Good afternoon everybody. New to the forum. Have been reading a lot about different types of mics for on location recording (documentary style). Have been using the Sennheiser MKE600 for about 5 years and figured it was time to step up the quality in out productions.

I ordered the MKH8060 and F8 recorder based on several reviews. I know the 8060 is supposed to be a lot better, and I definitely notice it recording indoors in a controlled sound stage. Most of our recording however is filmed outside (Humid, tropical weather). It seems the MKH picks up a lot more ambient noise.

Is this because the MKE was not as sensitive? Or maybe im doing something wrong? Im still learning all the best practices.Thank you for any feedback.

Jay

The 8060 is likely more sensitive, but it's worth remembering that shotgun mics are not like telephoto lenses: they don't magically make a distant source sound closer, they just help isolate it from its surrounding noise. If you're far from the sound source they will pick up ambient sounds in addition to whatever you're pointing the mic at. That long interference tube is for rejecting off-axis sound. The 8060 has a more natural, less colored off-axis rejection than the 416 (I'm not familiar with the MKE600). That's good, but it does mean you might pick up a little more ambience.

The closer you are to your sound source, the less ambient noise you should pick up; also note that if the ambient sounds are coming from behind your desired sound source (e.g.., a person standing in front of a beach with ocean waves coming in) you can try placing the mic below the person speaking and point it up toward their mouth rather than booming from above.

Thank you for the reply. I have been trying to keep the mic closer to the source. My boss tells me he doesn’t hear much improvement so far, but to me it’s noticeable. The MKE sounds tinny and far away compared. Will have to do more test to convince him I guess.