I love 421's and have use them a lot, but not with my keyboard amp, (which I also use with loud gigs as a monitor and as a substitute PA). I can't imagine it being that big a problem, though. I've used the 421 in close quarters with other instruments and amps and have not noticed any "bleeding".............Daryl

 

The 421 is my preferred mic for live performance. I don't have a II tho', my "classic" is still kickin'.

 

I switched to the sennheiser e901 after years on a ATpro35. Couldn't be happier!!!

-Zach
www.fellboyzs.com

 

I've used one for a couple of years.

Great mic.

LOTS of uses for them live and recording.... many of the pros use 'em for decades.

 

You should give the Audix D-4 a try. It's a great sounding mic with a smaller footprint than a MD-421. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

Seinheiser 421 for me I think is a great mic!
The one I have is not the MKII,just the 421,,as new,,and really like it it!
Don't have feeds problem,and mostly like the overhaul sound,natural ,of my horns!L:ike you so far,clips on are nice free mics,,but the sound as not impressed me so far!
So Seinherseir for me works great!
All the best
Saxobari

 

Looks like I need to gives this mic a try. The only negative I heard was from the sales person, I think because he didn't have one in stock. The last person to sell the idea to is going to be my wife.:shock:Thanks for the feedback.

 

If it helps with the sales pitch to your wife, I've had my 421 since 1985, and NEVER had a problem with it. The original mic stand clip is still going strong. (I figured I'd spend a small fortune replacing it every few years, but it's proved to be a real champ!) Probably the reason it's lasted so long is that I always take it to gigs myself. If it were in a multi-mic case traveling around with the other equipment, it might not have lasted so long.

I call the 421 my equalizer - even with a crummy P.A., it will still sound better than the Shure 57s and 58s that are standard fare for most stage set-ups. So the 421 can equalize the effect of less-than-state-of-the-art amplification. And if you have a great P.A., you're golden! That being said, you still have to make sure that the sound man doesn't gut your sound by putting a "smile" EQ (boost lows and highs, pull down midrange) on the mains/monitors.

Get the 421 - you won't regret it!

JB

 

The MD421 is a big step up compared to the Shure models. If you can afford it, look for a used MD441 which is the gold standard for dynamic mics and one of the best mics for saxophone ever produced.

 

I've had better luck with my SM57 than my Sennheiser if I am playing through a powered monitor instead of a PA. I can crank it up higher without feedback problems and thinking about where I can put the monitor. Sometimes stages are so tight you can't always put your equipment in the ideal spot.

 

A real soundman never uses a 'smile' eq.

 

Competent sound engineers are in short supply. There's a lot of fakes working out there, not to mention bandleader DIYers.

 

Hakukani, how should one start out on the EQ, flat? Most of the bands I work with always have the smile on the EQ.

 

Yep. Flat. Less is more. Only take away those frequencies you don't want. Try never to boost. If it's more than +/- 6 dBs boost/cut, then you're in a REALLY weird room, or you need to upgrade your PA.

Also, if it's anything less than a 32 band, 1/3 octave graphic, (like a 12 band 1 octave graphic), you don't have enough resolution to take out the right frequencies, IMHO.

 

I've been using a 421 since the 80s. It is a premium general purpose microphone for live saxophone reinforcement.

 

Your avatar doesn't show you having a 421 on your horn, what gives?

I still say try the e901.

 

I've been using a Senn 421 for several years now and I think it sounds good. Only adjustment I make is I tend to roll the highs back just a bit, as the sound is a bit bright.

One mic I used in a live studio recording recently is the Electro-Voice RE20. I thought it had a warmer sound than the 421, but didn't do a direct comparison. These 2 mics are in the same price range, so it might be worth investigating the RE20. Anyone have much experience with one of those?

 

According to his website, Joshua Redman prefers the RE20 for live playing, unless someone has a nice Neumann at the venue.

 

I tried a 20 year old 421 once and was very favorably imprssed but unfortunately i didnt have cash in hand to buy it. I dont know if the new ones are as good. Frim what ive read, the mic clip design is subject to problems, so if i had a choice between a mic that could use a generic mic clip and a 421 that uses a special clip that gets problematic for many people, Id prefer the former, but the 421 is good enough that i would buy it anyway, expecting to have problems with the mic clip long term, and figuring id need a repalcement one or two eventually. I have read that the EV RE20 is a similar mic but i havent tried one of those yet, and i think they cost more.

 

Frim what ive read, the mic clip design is subject to problems, so if i had a choice between a mic that could use a generic mic clip and a 421 that uses a special clip that gets problematic for many people, Id prefer the former, but the 421 is good enough that i would buy it anyway, expecting to have problems with the mic clip long term,...

I'm not crazy about the mic clip on the 421, but now that I'm used to it, I've had no problems, at least so far, in the 4 years I've owned it. The real problem comes when someone else messes with it and doesn't understand the hair-trigger nature of the clip. That's when the mic hits the floor. Luckily, these mics seem to be bomb-proof. With that clip, they have to be.

 

I've been using a 421 for about 20 years now.

It's rugged, the clip works fine (a little WD40 is needed every few years to keep it working smoothly) and it sounds great.

The day I switched from the Sure SM58 I was playing in an open air bar in a yacht basin. One of my musician friends came to see us and the first thing he said was something like this: "Wow! What did you do to your sax! It sounds great! I heard the difference from the parking lot."

The best $300 I ever spent on a sax accessory.

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