Why does everyone hate the MD421 so much?

[jhg]

Who hates the 421? Why? Great tom mic, can work well on kick, saxes, bass cabinet, and as a club(put it in speech mode for optimum hurt)

Regards,

jhg

[bewarethanatos]

Different strokes for different folks?

I've used 441's on toms before and liked them well enough. I'm currently using AT2020's on toms and like that as well. I own e604's but I've only used them on demos.

Do you clip the e604's on the drums, or do you attach them to a mic stand?

[matt thomas]

I've got 3 e22's

sweeeeeet

someone was selling a pair on the classifieds recently, I don't know if they sold

narco

[zarquon]

Originally Posted by pegleg

If people are posting they "hate" the 421, there are 3 reasons;

1. people on Gearslutz seem to like excessively bright mics - hence the popularity of Chinese and Chinese-capsuled mics. The 421, as you say, are not excessively bright.

2. it's cool on Gearslutz to hate things that are tried and true, and have a proven track record, and instead to tout things that are - surprise - much cheaper.

3. the only legitimate beef against the 421: it's quite large and quite heavy, which make it a difficult mic to use on toms - the stand must be close to the drum, and the clutch on the boom arm must be in very good working condition. If the cymbals are low, or the kit is cluttered, they can be difficult or impossible to place. I think they measure almost a foot when using a "straight" XLR connector.

I always thought the only thing to hate about the 421 was the clip. worst mic mount ever. and they've never bothered to fix it in how many years???
I can't count the number of times I've seen someone go to move the mic or adjust the stand - or even just put one up and the clip isn't latched or they touch the release ever so slightly and the mic ends up on the floor. Other than that - great mic. Very versitile, the 5 way switch for sibilants tweeks... and major mic closet would be lacking with out a couple.

Z.

[bunnerabb]

Dear Sennheiser:

The MD-421 is a good microphone.

Please make the connecting latch arm from metal.

The plastic one is shit.

Thank you,

- bunner

[Crash]

Originally Posted by bunnerabb

Dear Sennheiser:

The MD-421 is a good microphone.

Please make the connecting latch arm from metal.

The plastic one is shit.

Thank you,

- bunner

Amen!

[Bob Olhsson]

I can remember when a 421 was considered by most people to be a pretty bright mike...

[Lerxst]

Eric,

You are not alone, I aslo like the 421's.

I think the dislike is for the newer 421's as opposed to the "vintage" ones. Since I have not used the older models, I cannot say which I prefer, but I can say that I am satisfied with the sound I am getting from the new models - I own several new MKII 421's

My name is Steve and I'm an alchoholic - oh wait, that's a differnt forum!


~Lerxst

[Doublehelix]

Who hates the 421s??? What kind of crazy talk is this? The MD421 is a tried and tested proven performer that has stood the test of time. It is a great mic, and I use them all the time.

[Sqye]

.

421s are pretty much my favorite mics for anything with skins on it -
including kick drums, and many different types of ethnic hand percussion.

421s rule. especially some of the original 421s.

.

[jmarkham]

I don't think recording engineers hate the 421 at all .. but apparently
drummers do .. they seem to go out of their way to dent the mesh
screens. Try as you may to position them out of the strike line ... and
they'll get whacked anyway. I've long suspected drum teachers cover
"how to hit a 421" as part of their curriculum.

For brighter toms, I like the Shure Beta 98/s and the pattern has very
nice rejection too. But the 421 is a legend for tom mic'ing (IMHO).

jeff

[Han]

Originally Posted by bunnerabb

Dear Sennheiser:

The MD-421 is a good microphone.

Please make the connecting latch arm from metal.

The plastic one is shit.

Thank you,

- bunner

[Grumblefoot]

As a drummer and 421 owner I have to say I love 'em on toms. Also my drum teacher long ago said "Never hit the 421's, wait till they put up the U87's then bash those to hell"

[leaper]

No problems with 421's here either.. in fact i seem to be inadvertently well on the way to collecting one of each model ever made! i've got 4 and they all have different connectors, roll off switches,etc.
and i must say that i've always considered them as comparatively "bright"...so there!

[Pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by bunnerabb

Dear Sennheiser:

The MD-421 is a good microphone.

Please make the connecting latch arm from metal.

The plastic one is shit.

Thank you,

- bunner

[TornadoTed]

I have 4x MD421's and they get used in loads of differnet places. A true classic of a microphone but oh for a different clip!

[kellyd]

For toms, 421 into a 312A , no eq.

[Sqye]

.

maybe we hate 421s because they embezzle from us,

and call us "pansy"...

.

[Keire]

worst clip design ever! how has that not been changed?

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by cornboy7x

[snip]... ive listened to another thread that posted an mp3 with a tom mic shoot out. and the ones that everyone seemed to like i thought were terrible. they were all attack and no tone.

...[snip]

Imagine.

[lowfreq33]

I like the 421's, but they are difficult to place sometimes. As for the clips, that's what gaffers tape is for.

[warhead]

Perceptions of "mass opinion" are greatly distorted by readers of this site in their own mind. You see a thread where 10 people say they don't dig the 421, yet there are hundreds of thousands of them in use around the world in various forms without complaint. We are all entitled to our opinion, but this thread is proof that these forums skew perceptions and skew them wildly. Not every 421 user in the world, or anywhere near a fraction of one percent of them post on this board.

I don't own a 421 but I don't hate it either.

War

[blackwatch5805]

i don't know any 421 haters

[henryrobinett]

I love the 421. Who hates it? I think it's the defacto tom mic. Does well on kick too. I wish I had three right now.

[Steffmo]

Originally Posted by zarquon

I always thought the only thing to hate about the 421 was the clip. worst mic mount ever. and they've never bothered to fix it in how many years???
I can't count the number of times I've seen someone go to move the mic or adjust the stand - or even just put one up and the clip isn't latched or they touch the release ever so slightly and the mic ends up on the floor. Other than that - great mic. Very versitile, the 5 way switch for sibilants tweeks... and major mic closet would be lacking with out a couple.

Z.

The funniest thing about the worst mount ever....is that when you buy the shock mount, hoping to elininate the worste mount ever,,,,,you STILL need that piece if you want to tilt the mic....

Unbelievable.

[mischultz]

Originally Posted by bunnerabb

Dear Sennheiser:

The MD-421 is a good microphone.

Please make the connecting latch arm from metal.

The plastic one is shit.

Thank you,

- bunner

Ditto. The 441 mount is nearly as bad, but the standard wireless handheld mount (the fat Shure et al) holds the 441 without any issue, so at least you have a backup when (not if) the original tanks.

Michael

[Han]

Did anybody notice the image I'v posted? I've never broke any clip that I've made from an old broken SM57/58 clip.

Make them fit tight and you have the near perfect 421 clip for $0.00

[cornboy7x]

i always thought it was standard procedure that when you first get the 421, you tape the hell out of the clip and then NEVER take it off.

i am fortunate enough to own one of the white ones with the silver grill.

maybe this is why i love the 421 so much, i dont think i have ever used one of the new ones.

i usually record 4 piece kits and i use the 421 on rack tom and an RE20 on floor tom. so i didnt really need any more than that for toms.

but now my new drummer has a six piece. he has 4 e604 (clipped to the tom to answer someone elses question, i know, i know, but mic stands are expensive) so thats what we used, and i wasnt happy with them.

when i ask the question why does everyone hate the 421, i ask this because whenever i do search for "good tom mic" "favorite tom mic", etc, i always find threads where people are raving about some vintager mic that costs $300000000000 that they insist are the best and anyone who doesnt buy 17 of them for toms doesnt have good ears and is stupid. and i thinkwell that doesnt help me at all. but one thing is always mentioned. everyones distain for the 421 as a tom mic.

glad to see there are other 421 supporters out there.

thanks for the responses

Eric

[Sqye]

.

the bottom line is, you gotta learn what mics were used on your favorite recordings -
and / or the recordings you'd like to emulate.

and then, if you have ANY REMOTE OPPORTUNITY of using the the same:

*source material - including songs, instruments and performances
*rooms / spaces + air quality + treatment
*gear, including format
*recording, mix and mastering engineers

you just MIGHT acquire similar results....


.......might.


otherwise, the 421 is just another 421....like every other piece of gear.


.