New & Significantly Improved

Redesigned and redeveloped, and available since June 2021, the second generation Sennheiser MKE 400 Compact Shotgun Microphone not only does an excellent job, but is also hugely functional, as K Madhavan Pillai discovers.

- K Madhavan Pillai

Sennheiser recently released the second iteration of the MKE 400 on-camera shotgun microphone. Especially with today’s vlogging culture, where the creation of quick videos with good audio quality has increased exponentially, or even as a part of a semi-professional setup, a microphone of this nature has undeniable advantages. It is useful in various scenarios from indoor to outdoor videos, and even in fairly noisy environments. It is also quite straightforward to use on-camera with DSLRs, mirrorless, or compact cameras with an accessory shoe and a 3.5mm mic input jack. It can also be used with smartphones (albeit with a few easily available accessories, also available as a ‘Mobile Kit’ with Sennheiser).

Features

The microphone capsule is shock-mounted inside the body of the unit. In fact, the design of this microphone is a feature in itself. Unlike a lot of other mics, the shock mount that houses the mic, and the essential wind baffle is a part of the unit, so you don’t need to worry about worry about too many removable parts. This also ensures handling noise is controlled and minimised.

The MKE 400 is a highly directional microphone. It features a super-cardioid polar pattern achieved by an acoustic interference tube, providing focus and detail while rejecting unwanted background noise. With a sound ceiling of 132dB SPL, it can record across a large range without clipping. Built-in is also a low-cut filter for windy and noisy environments or low-frequency rumble, and 3-step sensitivity switch (which cuts or adds 20dB) for added flexibility and control in different recording environments. This also potentially helps bypass camera or phone pre-amps at the mic stage, to reduce unwanted hiss because of gain.

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