A shotgun microphone is a long, narrow mic designed to reach out and isolate a sound source from a distance while rejecting noise from the sides and rear. The interference tube along its body is what creates that narrow pickup, letting the mic effectively aim at a subject from several feet away — the standard choice for film, video and field production where a lavalier can’t be in shot.
Placement discipline matters with this category more than most: a shotgun rejects off-axis sound well, but only when aimed correctly, so boom operators are constantly adjusting angle as a subject moves or turns. That directional focus is the entire value of the mic — used indoors on a locked-off camera, a lot of that benefit goes unused.
- Pickup pattern tightness, which generally improves with tube length, though a longer mic can add off-axis coloration at certain frequencies
- Mounting and shock isolation, since shotguns are almost always boom- or camera-mounted and need to reject handling noise
- Windscreen options — exterior use exposes the mic to wind a basic foam cover won’t fully solve, often needing a furry cover or zeppelin housing
- Power requirements, as most shotguns need phantom power or a battery to run their internal electronics
Best suited to video production, documentary and run-and-gun field recording.
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