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Sennheiser MK 4 Review For the young audio engineer looking for their first condenser microphone the words “Affordable” and “High Quality” don’t really seem to correlate, but the Sennheiser MK 4 is a great answer to this problem. The MK 4 is a single-pattern cardioid electret condenser microphone requiring 48V phantom power. It contains a one-inch gold-plated capsule that is internally shock mounted to reduce handling noise. The MK 4 has a frequency response of 20 Hz-20 kHz-frequency response with a relatively flat curve. It has a slight roll off below 110Hz, a slight boost at around 1.7khz and a shelf at about three dB 4khz-10khz. Maximum SPL for the MK 4 is 140 dB, with a dynamic range of 130. The MK 4 is priced at $299.95 MSRP and includes a MZQ 4 microphone clip, mic pouch, and a MKW 4 windshield that attenuates wind noise by approximately 10 dB. Intended uses for the MK 4 are speech/vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar amps, grand piano, strings, wind instruments, drums and percussion making it incredibly versatile. To start the project, I set the MK 4 in front of a Fender Rumble 500 bass amp. I first patched a Korg drum machine and then a Korg synthesizer through the amp and recorded tracks. To my surprise it captures both sounds so accurately that they sounded like I was standing in front of the amp. The MK 4 also preformed well when recording different types of vocals such as gang vocals, harsh dynamic screaming, and quiet vocals both male/female. The MK 4 captured all vocals with complete clarity and accuracy with good presence, and a limited sibilance. The MK 4 did have a noticeable proximity where the vocals would thin out if you were more than a few inches away from the mic, but to achieve the best sound you don’t have to be right on top of it either. One thing that does need to be mentioned is that, because the MK4 is a condenser microphone it tends to be more sensitive to high frequencies dynamics. The Sennheiser MK 4 is a perfect solution for the beginner engineer looking for a great quality condenser microphone that can be used for all possible studio applications that is still incredibly affordable. Sennheiser MK 4 Specifications: Frequency response: 20 Hz-20kHz Capsule: Condenser Maximum SPL: 140 dB Power: 48 VDC

Summary: For the price, can't be beat in terms of sound quality and build. The "too small" case and poor build quality of the bracket by no means match the high quality of the microphone.