The Sennheiser MD 421-II is one of the most loved microphones on the market for a variety of reasons. It’s a microphone that you can use for a bunch of different instruments, and it makes them all sound fantastic.
It works particularly well for drum kits, which is the aspect we’ll be focusing on in this review. If you’re looking for something to spice up your mixes, getting one or two of these may just do it.
Let’s see what everyone loves about these MD 421-IIs.
The Sennheiser MD 421-II is a dynamic microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. It has a frequency response of 30Hz to 17kHz, making it appropriate to use for different types of drum shells.
It has a five-position bass roll-off switch, giving you plenty of options for how it picks up sound waves.
When you purchase one of these mics, you get a microphone clip to attach it to a stand, along with a hard plastic box to keep it safe inside.
When you use the MD 142-II to record snare drums and toms, you get top-quality sounds that have a bit of low-end focus.
For that reason, this microphone works best when recording toms that are tuned low to medium. It brings out a lot of low-end punch from them, which makes them sound big and powerful.
You can also use this microphone to record bass drums, making it quite versatile. A lot of studio engineers like to place it inside bass drum shells to utilize it in the best way possible.
The construction quality of the mic is decent. However, it has a larger body that can easily get in the way of a drummer.
If you place one of these mics in a striking zone, the chances are high that a few drumstick shots will damage the casing over time. With the mic being so big, it’s hard to miss.
So, you need to be very careful of where you place it. If it never gets hit with sticks, the casing will last decades, though.
Again, this microphone brings big and low frequencies out of your drums, so you get a booming sound when you use it.
It sounds alright on a snare, but it’s your toms and kick drum where it will sound the best. If you get a few of these mics to place on each tom, you’ll get an incredible end result for your mix.
You may need to do a bit of EQing to dial in good settings, but it won’t be too tricky.
This microphone has a mid-range price tag. It’s not as pricey as high-end studio microphones, but it’s a lot more expensive than something like a Shure SM57.
You’ll need to think twice before buying it, as it will cost over $1000 if you plan on getting one for each drum shell in your setup.
With that being said, we think the price is justified by the recording quality that you get.
We’d say that the MD 421-II works best as a studio microphone. It has a large casing, and you’ll need to mount it on a full microphone stand. Having a few of those around a studio space is very normal.
While the mic will sound fantastic in live settings, its size will make it difficult to use if you’re limited on space. If you want one of these on each tom, you’ll need up to three external boom stands, and that’s usually what you want to avoid for live gigs.
We think the Sennheiser MD 421-II is an incredible microphone. We can see why it’s so popular, and it would be a great option for any drummer to have.
With it being so versatile, you could use it for other instruments as well. The downside is that it’s quite big.
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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