I made a lot of gold and platinum records with these mics. I have a dozen of these mics ready for the next sessions. Great for the studio and live. Don't try to reinvent the wheel.

It's an industry standard that I've been using for 45 years. Spendy for stage use, but worth every penny.

The MD 421 is THE mic you need for both studio or live sound applications. It has never failed me in over 35 years (I own 4 now). Everything from voice to drums to your cheap amp sound beautiful because of it. Can't go wrong.

As a professional musician and producer, I have relied upon the 421 as my personal microphone of choice for everything from vocals to instruments of all kinds. They have excellent response characteristics, stand up well under daily use, and are forgiving of high SPL's.

This mic is in every radio station in America. It's physically indestructable; you can just about hammer nails with it, it takes a LOT of vocal pressure, I mean a LOT. And, it sounds like a million dollars. Side and rear rejection is superb, I mean this thing is the Sherman Tank of microphones. I was in radio in the mid seventies; myself and several DJ buddies of mine were doing high intensity, night-time Top 40 screaming their lungs out into this mic every night for 4, 5, 6 hours a night. Never any distortion, ever. You will never regret buying one.

Zero issues and arrive in a timely manner. Exactly the quality I expected. Zero issues.

I really debated on spending the money for high quality drum mics. I've got a big project coming up so I got 3 of these (plus 2 Shure SM81's for overheads). I'm glad I did. Now I know why they call this the "industry standard" for toms. After experimenting with the placement and finding the sweet spot, this mic made a huge difference! Thanks always to Sweetwater and Jimmy Hart - You're the BEST!

Thanks again for the great customer service!
Great Mic!
Thanks to Kingsley! He always takes care of me when I order!

Crisp vocal tones as compared with my AudioTechnica, which has been my main microphone. Now that I can EQ my individual tracks, instruments and vocals, the combination of external EQ and the adjustable bass response on the 421 will make it a very verstile tool in my home studio.

My Hardke HD75 1x12 bass amp doesn't have a line out,so in order to get the bass signal into the mixer I needed a mic capable of handling low frequencies at high volumes. This Sennheiser mic.was recommended by Sweetwaters sales associates to be able to handle anything I can throw at it,guitars,bass,drums or screaming vocals. Hard to beat this quality for the price?

These microphones are great for a lot of sources, but they capture toms in a way that cannot be described. It is a sound that can be heard on hundreds of thousands of songs, and it is so common to use 421s for toms that the first time I heard a 421 in my studio I thought to myself "Thats it! Thats the sound I've been going for all these years!!".

The downsides:
-notoriously bad clip/mount. just use a piece of gaffers tape to keep the mic from slipping out. its worth the trouble, trust me.
-they don't like being bashed by a stick, so make sure you move them back a few inches if the drummer is not trained enough to avoid hitting the close mics with a stick. They aren't capable of taking a beating like an sm57, and they're 4x
as much. be gentle!

Do yourself a favor and get an extra one, because they're also excellent for micing the inside of kicks, and one hell of a vocal mic for live tracking with a loud band.

Every cab Ir that is my favorite is recorded with this mic. I think that says something about its ability to mic guitar cabs to perfection. I prefer it over the classic SM57

Yes! I am using this mic on bass drums, guitar cabs, and sometimes even vocals.
yes. Get it. I want a second one.

Joe Secu tried to steer me to a second one when they were on sale. I should have listened to you, Joe.

This mic and toms are made for each other.

I've tried a lot of mics over the years to record guitar sounds, and other than an SM57 this mic does an excellent job of recording both clean and heavy guitars. Even better, if you do the classic SM57 and MD421 combo, you will get a fantastic, balanced tone. Not sorry that I bought it, and I will never record without it again.

I've been looking at the 421's for quite some time. After doing lots of research I decided to take the plunge and purchase 3 to mic my DW toms in my home studio. I had been using Sennheiser e604's. There is just no comparison between the 2 model. The MD421's recording quality between the 2 is night and day. My research paid off. The 421 are definitely the standard. So glad that I made the purchase. I will be trying them on other instruments as well! Thank you Sweetwater and CJ Antol for taking care of me!

I've owned a lot of tom mics. A LOT. And had varying degrees of success. I was in a friend's studio recently and he was recording a great drummer and had MD421s on the toms. When he hit the playback later, I was floored with the sound. So warm, big with serious snap and thump. I shouldn't be surprised, I know. I ordered a pair of MD421 IIs immediately. I had my first session last weekend with that same great drummer. This time in my studio. The drums sounded incredible. I've included a link to a snippet of the drums from that session.

Grabbed an MD421 a few weeks ago on sale. As good as always and my go-to for toms, bass cabs, congas and bodhran.

Pairs well with UAD Apollo & UAD 610 Solo Preamp. Personally, I like the SM7B better, but this mic appears to have a better gain structure.

I wanted the MD421 for some time now but just never made the purchase. I've been having some trouble getting the right bass sound for a song I'm working on but nothing was working. I tried two different bass amps, several Mic's, direct etc. you know the drill. For this song I'm using my Fender Pro Jazz fretless bass. I got an email showing the MD421 special sale for $200 so I decided to get it. Long story short, I decided to play through my Peavey Delta Blues guitar amp and tried different mic's and when I placed the MD421 center cone hit record the sound popped out the Peavey speakers into the MD421 that was connected to my BAE 1073 and to my surprise there was the sound I was trying to get. Who would have thought play a bass through a guitar amp would sound so good. Turns out this was the perfect chain for this song. I know this mic won't fail me on other sources. Very happy.

Great on everything, but exceptional on snares and toms. There's a reason why this is a classic microphone.

What's not to like about a md421? Great on brass, toms, guitar cabs... it's just a classic. ...how could I say no? Happy recording everyone!

When I started my studio years ago, the MD 421 was the best mic I had so I used it on vocals, kick and guitar. Fortunately, I now have an arsenal of nice mics, but the MD421 still gets a ton of use. It's great on guitar cab. Use a rubber band to tie a 421 and SM 57 together and it's a classic guitar tone used on numerous hits.
It's great for podcasts, tom toms, guitar cab, bass cab, conga, you name it.
There on super sale now grab one and you will use it.

These mics sound amazing for toms and inside the bass drum. It's almost as if these were made for drums!! Pro studio sound for not much money. DO IT!

I'm not as experienced as some on here, but I've done my share of recording, from blankets over the windows in a bedroom to a real studio. For my money, the MD 421 is the most versatile recording mic ever.
Period.

Great all around mic's for vocals, drums, or Amps Just go and look around a "Greatful Dead" stage.

The MD421 mkII is a solid workhorse microphone that sounds amazing on my guitars, bass, drums, and even vocal. It works great on brass and winds, and is more versatile than often thought to be, due to its "M-S" filtering mechanism. I bought the mic for a session intending to use it on the bass. It hadn"t arrived yet so I opted to use a DI only. After a few takes we realized the guitar was sounding a bit fuzzy with the valve condenser in front of it, and just as we were about to reach for an e609, the doorbell rang and the 421 had arrived. We quickly unwrapped the box, ate the candy, and pointed the 421 at the guitar. Magic ensued.

I use this mic on a trombone on a regular basis and nothing else works as well. I used to use a Beta 57 but it was too sparkly on the top end. The 421 is amazing. It gives me a very nice round bottom which is perfect for trombone and similar brass instruments like fluegelhorn. Highly recommended for similar brass applications. I wouldn't even think of using anything else.

Did you know this was the "official" mic of the original version of "The Hollywood Squares?"

You do, now.

Great broadcast mic.

Workhorse... Always reliable, carried them everywher

Just purchased my first two 421 mics, and now I know what the fuss is about. I had a drum session in my studio and have been wanting a 421 (or more) for a few years now and finally pulled the trigger. I have dynamic mics by Shure, Beyerdynamic, Telefunken, a few others, along with a bevy of condensers & ribbons, so I have a good idea what a good dynamic mic sounds like. So, I got the mics in the mail the same day as the session, put the 421 on rack & floor toms running through my API 3124+, and man... I am now seriously considering getting at least two more of these. I figured they would sound good, but they actually sounded great! As a horn player, I'm eager to try them out on sax.

Now, about that clip...

Loving the top end on this mic. Other dynamics I've tested were fairly dull. This one is silky and soft. Shimmery and smooth without any shrillness or harshness. Nice full midrange and sizable lows.

Pretty forgiving on plosives and mouth noise with the addition of the MZW-421 wind screen. I know this mic is a classic for rack toms and guitar cabs, but it definitely warrants consideration on voice!

The MD421 is the top of the line when it comes to tom drum microphones. It makes toms sound like toms period. Every studio should have at least 4 of these in their mic locker. I like how you can get shields for these mic's, so drummers don't break one in half doing fill. The only downfall of the MD421 is the mic clip. You need boom stand for this mic. Clip on microphone clips don't work well with this microphone because the mic clip makes a buzzing noise.

We used these back in the day in the recording studio and took them on the road in outdoor rock concert settings. Great as a vocal mic for broadcast, too.

The only mic (IMHAO) that can take a low drum hit or a high cymbal crash without tell-tale fuzz, distortion or fall off. My first choice for over 40 years (back when they were heavy, silver and cost over $2500 each in today's money) in any rock drum kit setup. Quite impressive on stage when we had 10-16 of these under the cymbals. Zildjian and Senny invented that classic rock sound.

Used one in broadcast radio when I was 14....sounded 37 thanks to the EQ ring :)

Reviewing this mic is like reviewing sunlight. It just "is". The 421 has been a studio workhorse staple for decades. Main uses are Toms, guitar cabs and saxophone, but they sound good on just about everything. If you"re a studio you need 3 minimum, 6 would be better.

And yes the mic clip sucks.

I was very impressed with these - got 2 for rack toms and they sound great. Nice, big, round and punchy. Sounds great on a guitar cab too and I'm sure they'd be great for other uses as well. Didn't give it 5 stars due to the mounts that everyone has been complaining about for so long (to no avail), and the plastic threads - not acceptable in this price range.

I like using md421's in conjunction with my sm57's for mic'ing up guitar cabinets. Adjust faders to taste, and you don't really have to mess with EQ later

We'd been using SM57s to record the drum kit. These instantly changed the sound we were getting. Went from being a flat, somewhat dead sound to something with dimension and life.

I place this mic in front of the guitar can, and it delivers a clear, bright tone. Gets the job done without any problem.

This would be my desert island mic. It can record just about anything well.

I've owned and used this mic since 1986. First on Kick and Floor toms, and my guitar players amp. It doesn't surprise me that it's been an industry standard mic since the 60's!

Bought it to mic floor toms and it captures them the way they are meant to be captured. So happy with this addition to my inventory. Definately will be buying another.

It's the absolute best mic for toms ever. It sounds excellent as an additional guitar tracking mic (along with a SM57), it's great for mic'ing a bass, and it's even worked on some vocals for me.

The mic clip is probably the worst mic clip in existence though.

I'VE BEEN USING THE MD421 ON TOMS FOR AROUND 25 - 30 YRS. & I JUST SET THE GAIN IT IT IS READY TO GO ! I HAVE BEEN DOING AN 8 PEICE R&B BAND & ALWAYS USED THE 421 ON ALL TOMS & HORN SECTION & AGAIN WITH HORNS I JUST NEEDED TO SET THE GAIN & AFTER YRS OF ROAD USE I USE THEM IN THE STUDIO FOR TOMS & NEVER REALLY WENT FOR ANYTHING ELSE ! THE ONE WEAKNESS IS THE MIC CLIP AS SOMETIMES THE MIC COMES LOOSE ! I WILL ADD THAT WITH THE SERIES 2 IT DOES MOUNT WITH A TIGHTER FIT ! I MAKE SURE NOW I MOUNT ON STAND & NOT CLIPS & I HAVE SOME MD-441'S & THEY ORIGINALY SHIPPED WITH A POOR MIC CLIP THAT BECAME BRITTLE & I LOOKED & THEY CHANGED THE CLIP FOR THOSE TO A RUBBER CLIP & IT MOUNTS SECURELY ALTHOUGH I BELIEVE I PAID AROUND $60 FOR THE NEW IMPROVED CLIPS & I NEED TO CONTACT SENNHEISER & MAYBE THEY HAVE A NEW CLIP FOR THE MD-421 THE SERIES 2 IS A MUCH BETTER DESIGN THEN THE ORIGINAL VERSION ! I'M HONESTLY AFRAID TO TRY ANY OTHER TOM,HORN & GUITAR MIC ! LOVE THEM & USED THEM FOR MY WHOLE CAREER !
JEFF KLINE

I have been playing drums for 40 years, but only started home recording about 10 years back. With this said, I have never been able get a great sound out of my 16 inch floor tom. I have tried everything from tuning, different heads and multiple different mics(Audix, Shure, etc.). I decided to try the 421 and that is all it took. No wonder so many engineers have used it for years. I plan to purchase another for my rack Tom.

Probably the most versatile studio mic you'll ever use. No studio setup is complete without one; from amp miking to, drums, voice overs....it even sounds good without a processor!

For the money, this is the best live mic for Tenor Saxophone in my opinion. Some of us are out here fighting sound guys that want to throw a 57 or 58 on the tenor which can make it sound brash in the upper register and tinny and boxy down low, especially if you have a big sound. This mic is killing it! Your upper range and altissimo will sing and your low Bb's will be round a full of body but never blatty! Love this mic!

Just the best tom mic, period. Full, rich, crisp, everything you want. I used the Audix d series and then moved to these... Night and day. Worth the money.

I've spent most of my time using this mic for recording the trombone. It's a dynamic mic, but the output is not too low. I do however suggest something like a FetHead if you're not using a preamp with a fair amount of clean gain.

I can not tell you how many times we tried something new for our drums and every time we end up with a set of these in the booth. This may seem very old school but we have not found any mics that can out perform the 421's on toms.

I work on a University Event Producing crew as the resident sound junkie. We have 3 of these and somehow, everyone on the crew got it in their heads that "we use those mics for brass." They are great for brass, but they're also great for toms, snares, guitar cabs (particularly bright ones), bass cabs, ride cymbals, and as I recently discovered, kick. (I threw a BETA91 in the shell and put this at a 45 degree angle on the beater from inside the drum. 91 gave me the boom, 421 gave me the punch) really, just a quality piece of gear. The clip is different, but I actually kinda like it

There is a reason these are the industry standard for tom drums in pro studios...they sound really darn amazing on toms....or for that matter, anything you might need a dynamic mic for. 5 stars all the way! I was trying to record with my live kit (Sennheiser e600 series) and the toms were just thin and dead. Swapped my e604 mics out for 5 MD421 II mics and was blown away So much depth...just amazing.

I have used the 421 on drums when I was a drummer, then I became a radio announcer and used it at the station. Then a voice-over artist in L.A. This mic is absolutely fantastic for the price. On Toms, it's the king. For broadcasting, it's much crisper than the EV RE 20. For voice-overs, if you don't have a booth, it's the dynamic version of the industry standard VO mic Sennheiser 416. Very forgiving with outside noise. I use it when teaching voice-overs on location. Buy One! The clip? Oh well. Be careful with it or get the shock mount.

These mis are so fantastic (and well-loved) that they really shouldn't even need reviews at this point. This is THE mic for toms. It makes them sound very punchy in a very good way and really captures the depth thanks to its superb bass response. It also sounds absolutely perfect on guitar cabs, whether by itself or combined with a Shure SM57. Once you've used this mic just once, you'll know exactly why everyone loves this mic. If you can't make it sound good, then you probably forgot to plug it in. The ONLY minor disappointment with this mic is it's mic clip, which could be easily broken if a stand is knocked over. It's never happened to me, but it could so I figured I'd mention it. Besides, they do make shockmounts for it if you want one. Either way, it's no reason to not buy this mic. It simply rules above all other dynamics.

Its a very good mic in its own right, but its real value is in replacing the SM-57 as a second mic in a dual-mic recording setup. Paired with a royer 121, it gives a glorious tone to hard to capture metal guitar rigs. With a bass & DI, its a fine arrangement for getting your sound. The good thing is you won't need to spend too much for a slight return. The down side is that the case is PLASTIC! As is the mount! How lame is that! Also there isn't much too much info except a diagram to explain the 5-position bass roll -off switch. Even that matter what S or M stand for exactly. seemed best starting out in the middle position for guitars & Bass. Overall a great sound in a cheaply constructed unit. But the More expensive version with a metal case doesn't seem to be much of a deal. Still having said that, I will be buying a few more.....

This is a great mic! i use it on toms and guitar cabs. I love its sound. they are built tough too. I have several dents in mine and it works flawlessly. the clip on it sucks, but that doesnt take away from the value of the mic.

These mics are definitely handy for anything from guitar cabs, to bass cabs.. but where they really shine is in their standard position on a tom mic! They also work particularly well as a secondary kick drum mic..
I've used these many times, and I keep coming back to them because the transient response is so superb!

This mic is great. Amazing on toms and i usually pair it up with a sennheiser e602 on bass cabs. Just be warned, however, the mic clip on this is terrible. The mic comes off the clip with the touch of a button...which sounds cool until you just barely tap the button with your finger when your adjusting the mic and it goes crashing to the floor. Seriously, it takes almost nothing to disconnect it. I suggest if you buy one of these, do yourself a favor and tape the clip to the mic.

Great mic, amazing sound, great for everything from guitars to TOMS, horns, some woodwinds, really versatile. Only problem, the worst clip of all time in my opinion, it's not that safe, it breaks, it gets loose, in our university, one fell really bad, nothing happened to it besides damaging the shield, but, another one got it's clip broken, its, not so good, shame on such a great mic.

This is my first choice dynamic every time. It sounds great on anything you put it in front of. And, it's a tough trooper. I bought mine used, very used. It has dents in the grill, the black paint on the grill has almost completely flaked off, and part of the body is cracked to the point that I had to super-glue the mount to the mic (I recommend you just go ahead and glue the mount into place. The mounting method is the one thing that bothers me about this mic. Just ask anybody who has used one; they'll tell you the mount isn't very good). But even with all of that abuse, it sounds great. SM 57 letting you down? Use the 421. I still use 57's, but that's out of necessity, not choice.

I have two complaints about this mic: the mount system, and that I only own one.

This has become my GO-TO tom mic. Seriously, it just sounds amazing. It's got the depth and punch of certain condensers, but is built like a 57--strong and durable! Now, it might confuse you that the body is made of plastic, but don't take this lightly...it's heavy duty and will last you a long time.

Sounds great on toms, as well as guitar amps, bass amps, kick drum, and even vocals (usually screaming / intense / loud vocals).

I bought two of these for toms and guitar amps - It performs spectacularly on those sources as others have mentioned, especially on floor toms. A great alternative or complement (amps) to the 57. Don't get rid of your 57s, just have one of these handy in case you're looking for more body, or something different (better?).

It also makes a great mic for male vocals and bass cabs. In fact, it regular wins as "the mic" in shootouts for male vocals.

I just wish I had 3, or 4, or 5 of them.....

The 421 is the most amazing tom mic i've ever heard. Even better, they're durable, portable, and flexible ...but i wouldn't recommend using them for vocals. Cedric from the mars volta is an amazing vocalist, and i too noticed him using a sennheiser 421 lately, and it seemed really strange to me. upon delving into the subject a little more... i discovered it is actually a Audix om6 in the 421's casing.

Pair the 421 with an equally tough-as-nails SM-57 on guitar cabs. Both mic's can handle the SPL's. Their different sonic characteristics compliment each other. You'll be amazed at the ease of dialing in that 'just right' electric guitar sound.

Used in studios all around the globe. From tracking everything snare, toms, Guitars cabs ect.This baby can hold a good fair amount of SPL so figure out. Good for some foley work. Also great for wind instruments Sax, Trumpets etc. I highly recommend this Mic.

This mic is awesome! It's great that it has a high SPL handling because I've been recording brass instruments with it. I compared the recordings of the brass instruments with this mic to recordings of brass with an AKG Perception 200 and an sm57. There was no comparison. The 421 brings any and every recording to life and gives it the brilliance you're looking for. Its also very versatile and can used to record many different kinds of instruments. If you're considering this mic, you shouldn't hesitate, just buy it!

This is without a doubt my favorite dynamic mic. It sounds great on acoustics, electrics, vocals, toms, etc. The five way bass rolloff really lets you tailor the sound for your needs. It has a nice presence and articulation, and the ability to roll off the lows really helps get great tones out of normally boomy instruments. I have rarely found a dynamic that I like on acoustic guitar, but this one really shines in that capacity. You need to get this mic. You won't be disappointed.

I just saw The Mars Volta @ the Ventura Theater last night, and Cedric was using the 421 for lead vocals. You might want to experiment with placing a fan in front of the 421 while singing, like he did.

I usually record with alot of condesers and ribbons, but after picking up the 421 and making the rounds with it.....wow. Most dynamic mics just sound to muddy and in need of eq(for my tastes). This mic makes the sm57 sound like a toy. I love the crisp highs that you get from it that normally aren't found in dynamics. Get yourself one or five of these....your recordings are asking for it.

I replaced an audix D6 with a 421 for my kick IN track, then brought the D6 about 2 feet in front of the head for my kick OUT track. The 'clicky' sound I was hunting for in my kick (I record punk and hardcore) was instanly realized. Not only that, but a couple days later I talked to an assistant at The Blasting Room, and he said that Comeback Kid's 'Wake The Dead' album (engineered by Jason Livermore) used a 421 on their kick drum as well. Those drums sound amazing. This mic belongs in everyone's mic vault, and you can probably get rid of your SM57s and Audix i5s as well.

If you want to put an sm57 on something, but you want it to sound good, get a 421.

The 421 is a workhorse in my studio and in tons of others. It's built like a tank, even with the 421 II's new plastic body rather than the older metal. It's 5 position bass roll-off is handy. The 421 can be great for toms, snares, guitar cabs and rotating speakers. Great on bass cabs along with a D112 (my preference). High SPL capacity so it can handle kicks and bass amps and close micing horns. I don't like the design of the mic clip, however. It is latching, and the release is just where most fingers land when grasping, so care must be taken when positioning the mic (dumb).