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MKH 50 for indoor and outdoor ?
  • flashflash

    What’s the con to use MKH50 outdoor comparing to MKH 416 P48 ?

  • 5 Replies sorted by
  • DrDaveDrDave

    The MKH40 is the best. If you need a narrower pattern go with the Schoeps 41.

  • IronFilmIronFilm

    Nothing?

    BUT.... usually it is noisier outdoors than indoors, and cameramen tend to also go for wider shoots outdoors as well.

    And you'll be wishing soon you're using a shotgun instead.

    But if you can always keep within 6 inches outdoors, then for sure, you could only use the MKH50 instead.

    (just remember to get proper wind protection for it)

    If you're wanting simply the smallest/lightest mic you can swing outdoors with still good rejection, then get yourself a Sanken CSM1.

    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1404643-REG/sanken_cs_m1_super_cardioid_short.html

    The Sanken CS-M1 was the hottest new product in the professional shotgun category for 2018/2019. Lots of buzz generated by it, am seriously considering getting one myself this year if the year goes well.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    I prefer the sound of the Schoeps to the Sanken--actually, I prefer the MKH41 to almost any mic. If I don't need the reach, the MKH40 is warmer, but you really can't go far wrong with the 41. But sometimes you really need a shotgun, of course.
    I will say that I see a lot of 41s in all sorts of places, but that doesn't mean it's great, it's just used a lot. But there could be a reason it is used a lot. It has surprising good reach for a supercardioid. It really depends on what you are recording and what you want the final sound to be. Most of the stuff I see is kind of dry and scrapey sounding, but that is a sort of standard, some clients expect that. For almost any kind of music the 41 is superb. For interviews I tend to prefer a fatter sound, but if ambient noise is an issue, that's the overriding factor. I've also regretted using the 40 instead of the 41 a few times, it is a bit more tricky to place.

  • flashflash

    A professional say to me that mkh 416 is better indoor than mkh 50 because it can reject more reverb. But I read the opposite everywhere. I don’t have mkh50 so I can’t verify. . I will record à dialogue with my mkh416 indoor and will try to remove reverb in postproduction (never tried) before buying something.

    Finally, If possible, I would like to use MKH416 indoor and outdoor.

  • DrDaveDrDave

    Rejection of ambient sound depends quite a bit on the the nature and direction of the sound. A hypercardioid or supercardioid can have a longer reach if the back of the capsule faces away from any sound, like in a big space, you can point the back up in the air. In a small studio that also works if you point it at the soundproofing. There's a million things that affect what the mic picks up, rumble hissing, etc, they all have different characteristics. Best thing is always to try first. I don't see a lot of 50s in the field, but that doesn't mean it is or isn't the right mic for you. Theoretically, the 416 should reach farther than the 50, but I still prefer the Schoeps MK41 to either.

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