Sennheiser Profile USB Microphone for Zoom and Teams calls, podcasts, live streams
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- In this week’s episode we have a look at and listen to Sennheiser’s Profile USB microphone. This cardioid condenser mic is made for easily capturing quality stream and podcast audio via a simple USB-C connection. This sleek USB mic is ready to stream and record right out of the box. In this video we test out the Profile’s sound quality, walk through its feature set, and determine the workflows in which it might be most useful. Let’s take a closer look!
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. school.learnlightandsound.com
Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com ko-fi.com/curtisjudd
Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:
- Sennheiser Profile USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon geni.us/sIAKTg
- RODE NT USB Mini Microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon geni.us/4bjFJ9d
- RODE NT USB Microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon geni.us/U2FA
- SHURE MV7 Podcast Microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon geni.us/bTlN3S
- RODE NT1 5th Generation Microphone - B&H, Sweetwater geni.us/WR4dk
- Amaran 200x S LED light - B&H, Amazon, Aputure geni.us/y6ym5V
- Aputure Light Dome II soft box - Aputure, B&H, Amazon geni.us/AuMKRr
- Aputure Spotlight Mount - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon geni.us/kfAj
- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender - B&H geni.us/GWKt
- Canon C70 Cinema Camera - B&H geni.us/ABYB
- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon geni.us/InspOl
- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens - B&H, Amazon geni.us/gr47
The intro and 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: geni.us/G7by
Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd
#Sennheiser #ProfileUSB #USBMic #Microphone
Index
00:00 Summary and my take
00:10 Introduction
00:33 Raw samples vs RODE NT USB Mini, RODE NT USB, SHURE MV7, RODE NT1 5th Gen
01:18 Directionality, polar pattern, and off-axis coloration
01:55 Positioning and proximity effect
03:32 Sibilance
04:09 Plosives
04:45 Stand bumps and boom arm
05:26 Keyboard and typing sample
05:56 Overall performance
07:20 Practical noise floor measurement
08:15 Cons
08:17 No built-in processing
09:19 Sibilance
09:37 My recommendation
10:00 Buy the streaming kit with boom arm
11:52 Please buy my courses
I don't think anyone else makes reviews with that many practical considerations and clean, thorough, methodical and perfectly organized samples... Awesome! You are a living reference obviously and top authority on mics on this platform. And I'm proud I've been following you for many years now. The video illustrations with presumably your family members are a great refreshment. That you've only got 15k views so far here is another indication that videographers still neglect the audio part.
This review was incredibly comprehensive without being overwhelming, thank you so much for this!
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Great review, I've been waiting for your review of this mic since it's announcement. Thanks for all that you do!
Thanks! 🙏
Curtis, you read my mind because I was looking for info about this mic.
Fantastic review as always.
Thanks 👍
Thanks for the in-depth review Curtis. It helped me make my decision to purchase this microphone set. I've been enjoying it ever since. I only use it for online meetings but have been complimented on the quality of the sound.
👍🎙️
Thanks Curtis! We were looking to add a new mic to our podcast! 😎
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Thank you Curtis! This review answered all of my questions about this mic and then some. Appreciated!
Edit:
I ended up purchasing this mic and my decision was heavily influenced by your review. My experience with it is the same as described in this video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge / experience and for your honesty!
👍
Useful, practical review thanks.
I use mine for YT video voiceovers and find it's just very simple to use. The USB means I can record directly onto my video and the factory settings require negligible post processing to make my voice sound good. A real time-saver and it looks nice too!
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Excellent review! I wanted to recommend this mic to a friend but I had nothing to go on. Now I do. Thx.
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Thank you so much for comparing it with other microphones!!!!!
Of course. 👍🎙
Thnx for the review Curtis! Love Sennheiser (MK4 and E935 owner). I would love a review of the Yamaha AG01 someday if possible.
Thanks Audio Boris 🙏 I'd love to check out the AG01 as well.
+1 for short summary at the beginning.
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Excellent review, as always. I like and have lots of Sennheiser mics, that said I have the Earthworks Icon (USB) and it does the job for me when I need a USB Mic. That said I may get one for someone else.
Thanks, Matt. Yes, would be tough to beat the Icon. 🎙
Thank you!
Welcome!
Hi Curtis! I really appreaciate all of your videos and reviews. I've learned so much from your wisdom and just want to thank you for what you do. Did you see the new Sennheiser EW-DP ME 2 SET revealed at NAB 2023? If you find time in your busy schedule I think many people could benefit from your thoughts on this new product especially compared to the Sennheiser G4 or the Sony UWP-D sytems. Thanks again!
Thanks so much, Cody. And here's my review of the EW-DP - czcams.com/video/fE7Nbc8Uz9A/video.html
Curtis, I really love how you do these reviews. For anyone asking which mike I would recommend I would direct them to your videos. The comment about outerwear had me shaking my head. Really?
Thanks, Ken. 🙏
Thank you very much for this calm review. From the very first microphone comparison, it is evident that the Senn USB Profile has the most sssssssssssss noise of all compared USB microphones. Even much worse than NT-USB mini. You have beautifully ranked them from the worst (Profile) to the best (MV7 and NT-1 5th gen) with a really small level of ssssssssssssssss. I love both of my MKH416s, but the USB Profile microphone really didn't work out for Sennheiser.
You are welcome. 👍
The rode nt usb mini sounds very good to my ears from my mobile, a scenario most likely i imagine, I'll have to try my audio-techica BT M50x set for a better comparison though.
Very similar sound *if you position them both about 10 cm from the mouth. And that’s the trick with the RØDE, you need a taller stand.
I hope they make a dynamic version of it.
That'd be neat.
Thanks for this review. Can you make one for the Sennheiser MKE440? There is no noise floor specification for this mike, and I wonder how it compares to the MKE600, which is similarly priced. Thanks again!
Hi Gabriel, the MKE 440 is a very different microphone than the MKE 600 - it is a stereo microphone, probably best suited for capturing ambience or music, or sound effects vs. voice.
Great review! If I want to put mic out of frame and also get good audio result, does boom mic works best in this scenario? Thank you
Thanks! Probably, yes.
Thanks so much for the video.
I have been looking for a mic that I should get for my setup.
I was committed to the Samson Q9U, thinking I would grow with it, and the XLR would be a good thing if I did. However, I play to podcast and am not planning to do anything else.
If I really need to do anything else, I will get another mic, but in the 5 or so years I have been working with things, I have mainly used a USB mic. I am thinking about the interface that I might get, but I have absolutely no need for an interface at this time. Nothing whatsoever.
This mic fits the bill for me completely, and your video helped me make the decision.
Additionally, it is cheaper than every mic I compared it to, and the sound is just what I need. It also has more physical controls than any of the mics that are in its price range.
I just can't find a con that makes it a no deal vs a USB/XLR mic.
I am not learning an instrument and am not planning to get into audio. I just need a podcasting mic.
I want to have it with my PC and be able to have it work with that and possibly a tablet and maybe my phone.
This mic does what I need and much more.
Thanks for the video.
Saved me some money and helped me feel good about meeting the needs that I have and not creating needs that I don't.
Not saying I will never need an XLR mic, but I do not have any of the needs that spending on one would have.
The killer feature that made me want to get this over the Samson Q9U is the noise rejection.
I am a fairly energetic speaker on a podcast and sometimes touch the mic. My podcast partner, who has been doing some of the editing, mentioned that he had to take out some of that noise because I was touching the mic.
Given I have to change mics - it makes sense to get one with great touch rejection.
The Q9U does not have that. It is very good for not taking on noises from around the room, but it is not good for rejecting noises to do with touching the microphone.
Thanks again.
Now you know my whole situation - if you have any further thoughts - please let me know - in the meantime, both are on the way, and I am leaning very hard towards keeping the Sennheiser and sending the Samson back. (Saving me at least 50%).
If you have any other thoughts, I would love to get them.
Thanks again.
I’d go with the Sennheiser. If you find you don’t like it, make sure to buy it from a retailer that will take returns. But for your situation, I think you’ll like it.
Thanks for another excellent review Curtis! I agree that this mic does sound great for a USB and has a lot of physical benefits that make it well suited for Zoom calls.
At the same time I would be hesitant to recommend it to coworkers for Zoom because it is a condenser. My experience is that usb dynamic mics are a better general purpose recommendation for most people doing Zoom because they do a better job at rejecting room reflections and minimizing background noise.
What are your thoughts on condensers vs dynamics specifically for Zoom calls?
I'm finding more and more that position of the mouth to the mic seems more important than dynamic vs. condenser.
Great question and answer.
Hello Curtis. Thank you for your video! It's very helpful. I'm deciding to either get this mic or the Rode podmic USB. What would you recommend?
Probably the Podmic if you have an audio interface?
Thank you Curtis! That’s a great help.
Great video review. I wonder if you can do video review about Rode NT-USB+ especially on its recommended distance between the speaker and the microphone. I want to buy USB microphone for zoom calls, Microsoft Teams video conferencing but I do not want any part of microphone is captured during video conferencing. Thanks.
Do you mean you do not want the microphone to be seen on camera? And what distance do they recommend? Microphone distance is critical regardless of microphone.
Thanks for the review. Do these new USBC mics (Rode, Shure, Sennhiesee) work directly on mobile phones via USBC?
If the phone can supply enough power, but generally, no. (because they cannot supply enough power).
Thanks for your review Curtis !
I hesitate a lot between the senheiser profile and the rode usb mini (rode nt-usb + and Shure Mv7 to expensive).
What do you recommend for amateur voiceover in a standard, unprocessed room. I would like a rendering with a slightly deep voice. And I don't intend to invest in a pole.
Besides, can you hold this kind of microphone in your hand for short recordings ?
Not made for hand held recordings but I guess you could if you’re very careful. For bass response and to optimize for an acoustically untreated room, you want to work up close on the mic at a 45 degree angle to your mouth. I’d go with the Sennheiser.
@@curtisjudd Thank you for your reply !
I was going to take the Rode mini for the rode connect app and the features that go with it like noise reduction, compressor, equalizer etc...
You don't think that makes a difference for my use ? (The price is the same in France between the rode mini, Senheiser and Samson Q2u at a few euros.) Thanks again !
@@francoisguillon4766 Sure, go for it. I just found that the Sennheiser worked better in regard to plosives when working up close to get that bassy sound.
Hi, Curtis! Excellent review! I have a question that (oddly) ties in with this subject: what is your take on the AI boom (!!!!!!), that has risen lately and that grows like a monster? At some point, maybe sooner not later, it will be able to emulate sound characteristics, clean up noises etc... etc... so that ALL these devices with their plusses and minuses start to lose their ground. Personally, it freaks the hell out of me. Have you any thoughts about this possible situation?
RTX Noise Removal uses AI to clean up echo and room noise in realtime, so it's already a reality.
That's "near" realtime, but it does work well if you work very close to the microphone.
I think they shouldn't use the term AI when they're not creating universal artificial intelligence, but nowadays, all the marketing people have embraced that term and throw it around. I find that neural network and machine learning technologies can solve practical problems. And where it solves practical problems, I appreciate that. When things like Adobe Podcast start re-synthesizing voices, that's where ethics and morals and laws enter consideration and I do think we'll need to address all the questions these raise. If someone creates an audio recording with "AI" voice synthesis and that recording says incriminating things that aren't true, we have a problem. As humans, we need to figure out how to manage these issues.
Many people argue that dynamic mics pickup less room noise. Is that just because they are less sensitive than condenser ones? Or if you amplify them similar do they behave similar in this respect? A dialed down condenser with similar pickup pattern spoken in close distance must be equally? Or do i understand it not right?
I think you're right - it has more to do with distance to the mic and we generally work closer to dynamic microphones so we get a better signal to noise ratio and thus pickup less room sound.
maybe i missed it but did you talk about if this has a delay when you have the headphones plugged it?
You can use the blend/mix knob to hear yourself with 0 latency.
Which do you say is best for travelling? Boom arm or table stand?
Most would choose the desk stand because it is smaller and lighter but for the best sound, you’ll want to get the mic within 3 inches of your mouth.
You mentioned this mic is not great if you want to keep the mic out of frame. What mics should I consider for a mic out of frame and further from my voice? This is for Zoom calls primarily. Looking for richer voice sound than my airpods.
You might consider one of these: czcams.com/video/KVaKstb35LQ/video.htmlfeature=shared
I always used a jabra conference speaker for zoom/teams calls because my lenovo notebook mics didn’t work nice. Now on my M1 macbook pro internal mics are as well as the camera. How do those internal M1 mics compare to cheaper usb mics? Still day and night difference or comparable?
It depends more on proximity to the microphone than anything else. This mic, when used at 10cm generally sounds better than the M1 MacBook mic at traditional working distance.
Hey Curtis I noticed this mic has a lot of background noise/hiss in this video. I ordered one myself and confirmed this experience first-hand. It's sometimes distracting during WFH calls.
Is there anything you can do to address this (and I don't mean in post-processing, but in real-time)? Thanks
You could use a noise reduction app like Krisp.
If I'm using this microphone for recording commentary/voice over videos, would you say this microphone is worth it?
Yes
In your opinion, which sounds better, the profile, or the Shure MV7 in USB mode?
Depends on the voice of the person using it. The Profile is a bit crisper.
Is this microphone any good for recording an instrument? It would not be the primary use case but wondering.
I haven’t recorded any instruments with it, but it seems balanced enough that it would be ok for that.
Thanks for the audio recording from microphones! Does Sennheiser profile usb works well with zoom and teams in windows? Does it needs any additional codec support to work well with zoom or teams? Asking this because I already got into codec issues with samsung galaxy buds 2 pro. It wont work well with windows
Not sure about Windows. Maybe a Windows user here can answer.
@@curtisjudd I have used sennheiser profile microphone usb for zoom calls in windows. Listener at other end said my voice was clear. I checked more than once. It was clear. Mic gain should be more than 75% for zoom to pickup voice fairly. I tried test call with teams and it is good. Once gain is set to max, mic can pick voice even from a 20cm distance fairly.
@@gladsonmanuel8064 Glad to hear and thanks for sharing!
Hmmm...I actually don't like the sound of this mic. But this does give a lot of information about the microphone. It sounds like a standard USB mic to me. But Ifeel like the Samson Q2U, the Videomic Go 2, Deity V-Mic D4 would sound more full compared to this.
Always trust YOUR ears. 👍
can I use it with other boom arms??? what type of screw it suports
It has a 5/8” and 3/8” adapter.
The distances test without increasing the level does not make much sense to compare 😞
For the comparisons to the other mics it would have been great to have the Sennheiser in between each "other" sample.
Thanks for the feedback.
how do u compare this to the razer V2 seiren x mic?
Haven’t tried it so I’m not sure
Tried to purchase your mix pre course on the website but it isn't going through for some reason. When i click buy now, nothing happens
Hi Mr Stewart. Happy to help. Would you please email me at the address in the about tab on my channel here?
Could I connect this mic directly to my FX30 camera?
No, USB to computer only.
will it work with other boom arms?
Yes
I’m only worried at the usb c connection as I’m trying to remember if I had a ubs c in the laptop or a free usb c port on a usb dock that I use to plug in multiple devices including my screen…. Mmmmmmmm
Definitely check first. 👍
Love your channel
🙏
I'm torn between rode nt usb mini and this one, which one in your opinion is better ?
If you like a boxy sound, get the mini.
If you go with the NT USB Mini, I'd also plan to buy a stand which can position the microphone closer to your mouth. The stand it ships with is cute, but not very useful.
Is it just me or so there a lot of distortion around 4:46, where Curtis said “microphones are sensitive.”?
You are not mistaken 👍 With most mics and my voice, there's always a good bit of asymmetry and that's no exception with the Profile. When we normalized to -23 LUFS, it looks like we may have gotten really close to 0dB or even up against the limiter.
I think this mic sounds fantastic and looks beautiful - an easy sell to someone who wants to sound good and stay visually low key. Thank you for the review. I also noticed what sounded like clipping on a few occasions in the video.
@@Chris-Paris indeed!
Is it better than rode nt mini?
To my ear, yes. But the NT Mini has processing.
Thanks :) Why do you normalize to 23 LUFS, I thought youtube was recommanding 14 LUFS ?
I do that so that you can hear how this sounds WITHOUT any processing.
Most audio that is boosted to -14 LUFS has to be compressed fairly heavily. When watching a microphone review with audio samples that have been compressed or otherwise processed, you don’t get a good sense for how the mic actually sounds on its own.
CZcams chose their max loudness target of -14 LUFS in the context of popular music playback. For videos that are mainly spoken word, I prefer to target -16 or -17 LUFS which is easier to listen to for longer periods. (Assuming the content isn’t an audio product review in which case I don’t want it processed at all)
@@curtisjudd ah thanks I was struggling on the 14 LUFS things kinda destroying my spoken recording.
Thanks !
how to connect this with micro usb laptop? please help
Need an adapter cable.
This or rode nt-usb+? And why?
Haven’t used the NT-USB+ but if it sounds like the original, it is a very bright sounding mic. Some people like that, but I prefer something a little more balanced.
@@curtisjudd What means bright? For example what?
@@f2lo2 It means that it is more sensitive at or emphasizes high frequencies. So, for example, when someone says a word with the letter S or C in it, it can sound a little sizzly and perhaps harsh. It can also mean that things sound especially "crisp" though sometimes that can sound harsh as well.
@@curtisjudd For me it rather boost bass...
Why do you guys always wear outerwear inside?
Because it is really cold where we live and we run the heater at 64 degrees F so that we can afford the heating bill. ❄️🏔️
Why does his clothing choice bother you?
Is it better than rode nt mini?
Sounds better out of the box to me, but the NT Mini has processing that the Profile doesn’t.