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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 £12. 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 £12. 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.
Five more tools round the page out. The Behringer ECM8000 is a measurement microphone: a deliberately flat capsule you point at the room, used with analysis software to tune a PA to the space rather than to guesswork. The AKG C1000 is a small condenser on phantom power or its own battery, for instruments and speech when the B-1 is more than the job needs. The T-Bone EM 700 set is a pair of small condensers for a stereo recording where you would rather place two mics yourself than use the NT4's fixed pair. And two Focusrite Scarlett interfaces get any of them into a laptop. The Solo is the plainest: one XLR input with phantom power, USB out, and preamps quiet enough that the microphone, not the interface, sets the quality of the recording. The 2i2 is the same idea with two inputs, and the second input is the point: the NT4's twin-XLR stereo lead and the EM 700 pair each need both, and a two-person interview gets a channel each. Each input takes an XLR microphone or a 6.35 mm jack from a guitar or keyboard, one button sends 48 volt phantom power to both, it records at 24-bit, and it runs from the laptop's USB socket with no mains to find. The Solo hires at £8 per day; for the 2i2, contact us for pricing.
What you get
Good for
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
Choose the one you need. The photo and price follow your choice, and add-ons are ticked separately below.
Add-ons
Tick anything you want with it. They go on your enquiry list together.
Rates are per day and exclude VAT. A longer hire costs less per day — tell us your dates and we will price the period exactly. Ask us about delivery and hiring with a technician. Where a line says contact us for pricing, tell us the dates and quantities and we will quote it.
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 (23)
| 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 |
| Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (add on) | USB audio interface: two inputs, each taking an XLR microphone or a 6.35 mm jack line or instrument signal; switchable 48 V phantom power to both inputs; 24-bit recording; two balanced 6.35 mm jack line outputs and a headphone output with its own level control; USB-C, powered from the computer's USB port with no mains adaptor |
Common questions
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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.
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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. We hire two Focusrite Scarlett models for exactly this. The Solo takes one microphone: the B-1 for a voiceover, the NTG2 for a piece to camera. The 2i2 takes two, which is what the NT4's twin-XLR stereo lead, the T-Bone EM 700 pair or a two-person interview needs. Both run from the laptop's USB socket; a Mac needs nothing installed, and a Windows laptop wants Focusrite's driver first, so tell us if your school laptops are locked down and we will talk it through. The NT4 is the partial exception to all of this: its included 3.5 mm lead goes straight into a camera or a portable recorder with a mini-jack input. Phones and tablets are a case-by-case answer, so tell us the model. If you have nothing to record into, say so when you book and we will add the right interface or a recorder.
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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.
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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.
More wired microphone hire
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Active & Passive DI Boxes
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View & check datesSee the rest of our wired microphone hire stock, or browse everything available to hire.
Talk to us
Tell us the venue, the dates and what the show needs, and we will confirm availability.
Call 0333 404 0621, email [email protected], or send us the details of your production.
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