So... MD421 Users...

[bullhead]

so what kind of positioning are you guys using on your 421s? i've had mine for about a year and i can never seem to get that really resonant full sound that the thing is reknowned for. maybe i've got it in the wrong spot? 5-way switch? i'd love to hear everyone's ideas.

 

thanks

[B Money]

FWIW: I never had much luck using a 421 on a guitar cab. Maybe I'm lazy, but I always end up resorting back to a 57.

[ulankfan]

I don't know why everyone thinks of the MD421 as a mic with a fatter low mids than a 57. To me it is a thinner sounding mic(not always a bad thing!). Make sure to have roll off all the way on M(music) not S(speech).



(also make sure you aren't using it as a side adress mic...it is not...I've seen it done:facepalm:)

[nakedzen]

I pretty much always mix it with a 57, the 421 is a pretty scooped sounding mic and can sound thin on the mids on it's own.

 

This and this were mic'd that way, both mics straight on the grill a bit off center. No post eq on the guitars.

[AndyZ]

I use a E906 (middle position) with a 421 most of the time these days. Both mics close up off to each side of the cone on the same speaker. E906 picks up the mids, 421 is the scooped frequency. Blended is bliss! For the record I usually run these mics into an A-Designs Pacifica mic pre. Another important factor in the chain!

[cobrahead1030]

about 1/2" from the grille, just off center

 

mixed with a 57 here:

 

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6976594

[karlw]

An old trick I was taught is to use it with the rolloff switch one click short of "M". Takes a little of the boomyness out.

 

As for positioning, I like it just off the center, pointing straight in, and touching the grille cloth.

[bullhead]

I don't know why everyone thinks of the MD421 as a mic with a fatter low mids than a 57. To me it is a thinner sounding mic(not always a bad thing!). Make sure to have roll off all the way on M(music) not S(speech).

 

 

i've always heard of it as having a really open-sounding bottom. i like the way the midrange sounds, as i think it's more defined than my other mics, and doesn't sheen over the top-end like my e609 does.

 

in the end, i'm looking for openness and articulation. i was hoping the MD421 could help with part of that.

[Mesa4x12er2]

I got my first md421 years ago and instantly got that huge punchy sound. It sounds like a deep 57 that actually seems to capture the punch of an amp.

I record with the mic on-axis right where the cone meets the dust cap. Same placement for 57. I use it on the M, about .5" to 1" off the grill. Keeps that bottom end a little more controllable and some of the harshness back.

Here's a clip of that combo. CLIPPY - MD421/57

[nakedzen]

 

in the end, i'm looking for openness and articulation. i was hoping the MD421 could help with part of that.

 

 

That's what it does best. Maybe you could try mixing it with a 57 70/30? That would fix the thin midrange but still keep most of the clarity. (The thin midrange is the reason for the clarity, so you can't have both, this will be a compromise).

[suparsonic]

I got my first md421 years ago and instantly got that huge punchy sound. It sounds like a deep 57 that actually seems to capture the punch of an amp. I record with the mic on-axis right where the cone meets the dust cap. Same placement for 57. I use it on the M, about .5" to 1" off the grill. Keeps that bottom end a little more controllable and some of the harshness back. Here's a clip of that combo. CLIPPY - MD421/57

Do you have phase problems using two mics?

[suparsonic]

I use a E906 (middle position) with a 421 most of the time these days. Both mics close up off to each side of the cone on the same speaker. E906 picks up the mids, 421 is the scooped frequency. Blended is bliss! For the record I usually run these mics into an A-Designs Pacifica mic pre. Another important factor in the chain!

 

 

Those are fantastic songs on your Myspace Andy, I enjoyed them, nice lyrics. Were they recorded with a 906 and 421? I'm considering the same mics into my RNP.

[Mesa4x12er2]

Do you have phase problems using two mics?

nope. You just gotta listen through the headphones while you move the mics around. That and just get them the same distance from the source.

[AndyZ]

Thanks suparsonic! Which myspace page of mine? Got 3 with a ton of musical junk on em... A lot of the CHIME tunes are using that combination in many spots. Lemme know which tune and I can give you the exact details on guitar stuff.

Hey being from Melbourne, familiar with a band down under there called The Wellingtons? We just did some dates with them here in Los Angeles no too long ago.