Sennheiser MD421

The MD 421 (now version II) is a fantastic microphone from Sennheiser. This microphone has been around for at least 35 years, with early models appearing as far back as 1960. In fact, it’s likely one of the most popular microphones (up there with the SM57).

Cost: $399.95

Capsule: Dynamic

Polar response pattern: Cardioid

Uses: Sennheiser says this microphone can be used on anything from a group of vocals to almost any instrument. However, I have most often seen it used as a tom microphone for the drum kit and an electric guitar microphone for an amplifier. These microphones work great on both of these applications.

Pros:

The 421 sounds incredible on many different instruments. It has a full low end for toms, and is able to smooth out the higher frequencies that may be coming through an electric guitar amplifier. Further, as it has been around for a long time, Sennheiser is not going to discontinue the manufacturing or support for this product.

Cons:

It has a large profile. If used as a drum microphone on the toms, the 421 can be very hard to work around at times. However, the biggest thing I (and many other people) have against this microphone is the microphone clip is awful. It comes with its own uniquely-designed microphone clip that snaps onto the bottom of the microphone. Yet, it falls off the clip more often than it should. Sennheiser has been making this microphone for at least 35 years and they still haven’t fixed the microphone clip.

Suggestions:

If your drums and guitars sound like they don't have enough low end/body, try putting one of these guys on it. I replaced an Audix D4 with this microphone for a floor tom, and it fixed many of the issues we were having with the sound.

Shure SM81

First making an appearance on the market in 1978, the Shure SM81 is a unidirectional condenser microphone. It has a very wide frequency range, low self noise, amazing gain before feedback, and comes equipped with a frequency roll off knob which allows you to select the kind of roll off pattern (high pass filter) applied to the microphone.

Cost: $349

Capsule: Condenser

Polar response pattern: Cardioid

Uses: Overhead cymbals, hi-hat, snare bottom, piano, acoustic guitar, choir, and more.

Pros:

Very low self noise and very high gain before feedback. The frequency roll off knob allows this microphone to be very versatile, and as with many Shure microphones, is going to give a very reliable sound. Also, it is very sturdy. I almost always worry about dropping microphones, but I have dropped the SM81 quite a few times and it still works as it was designed to. This microphone would be a great condenser microphone purchase for a mobile church.

Cons:

Almost none. There are other condensers that sound better for certain applications (AKG 414 sound better on many things, for example), but the SM81 is a great microphone. I've rarely encountered any issues with this microphone.

Comments:

This is one of my personal favorite workhorse condenser microphones. While there are some better microphones on the market (and some that sound better), the SM81 has a good, reliable sound. It has proven to be a go-to microphone for many engineers over the last 40+ years, especially in live production.

Shure KSM137

Very similar in ways to the SM81, the Shure KSM137 is a cardioid condenser microphone. It was originally designed as a studio microphone, but made its way into the live world.

Cost: $299

Capsule: Condenser

Polar response pattern: Cardioid

Uses: Hi-hat, snare bottom, piano, acoustic guitar, percussion, choir, wind instruments, and more.

Pros:

The KSM137 is a very versatile microphone that can capture and reproduce high frequencies very well. As with the SM81, it comes with a high pass filter switch, but additionally has an option to apply a pad to the microphone.

This microphone is also very durable, as seems to be the Shure standard. This is a great pick for a mobile church, even better than the SM81.

Cons:

It doesn't have as good of a sound as the SM81 for certain applications (cymbals, snare bottom) but then out performs the SM81 on other instruments (electric amp, wind instruments). While it has good gain before feedback, it is not as good as the SM81.

Comments:

Because of its low self noise, it works very well on acoustic instruments by capturing their wide dynamic range and amplifying it without too much background noise. While I like the SM81 better, I have personally used this microphone on so many different applications, but most often as a cymbal microphone.

AKG C414

The AKG C414 is an amazing microphone. It is a multi-pattern condenser microphone, meaning that you can switch the pickup pattern of the microphone itself. It also comes with a decibel (dB) attenuation pad (-6dB, -12dB, and -18dB), and has three different high pass filter options (similar to the Shure SM81 and KSM137). The current models of C414 are the XLII and the XLS.

Cost: $1099

Capsule: Condenser

Polar response pattern: Multi-pattern (switchable)

Uses: It can be used on so many different things, but most often I have used these as overhead cymbal microphones, room mics, acoustic guitar mics for acoustic sets, electric guitar amp mics. I’ve even used a stereo pair to mic an orchestra.

Pros:

Cons:

The only thing I have against this microphone is that it is expensive. Other than that, it is an amazing sounding microphone for almost any application.

Comments:

The original model of the C414 was introduced in the 1970’s (with its predecessor the C12 being introduced in the mid 1950’s). It has undergone a lot of changes over its 50+ year history. Due to these changes and different models being released, there was some disagreement as to which model sounded better. Due in part to this disagreement, AKG started manufacturing two different C414 microphones. The C414 XLII harks back to the C12 sonic structure (a darker sound), whereas the XLS series harks back to the C414B of the mid 70’s (added high frequency for intelligibility). The XLII may be better for higher frequency instruments (cymbals), where the XLS is more designed for vocals, guitars, or intelligibility.

Whichever one you decide to purchase, the C414 is going to be an amazing sounding microphone for your situation.

DPA 4099

The DPA 4099 is a very versatile microphone that sounds fantastic on almost anything you put it on. It is a supercardioid condenser microphone that is able to handle very high levels of SPL and has good gain before feedback.

Cost: $619.95

Capsule: Condenser

Polar response pattern: Supercardioid

Uses: Acoustic guitars, violins, cellos, horns, and even a drum kit (specifically the snare top, toms, and hi-hat).

Pros: Very low profile, highly versatile, great sounding microphone. Depending on use, the only additional purchase needed is a mount for the instrument you want to mic. Relatively inexpensive for a microphone of this quality.

Cons:

These microphones are relatively delicate, so you need to be careful with them. Also, having to purchase an additional clip if you want to use it on a different instrument isn't ideal.

Comments:

DPA is known for having a very flat frequency response curve on their microphones. Unlike the other microphones we've talked about, there are very few frequency boosts or cuts for this microphone. While it will shape the sound, it won't alter it as much as other microphones, resulting a very consistent sound.

The 4099 comes in two different versions: the loud SPL version and the extreme SPL version. Which one you pick is based off of what instrument you will be utilizing this microphone for. If you are utilizing this for drums or for bass, you would want to purchase the extreme version. The loud model is used for almost any other instrument.

This microphone hasn’t been around for a long time, but has quickly proven itself in the live and recording world. Its current price is approximately $620. This price includes the cost for a clip or mount which will need to be purchased depending upon what instrument is miked.

DPA

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