Shotgun microphones

This is a very high quality shotgun mic made by Sennheiser. It is a tube mic, and it is very thin, so it is a pretty fragile mic. It has a lot of outdoor applications, so I won't recommend you keep it inside but you'll definitely want to be careful with this one. This mic is manufactured in a specific way to make the pickup pattern extremely directional. This means that whatever this mic is pointed at is going to come through very clear, even at fairly long distances, and not much else is going to get in to the signal. It is a very sensitive mic, so it will pick up very tiny details in your sound field. It does come with a windscreen if you take this outside. Going outside with this mic when there is any wind will be a disaster without the screen. You will get a constant rumbling and whooshing sound that you won't be able to EQ out. This mic is definitely meant for sound for film, and other documentary type uses. It is not a terribly musical mic, but it is very sensitive and therefore useful for sound for film purposes. Your sources will sound very realistic through this mic. The windscreen they provide you is actually not so great, I would recommend picking up a different one. One of the larger, fluffy windscreens will serve you better than the somewhat puny one that is provided. OVERALL OPINION I used to use these when I did more sound for film and TV. These are great when you want to mic up something that you can't get very close to due to filming constraints and when a lavalier mic won't cut it or is also impossible. This is definitely one of the best shotgun mics out there in my opinion. Sound through this mic is very clear, and it works very well for speech in open or noisy environments. It is a little expensive, but hopefully your film production company is picking up the tab on this mic. I wouldn't recommend it for music. If I were running a film sound department, I'd definitely stock up one of these.

The Rode NTG1 is a shotgun microphone with a hyper cardiod pattern. Meaning that it captures a more narrow direct field of sound. I want to say view, but this isn't a lens although the same analogy applies. This mic can be used a number of different applications Field Recording Foley Recording Voice Overs Dialog for Film Sound Fx Recording I use it for field recording and and capturing my own sound fx. It's a very versatile microphone. OVERALL OPINION What I like Least: I'd have to say the fact that it doesn't reject noise as well as the NTG3, but that's just me being greedy. We're talking about a 200 vs 500-600 dollar mic that use 2 different technologies. There aren't many features on it, just 1 low cut... no pads Value Vs Price: I feel that for the money you get a great microphone and some good accessories not to mention a very lengthy warranty. Rode always takes care of their customers. The mic is built pretty nicely, it isn't too heavy, but it is durable. It fits very tight into the mic holder it comes with, a little hard to remove, but that's a good thing. Let's me know it's secure. Sound Quality: The NTG1's quality is really good,but we're talking about Rode here, when have they ever released a product that didn't sound good. Some people say it has a little oomph in the low end, I think it sounds really natural and again that's my opinion Other Shotgun Mics. I have tried a few other shotgun mics before deciding on the NTG1, most being cheaper AT mics. If I could start over shopping for a mic I would have gotten the NTG1 (my 1st was an AT) because it's quality right out of the box, it sounds good and the company really sticks behind their product. If you're looking good inexpensive microphone to use for field/foley work or even budget indie films, the ntg1 can't be beat.