Sennheiser - MD 421 de Luxe

I have a black one. NEVER connected with its sound, and I’ve had one for 25 years. BUT the original beige ones are very nice.

421 with a good sounding drum and preamp I think sounds great on a tom, but those sound best an amp paired with a ribbon. Re20 sounds good on a kick, great on a floor tom, particular vocal, or bass cab. Sm7b through a dbx160 makes all the difference. SM58 as a talkback drum mic squashed can sound great. I’ve made a lot of records and those mics are work horses for a reason.

Thanks for adding this even though it’s slightly off topic. I play flute, whistle, and sax with a loud fantasy metal/rock band. (I’m near St. Louis seeing your user name maybe you are too - how do we not know each other? lol) Currently using tomasi micro-cork for flute for better isolation (tone suffers a bit but effects cover it) and Sennheiser MD 421 vocal mic for whistles. Whistle mic has some bleed from cymbals but picks up lows well. I’ll have to compare it to the one you listed!

* TLM1xx would be on my list too - I think they sound "cheap in an expensive way", if that makes sense. * The SM57/58, largely because it *cannot* be as versatile as people ascribe. I still have people regularly tell me "you can track a whole album with it!" when you could do that with any mic. And there are other dynamics I like more, just as durable and sometimes even cheaper (though usually not, I'd always take an m201 over a 57 for instance). * On that same sacrilegious note, I don't like the U87 much, either (Ai or original flavor). I'm not going to say it is a *bad* mic, and I've owned three over time, but there's a reason I don't own one anymore. Like the 103 (which I actively despise rather then merely dislike), there is something about them that sounds like a stripper driving a Bentley to me (weird analogy, but I think it gets the point across). * RE-20 is too big and can be hard to get to sound right. Don't love or hate it, and I do have one, but people are way too attached to it. * Same goes for SM7, with the caveat that it *only applies for VO*. For music the SM7 can be great, I'd usually grab one over a 58 or RE20, but it is a tricky bugger for VO. * Neumann pencil mics (KM8x/18x) are just not that great compared to a lot of modern versions. It isn't a tech with "vintage prestige", the manufacturing has improved, so the KM184 in particular just comes off as overpriced, even compared to the *actual* industry standard SDC's these days in Schoeps, DPA, and Earthworks (and so on). I prefer either pure or colored SDC's, and the Neumann doesn't do either. * I have never understood the appeal of the MD421. One of the few mics I refuse to own/stock because of its idiotic mounting clip, and I just think other similar mics are better at doing what it says it does. * Pretty much every "unobtainium" mic is overrated, to me - yes, a great U47 or 251 is a really cool thing and piece of history, but you can get similar results with other mics. But I'm something of a "vintage-is-better" iconoclast... I'm sure there are more, and I know it sounds like I'm picking on Sennheiser/Neumann, but really every "hyped" mic has been a disappointment to me and those happen to be the ones people strive for so are more prone to being overrated.

Is it, though? It is fine. I've used one a few times. I personally don't think it is more "amazing" than the similar PR-30 or Beyer m88, which both are far more convenient to work with and robust. 65 years ago when it was introduced there weren't too many large-diaphragm dynamics available, and it has stuck around as a "classic", but that doesn't mean that the weird design decisions made in 1960 shouldn't have been improved. That mic clip is just a bad piece of design, and it is hardly a unique sounding mic! I feel much the same way about the Coles ribbons, specifically about the 4038. Great sounding - and in that case, more unique - but the weird hoops you have to jump through just make it not worth the effort. But I'd use a 4038 before a MD421, since I don't even really like the way the 421 sounds! FWIW, on guitar cabs, my go-to mics are PR-30, m201, m160, KSM313, and OC818, sometimes a Schoeps for clean tones.

Personally, I can't stand using 421's on toms - that's how I was taught, too! Once I started using other options - specifically LDC's, though my go-to setup right now is Earthworks SDC's on goosenecks, though I really want to try the newer Lautens - I never looked back. Don't get me started on how awful that 421 bleed sounds on toms... But also, to be honest, I generally avoid dynamic mics (other than ribbons) these days, on most things. Aesthetic choice, I suppose. I have a good-sounding room, and I find better results on most things with less colored mics (ie, condensers) - especially when bleed comes into play, which it often does for me doing live-in-room stuff.

421 is amazing on guitar cabs.

I'm specifically thinking of dirty tones but yes, there's something about the slightly scooped frequency response on a 421 that sounds great to me on distorted guitars. I've also used a 421 and 57 combo on a cab, they complement each other nicely. I think Coles are my favorite overheads. Really smoothes out harshness from the cymbals. Easy to back off for more room ambience + total kit or go closer for more cymbals. M160 is great, can't go wrong with those. I've yet to try the Heil mics but I'd like to.

I'm not the biggest fan of 57s either, I would agree they're overrated. The 421 imo is a bit overrated for drums (probably because it's such a classic choice for toms) but generally underrated for guitar cabinets. To me that balance is out so I wouldn't say it's an overrated microphone personally. (Although to be honest I'm not sure how most people rate it LOL) Can't argue with using a solid dynamic mic and a ribbon on guitar cabs. The M160 rules.

If you can find a Sennheiser md421 on the second hand market i would go for that one, they are great with guitars and bass. I got one for 180€.

its great for distorted and dirty bass guitar. but yeah, the bleed is terrible...

True! I do love a 421 for trombone, though. I know that’s very specific, but if you have a ska or reggae band, you might have a ‘bone.

Dynamic broadcast mics like Electro Voice RE20, Sennheiser MD421, & Shure SM7b are going to be more forgiving than condenser microphones.

I prefer the lewitt DTP 340 for Tom's over my Sennheiser md421. Easier to mount as well.