can handle difficult exterior filming and reporting conditions without any difficulty. Supercardioid/lobe pattern, matte black finish, supplied with the MZW415 windscreen.
And no, I don’t pretend to understand what all that means.
THE MIC SHOOTOUT
Being someone who isn’t a techno-file, I don’t know much about microphones. However, my comic book partner and recording studio owner Angelo Panetta of Panetta Studios certainly does. When I told him about my new mic, he suggested I bring it to his studio and have a “mic shootout”. In other words, I try out my microphone in his studio along with some other mics and compare how they sound.
That’s me at Panetta Studios with the 416.
I grabbed some copy and read using four different microphones:
AKG C414 XLS @$1,074.99
AKG C535 EB @$349.99
AKG C1000 S @$199.00
Sennheiser 416 @$1,249.00
Click on the link to hear them in order: https://soundcloud.com/tom-dheere/sets/sennheiser-416-mic-shootout
HOW DID THE SENNHEISER 416 DO?
The old adage, “You get what you pay for” seems to apply in this case. The Sennheiser 416 and the AKG C414 sound markedly better than the other two. I do think the Sennheiser 416 edges out the the AKG, though and not just because I own it. To me, it sounds a bit fuller & richer. It also seems to work well with my voice. BTW the 416 was recommended by multiple veteran voice talents both male and female. I recommend it, too!
From my village to yours, this is Tom Dheere, the H is Silent, but I'm Not.
Thanks For Reading!
To learn more about me, hear some samples, or download my demos, just go to www.tomdheere.com.
Tom Dheere is a 30-year veteran voice actor specializing in corporate narration and commercials. Known as a "street-smart professor," he blends his theater-based training and guy-next-door performance style with mastery over voice over project management .
When he isn’t in the booth, he provides strategic business consulting at VOStrategist.com and produces the comic book Agent 1.22.
This content targets Voice Seekers looking for direct, risk-managed booking solutions.
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