Found this link on another forum:

http://www.coreyburton.com/sennheiser.htm

Wow! Just adds to the ongoing perplexities of rounding out one's audio gear. I have a Senn ME66 for my DVX100, and it's perfectly fine at this point, but the more I read this forum the more I wonder about having a selection of 2-3 microphones that more abley suits various situations. The Senn 416 seems highly regarded--by most, with the above exception. The Audio-Technicas look like very decent alternatives too.

So far as the pan on the 416 "Holy misapplication soundman" That's kinda a waste of editorial space if you ask me.

Barry wrote
"but the more I read this forum the more I wonder about having a selection of 2-3 microphones that more abely suits various situations"

Very well put Barry, I've been trying to get an answer to the same question. I'm all ears.

Its .html this is the correct url path: World's Most Tastless Mic (http://www.coreyburton.com/sennheiser.html)

What I've tried to do is get a reasonably decent sample of many types of microphones rather than many versions of the same type. There just aren't any universal microphones out there and I was being limited by only having a shotgun and a hand-held microphone.

I know there are better microphones out there for every type I have. But since my shooting ranges from shooting range to sound booth, I have to spread my limited budget around. These work acceptably well for my client base.

Here's what I keep in the inventory:

Shure Beta58 - good for vocals and noisy environments. Good to put in front of a loudspeaker if I cannot get a house feed. Also good to use when there is a lot of environmental noise.

Shure SM81C - Good for vocals, works well on musical instruments like cymbals and in very noisy environments like gunshots and IC engine noises and exhaust sounds.

Audio Technica 835B shotgun - Works OK, especially in noisy outdoor environments where I do a lot of work. I don't like it for voice-over work though.

Audio Technica 4033SE studio microphone - Works much better for voice and acoustic guitar recordings than anything else in my stable but it requires a lot of care in the application.

Shure SM11 dynamic lav. Big as your thumb but it gets a great voice sound even when someone is running a lawnmower close by. Rugged too.

Me-2 lav for the Sennheiser Evolution wireless setup. Works OK for wedding vows and speeches.

Sub-$!00 Sony stereo microphone (so old they don't sell it anymore) that has worked very well for recording a string quartet at a wedding. They though the recording sounded better than the studio recording they had done. Must have been a bad recording job but this did sound fairly good (outdoors and well-shielded from the wind).

Sony ECM-T145 lav for use with the Sony minidisk recorder. Good for voice during weddings. Not much overpressure capability but good as a backup for catching vows.

Sony ECM-44B. OK lav but not very rugged (easy to break the cable) which is why I have 2 of them. I know how to fix them and for most people, once they break, they are throw-away items as Sony will not repair them.

The nameless microphone that came with my DSR-300. One of my favorite micorphones. It's a short shotgun that can take overpressure with the best of them. Sounds fairly good too.

Sony ECM-NV1 electret. Came with the PD150 which is why I have it. I don't use it much if I can help it.

Sennheiser Evolution 100 hand-held micrphone with the omni capsule. Works as my second choice for vocals as I prefer the Shure Beta58 with the plug-on transmitter. Still it is nicer looking than the Beta and plug-on combo.

Radio Shack boundary effect microphones (2). Don't laugh, these are the electret units with the balanced output (although they are terminated in a 1/4" jack as they come from the factory) and they work very nicely for recording sound on a stage or for conference table work.

These microphones are supported by a number of stands, booms, and boom poles. The mounts range from those supplied with the microphones to a few AT 8410 shock mounts to a Light Wave Systems SuperMount for the shotgun and SM81C.

I use the Light Wave Systems mini-screens on the shotguns, both the AT835 and the Sony short shotguns. These work as well as the full blimp except when the wind gets strong enough to make the microphone cable sing.

Shure mixers round out the, well, mix. A pair of 267's give me 4 stereo channels or 8 mono channels and they can be electrically (signal) stacked and wall-powered or battery powered. A Shure 32 field mixer is used when I need a hang it around-the-neck capability.

Not a great collection but they all work, as a friend of mine says, "for a town this size."

What would I add to the inventory next? Probably another of those short Sony shotguns if I can find one at a reasonable price.

Thanks for the overview.

Anyone else who has their own "Multi-Situational Guide to Microphones" certainly has a keen audience here. :)