Our sound and lighting courses can be found at https://school.learnlightandsound.com!

In this episode I rank my favorite shotgun microphones in different price categories - under $300, $300 - $500, $500 - $1000, and $1000+. This is based on my experience and is totally SUBJECTIVE. Let’s talk it through!

Here’s a table with all of the microphones ranked and my notes.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. See our school website for more info!

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Gear used or mentioned in this episode (the links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases):

DPA 4017b
Sennheiser MKH416
DPA 2017
RODE NTG3
Azden SGM 3500L
RODE NTG5
DEITY S-Mic 2
Sennheiser MKE 600
Rycote HC 15
DEITY S-Mic 2S
Azden SGM250H
Sony ECM-674
Azden SGM 3500
RODE NTG4+
Audio Technica AT 875R
RODE NTG2
MOVO X3 II
Godox VDS M3

The outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2025, Curtis Judd