Recording microphone hire — condenser, stereo and shotgun
Not every microphone is for singing into. Recording a show, a choir or a voiceover calls for condenser microphones, and this page covers three that share the work: the Behringer B-1, a large-diaphragm studio condenser for close voice; the Rode NT4, a stereo microphone that captures a whole stage from one stand; and the Rode NTG2, a shotgun for camera and boom work. The B-1 and NTG2 hire at £5 per day and the NT4 at £7. Tell us what you are recording and we will tell you which to book.
Three microphones, three recording jobs. The Behringer B-1 is the one you speak or sing into from close range: a voiceover, a solo, a podcast. The Rode NT4 is the one you put on a tall stand and point at everything: a stage, a choir, a band room. The Rode NTG2 is the one that goes on a camera or a boom pole and picks out what it is pointed at. The right answer depends on what you are recording, so here is each in turn.
The B-1 is a large-diaphragm studio condenser with a cardioid pattern, which means it hears what is in front of it and much less of the room behind. A 1-inch gold-sputtered capsule and a transformerless FET stage give it the smooth, detailed sound you expect from a vocal booth. There is a -10 dB pad for loud sources and a low-cut switch to clear rumble and the boom you get from working close. It comes cased with a suspension shock mount and a windscreen. One thing to know: it runs on 48 volt phantom power only, so it needs a desk or an audio interface that supplies it. Almost all of them do — look for the button marked 48V or P48.
The NT4 records in stereo from a single body. Two matched half-inch cardioid capsules sit at exactly 90 degrees, so what happens left of centre comes out of the left speaker and what happens right comes out of the right, without you having to rig and match a pair of microphones yourself. Put it on a tall stand a few metres in front of a choir or above the front of a stage and it captures the whole picture, including where everyone is standing. It runs on 48 volt phantom power or a 9 V battery, and it comes with two leads: a twin XLR lead for a mixer or audio interface, and a 3.5 mm lead straight into a camera or portable recorder.
The NTG2 is a shotgun microphone: a super-cardioid line-gradient design that rejects sound from the sides and reaches for whatever it is aimed at. It is the standard tool for dialogue on camera — student films, promotional videos, interviews — and it works just as well on a boom pole held over the action. At 161 grams and 22 mm across it sits happily on a camera shoe mount. It runs on 48 volt phantom power or a single AA battery, and a switchable 80 Hz filter cuts traffic rumble and handling noise.
None of these are USB microphones. All three put out a balanced signal on XLR, so you need something with a microphone input to record into: an audio interface into a laptop, a portable recorder, a camera or a mixing desk. Phantom power is the 48 volts a desk or interface sends up the microphone lead; the B-1 must have it, and the two Rodes carry a battery for when it is not there. If you are not sure what your kit provides, tell us the make and model and we will check.
Each microphone hires by the day: the B-1 and NTG2 at £5 and the NT4 at £7. Dry hire or with a technician who will set up, check levels and hand you back a clean recording. Stands, boom poles, cables, interfaces and recorders can all be added to the same booking.
Two more tools round the page out. The Behringer ECM8000 is a measurement microphone: a deliberately flat, characterless capsule you point at the room, used with analysis software to tune a PA to the space rather than to guesswork. And the Focusrite Scarlett Solo is the plainest way to get any of these microphones into a laptop — one XLR input with phantom power, USB out, and quiet enough preamps that the microphone, not the interface, sets the quality of the recording.
What you get
The microphone you book, in its case or pouch
Behringer B-1: suspension shock mount and windscreen, as supplied by Behringer
Rode NT4: stand mount, foam windshield, a twin XLR stereo lead and a 3.5 mm lead for cameras and recorders
Rode NTG2: mic clip and foam windshield
An XLR lead long enough to reach your desk, interface or recorder — tell us the run when you book
Not included as standard: microphone stands, a boom pole, batteries, and the recorder or interface itself. All can be added — ask when you book
A technician to set up, record and hand over the files, if you would rather not run it yourselves
Good for
Recording a school production or dance show for the archive and for parents
Choir and carol concerts in churches, captured in stereo from a single stand
Voiceovers and narration for assemblies, drama exams and school films
Dialogue on camera for student film and media coursework
Recording auditions, rehearsals and backing tracks so a cast can listen back
Podcasts and interviews recorded in a quiet classroom or office
What you need to know
What they do
Three recording microphones: a studio condenser you speak into from close range, a stereo microphone that captures a whole stage from one stand, and a shotgun that picks out whatever it is pointed at.
Which one
Voiceover or solo voice: the B-1. A choir, band or full stage: the NT4. Dialogue on a camera or boom pole: the NTG2.
Power
The B-1 needs 48 volt phantom power from a desk or interface. The NT4 takes phantom or a 9 V battery, the NTG2 phantom or an AA, so both Rodes work with cameras and portable recorders.
What you record into
All three are XLR microphones, not USB. You need an audio interface, portable recorder, camera or mixing desk with a microphone input. We can supply one.
Where they go
All light enough for a standard microphone stand. The NT4 wants a tall stand in front of the group; the NTG2 fits a camera shoe or boom pole.
Hire rates
Item
Rate
Behringer B-1 Studio Condenser Microphone
£5 / day
Rode NT4 Stereo Condenser Microphone
£7 / day
Rode NTG2 Shotgun Microphone
£5 / day
Behringer ECM8000 Measurement Microphone
£5 / day
Focusrite Scarlett Solo USB Interface
£3.75 / day
T-Bone EM 700 Stereo Microphone Set
£7 / day
AKG C1000 Condenser Microphone
£5.25 / day
Rates are per day and exclude VAT. Ask us about multi-day and show-week rates, delivery, and hiring with a technician.
Check availability
See whether this is free for your dates. This is an indication from our current bookings, not a reservation.
Alternatives
Shure SM7B — the broadcast dynamic — the one to take for podcasts and spoken word in untreated rooms.
Full technical specification (22)
Behringer B 1 type
Large-diaphragm studio condenser, cardioid, with a 1-inch (25 mm) gold-sputtered capsule
Behringer B 1 frequency response
20 Hz to 20 kHz
Behringer B 1 sensitivity
20 mV/Pa (-34 dBV re 1 V/Pa)
Behringer B 1 max SPL
138 dB, or 148 dB with the -10 dB pad switched in
Behringer B 1 signal to noise
81 dB
Behringer B 1 switches
-10 dB pad and low-cut filter
Behringer B 1 power and output
+48 V phantom power only, gold-plated balanced 3-pin XLR
Behringer B 1 size and weight
174 x 58 mm, 0.45 kg
Rode NT4 type
Stereo condenser: two matched half-inch cardioid capsules in a fixed 90-degree X/Y pair
Rode NT4 frequency range
20 Hz to 20 kHz
Rode NT4 sensitivity
-38 dB re 1 V/Pa (12 mV at 94 dB SPL)
Rode NT4 output impedance
200 ohms
Rode NT4 power
P48 phantom power or a 9 V battery
Rode NT4 outputs
5-pin stereo XLR on the body; leads to twin 3-pin XLR and to 3.5 mm stereo jack included
Rode NT4 size and weight
231 mm long, 41 mm body diameter, 61 mm across the capsules, 0.48 kg
Rode NTG2 type
Shotgun condenser, line gradient, super-cardioid
Rode NTG2 frequency range
20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a switchable 80 Hz high-pass filter
Rode NTG2 sensitivity
-36 dB re 1 V/Pa at 1 kHz
Rode NTG2 equivalent noise
18 dBA
Rode NTG2 max SPL
131 dB (1% THD into 1 kilohm)
Rode NTG2 power and output
P48 phantom power or one 1.5 V AA battery; balanced 3-pin XLR, 250 ohms on phantom, 350 ohms on battery
Rode NTG2 size and weight
280 mm long, 22 mm diameter, 0.16 kg
Common questions
The NT4. Put it on a tall stand a few metres in front of the stage, or raised above the front rows, and it captures the whole performance in stereo from one point — music, dialogue, applause and the room. It is far simpler than rigging separate microphones, and there is no mixing to do afterwards. For spoken drama in a big hall, where quiet lines can get lost, ask us about adding microphones closer to the action.
Not directly. They are XLR microphones, so you need an audio interface between the microphone and the laptop — a small box that provides the connection and the phantom power. The NT4 is the partial exception: its included 3.5 mm lead goes straight into a camera or a portable recorder with a mini-jack input. If you have nothing to record into, say so when you book and we will add a recorder or interface.
It is 48 volts sent up the microphone lead by the desk or interface to power a condenser microphone — no separate supply, no mains at the microphone. Most mixing desks and nearly all audio interfaces provide it behind a button marked 48V or P48. The B-1 will not work without it. The NT4 and NTG2 take a battery instead when phantom is missing, which is why they suit cameras and portable recorders. Tell us what you are plugging into and we will confirm before you collect.
We would not recommend it. Condenser recording microphones are sensitive by design, which is exactly what you do not want next to a PA — they pick up the speakers as well as the singer and feed back early. For live vocals through a PA, hire handheld vocal microphones; for capturing the performance to listen to later, hire these. The two jobs want different tools, and we stock both.
