Dynamic Mics - Shure SM58, Sennheiser MD46, RODE Reporter Microphone Examples

I have Md46 in 2023 it’s the best among them crunchy in taking any voiceover interviews or studio or podcasts or any music equipment. The best you can get in this is Md46.

I worked with plenty of reporters from the US, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, France, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Finland, several Middle East countries etc. 

I never worked with a reporter, even the worst of them, who didn't know where to point the microphone to during an interview so this idea from Rode of creating a Reporter mic which is omnidirectional because the reporter wouldn't know or would forget where to point the mic to is just theoretical with no application in real life .  

A news interview where there is a reporter and an interviewee is not a debate. The reporter asks questions and the interviewee answers them. Cardioid mics are far better than omnidirectional mics for the job.

One example. I am working with a reporter who is covering a demonstration. People are shouting, singing , there is a lot of noise. We go for Vox pops so tell me, which mic would you use: The Rode "reporter" or the Shure 58, which isolates the voice of the person from the background noise better than the Rode?  

We are among a crowd of reporters , cameramen etc surrounding a Member of the Parliament. The reporter gets his/her chance to ask a question. So what mic would be better: Shure, which will isolate the voice of the politician what is the most important thing in the interview, or the Rode "Reporter" ?

I like the Rode reporter and used it many times but. not because it's omnidirectional. 

As for shotguns, any news cameramen will have at some point in his/her career used the camera shotgun as a back up when the handheld mic failed and there is no time to check things as the interviewee is VIP and very busy. 

Or say you have a live in 30 seconds. The handheld fails all of a sudden? What do you do ? Cry? 

No, you take the shotgun (in my case I have a Rode and a Neumann) from the camera and hand it to the reporter, using the longer cable you had with the handheld. Or plug the shotgun to the XLR wireless transmitter if you were using one. You can do that in 30 seconds.

If you are looking for a real reporter mic then get the Sennheiser MD46 Microphone.

One of the best microphone videos I've ever seen. Maybe number one. Thank you.

Would you use these type of directional mics (such as the Sennheiser) over a close-proximity lapel mic for a home office function, where the KB and mouse click noises need to be minimized?

Great video!!!! respect!

Very useful knowledge👍👍

If you had commentators in a loud arena, what mic would you use for commentary purposes?

good review, clear explanation of the pros & cons of each microphone. thanks!

Merci beaucoup pour les tests !

Sennheiser all the way. I don't need an interview mic that pics up room noise. Mind you the Sure SM 58 probably would be better than the Rode for room noise.

Which RODE shotgun mic are you using in this video??

Yes, I'm still waiting to get my Rode Reporter wireless transmitter. After B&H announced it was being bumped from "mid-June" , then "mid-August" and today I see it has been bumped to November. Ouch. I'm going to return the Rode Reporter mic because I can't use it without the transmitter for our purposes. That way I won't be burning through a warrantee for the Reporter mic sitting in my desk drawer. Moreover, B&H shows they will give the first preference to buyers of the RODELink Newsshooter Kit Digital Wireless System for $200 more, ignoring other good customers who have already purchased the Filmmaker kit. Very disappointed.

Are all of these wireless microphones? You didn't mention which ones may be wired and which are wireless. If the Rode Reporter is a wireless, does it come with the receiver or can I use the RodeLink Moviemaker receiver to plug into my Canon HFG-30?

Very well done video, sharing the video with our A/V team volunteers. Thank you!

are you conect to video camera or connect to your computer

Hey, great video :) Really helpful. Did you use any kind of pre-amp or external recorder on the rode mic? I find that it's very quiet. I'm using it with my 7D Mark II and an XLR/3.5mm jack cable, but I'm thinking of getting something like the Zoom H4. What do you reckon?

Very nice comparison...good work.

Great video!

Чудесный обзор :) Спасибо !

Hi. Thank you for the review. Very informative and you seem to know a lot. I want to do interviews in crowded environment such as crowd coming out of gigs or football matches, where there are people everywhere. I am working alone with a dslr on a stabiliser to which I am thinking to attached the mic, and was wondering if this Rode Reporter would be appropriate if (as mentioned) placed at equal distance between me and the interviewe without picking up too much background sound that we can hear both of us clearly. If so what in your experience would be the max distance between the mic and a person for good sound in this environment. Sorry for the long question, but can't find any example. It might not be the right mic for that situation? Thank you for sharing your knowledge

Very Informative! Thanks man!

Great comprasion.

i just need a basic microphone for interviews in the streets. Can anyone help? 

Great review - helped my research. As an outdoor videographer I want a lightweight dynamic hand held  mic  setup specifically for high wind situations so now have a better understanding of capability. Although I don't usually like omni directional mics , the Rode reporter might have the edge.

Hey DveStore, Inc. I'm going to be interviewing in arenas with occasional loud music. Which microphone would you recommend in this situation?

Great insight, thanks!

In your interview example in the parking lot, the mikrophone has an wireless thing in the  end. Where can I get that? I suppose its got some kind of a reciever in the camera?

RODE Reporter all the way in!

thank you for the information very useful.

Really loved the comparison and thanks for taking into consideration that many of us may be getting audio from outdoor or very windy areas. I'm eyeballing the Rode Reporter, but REALLY like the sound from that Sennheiser MD 46

Really loved the comparison and thanks for taking into consideration that many of us may be getting audio from outdoor or very windy areas. I'm eyeballing the Rode Reporter, but REALLY like the sound from that Sennheiser MD 46

Cool, thanks a lot! HQ video ;)

Any input on how to reduce handling noise of the Rode Reporter and similar handheld mics? Maybe I'm missing something by why aren't they just built with a rubber middle shockmount to remove hand induced vibrations at the handle from the microphone?

Thanks! The most popular microphone at the DVeStore is the RODE VideoMic. This mic would be considered a great entry level mic coming in at a price point of $169. This is for the version with the new Rycote shock mount. You can place it on the camera, on a boom pole or on a stand. The idea is to get the mic close to the action. We have these ready and in stock if you would like to try one out, just let me know. Great Kung Fu NW discount for you too! :)

**with the Kung Fu Northwest crew. I'm revamping our Staff page for the website and it would be great if we could put together an action reel as well.

In the NAB 2013 Oliviatech videos the wireless plug on transmitter is by Sennheiser, however, the handheld microphone is indeed the RODE Reporter. The sound is quite good, you'll want to listen carefully with some closed back headphones or studio monitors to see if this is the type of sound that you're looking for, note how the pattern is wide enough to pick up and 2' in some instances and also note the angle. By putting the mic closer and raising input levels, you can eliminate more BG noise.

Thanks for the response, but it looks like Olivia is using the Sennheiser, not the Rode?

I'd go with the RODE Reporter. Take a look at Olivia's coverage ( user/OliviaTechVideos ) of the NAB convention - great sound and minimal background noise. The SM58 or any other dynamic would have to be too close, so unless the person can remember to talk right on top of it, it will be would produce subpar results. Best of luck, Comic Con sounds like a fun gig!

What if you're in a noisy convention floor like Comic Con? I want to hear only the person I'm interviewing and not thousands of conventioneers, air conditioners, etc. Am I better off with the Sennheiser or the Rode?

Thanks for getting back to me. Mostly, I'm recording people talking. Especially if say I'm volunteering to DJ at an the event, I would want to record myself making the announcements. As well as anyone else who might say something. I'm not looking for a handheld mic, but one of those tiny stereo microphones I can plug directly into the 3.5 microphone jack of the recorder.

Thanks for your question. What types of sound sources are you recording? Each mic will have a different pickup pattern, and physical attributes which may or may not work well for your style. Are you looking for a handheld mic like these above? If so, the Olympus DM 420 has a 3.5mm input. Most handhelds have XLR output. You may also need to power the mic with a battery. On the high end maybe take a look at the 9V powered RODE NT3 and add a XLR to 3.5mm cable. On the low end search Audio Technica

Hi there. Thank you for your review. It was very helpful. I have been trying to find a Stereo microphone that I can use for my Olympus DM 420 that will have great sound quality. I tried two Stereo microphones from Olympus. But none of them sounded that great, in my opinion. And I'm looking for a microphone that is lightweight and not too bulky to bring around with me. The recorder has a 3.5 microphone jack. Which microphone would you recommend I look into? Thanks.

great tutorial, very thorough and informative. love the vocal demos and simulations.

Thanks for the review. Very informative. Great job on the presentation. I have my eyes on the Rode.

Ha! Thanks, Guy! Likewise.

Hey Mark! Thanks for making a guest appearance! I added your name and channel in the credits I hope it helps make ya famous :) If you need any help on anything, let me know!

Very helpful video, Guy. Going to have to update my IMDb page. ;)

That's a tough budget for high quality audio. If you perform a search for Dan Brockett's article "As I Hear It - Choosing the Right Microphone" you'll hear that for under $200 that the Audio Technica AT875r does a good job. But you still need a boom pole, shock mount, mixer and recorder. Try asking on dvinfo or dvxuser - there are a lot of folks that can help. Most pro level soundies are allocating $10k for a decent system - see the threads on jwsoundgroup