Zoom SGH-6 Shotgun Mic Capsule Review

Hello!

I am heading off to NAMM this week to talk to folks so I can review the latest gear, and this year I am going to do something a little different. In my backpack will be my trusty ZOOM Q8 Handy Video Recorder, and I plan to do interviews instead of my usual text-heavy blog posts. Since NAMM is one of the noisiest environments on the planet, I have procured a new microphone capsule for the camera, the SGH-6 shotgun mic.

The ZOOM Q8 comes with a very nice stereo microphone capsule and a pair of XLR inputs, and the company has made a number of cartridges to easily replace the stereo mic as needed. Changing it out is a breeze: squeeze the buttons on either side of the head together and it clicks off easily. As you can see in the photos, it fits well and does not make the camera too bulky.

The SGH-6 is a unidirectional microphone with a super-cardioid polar pattern. So it is very directional, and will hopefully cut down on a lot of the background noise without having to hand interviewees a separate microphone (I will still have a standard Shure SM48LC mic for me). If you want to use it in a live sound context, it can handle a ton of noise, with a maximum sound pressure of 122 dB. The controls are simple, with an onboard gain knob that works the same as the one on the standard stereo capsule.

In the box you get the microphone and the “hairy windscreen,” which some people call the dead cat. No instructions, spec sheet, or stickers, but what else do you need? The ZOOM Q8 came with a nice instruction book, which should provide the basics for how to mount it, in case you cannot figure it out on your own.

When mounted, the camera weighs 14.4 ounces (versus 11.8 ounces with the stereo cartridge), and it only about a half inch longer than normal. So, the camera is still compact and lightweight, and I cannot wait to try it out!

The actual review is pending, as I have not had the opportunity to try it out yet, but I think it will work well – the ZOOM stuff always does. Stay tuned to my blog to see how things work out!

Mahalo!