md 421 or audix d series?

G

gross115

New member
So I'm in the market for some new mics to record toms with. From my understanding up to this point the sennheiser md 421 seems to be the quintessential tom mic, and is pretty good with guitar cabs as well. But at about $400 a pop, they're a little pricey...not out of my range, but I'm wondering if a mic like the audix d-2 which is supposed to be pretty good as well and only about $120 a piece a worthy substitute? Anyone have any opportunities to play around with both? What could I expect from either mic?

Also any opinions on what's a good mic for a hi-hat...I've been using whatever extra dynamic mic I'll have laying around after doing my drum setup...but I'm thinking I should probably get a condensor for it. Or maybe get a new set of overheads and use one of my audix f-15s on the hi - hat?

I'd love to hear whatever opinions you got on this.
 
I have used both extensively. I love the 421. It is THE tom sound of the 70's and 80's. And today too....but they are not forgiving as far as placement on the kit. You MUST have a drummer who is willing and able to move the kit around a bit to accomodate the size and shape of the mic.

As for the D2 Audix.....they are one of the best mic values there is. Indestructible, great sounding, easy placement, tight pattern, EQ friendly, what else could you want? Try one on a heavy distorted guitar sometime. Killer.

I own several.

As for hihats its all about the cymbals....size and weight make much more difference than the mic. Personally I like the old AKG D1000 for hats. Dont really have a reason except you can still get em for $40 on the net or some used gear store. They dont sound particularly good except for the hat............YMMV
 
The 421 has a great sound but yeah, it's a real pain to set up sometimes. Works great on 4 pc kits when the drummer has no cymbals by the tom. The 421 is just a great mic to have in your cabnet. I've not uesed the D2 for toms but I do own two Audix I5 mics for toms. They are small and sound good. I usually use the D6 on kick and floor tom. I would like to hear if there is much difference between the D2 and I5 on toms. As for Hi Hat i never use a mic on them. I get all I need from the overheads. My set up has two 414's as OH but I've used everything from MXL 603 to Niants to 4040's. Never had a problem getting the Hi Hat to sound good.
 
I have a 421 but no Audix D-2. I do have a D-6 and 3 of the I-5. I think the 421 is a Great mic. It even sounds good on close up acoustic guitar and some vocals. It's my main Guitar Cab mic now. I have the 441 too and it's become my main snare mic and it also does well on acoustic guitar and vox (some).

With that said... I don't think the difference between the 421 and D-2 on TOMs will make much of a difference on your Overall Recording (finished Product). I also don't know what you record... if it's a solo progressive drummer, yeah it would make a difference, but that difference doesn't mean good or bad just different. How much Tom work is happening in the music you record?

If it's just for Toms I'd buy the D-2 if I were you and try and borrow a 421 to do some tests... if that's not possible. Buy one of each... if you decide the D2 works good then you could use the 421 on a Floor Tom or Guitar cabs. Or sell the one you like least and ...

One thing to remember... those albums you here from the 70s & 80s... the 421 is there picking up a great sounding Tuned kit in a nice room and then going through a sweet Pre and Compressor. If they had the D2 back then I'm sure those engineers would have made equally as good recordings with their Tools.

For the record... I got my Audix Package (one D6, three I-5, with Tom Mounts and 4 20' cables) for about $400. The I5s have been working fine on toms and maybe one day I'll get a few more 421 (or after reading this thread, D2 :D )but until then I don't feel I'm being held back by not having "The" Tom Mic.

Good Luck,
B.
 
The D2 is bit 'fuller' sounding on toms than the 421. NOT better, just a shade more lowend.

I would never equate the D4 with a 421. It really has some serious lowend punch which the 421 has always lacked a lot of. The 421 is very good on the lowend.....smooth,articulate, creamy even.....but not a thick heavy lowend.

These are two different animals from the git-go.

On lighter rock, country, standards, etc, I use the D4 inside at the beater and an LDC outside on kik. I like it on low toms especially 18" and larger drums. It will articulate and not lose the lowend. Its also a very honest mic and if your tunings not up to snuff it'll show you whats wrong.

A good studio should have three sets of tom mics.....my opinion only........Sm57's, 421's and Audix D series in several different flavors. They are all voiced differently. Currently I'm liking the D1 for my under snare mic. Its lack of high sensitivity makes it good for cancelling phasing problems that can occur. I use an i5 on top or a unidyne III SM57. I also like the Beyer 201 on the snare.


Booda. If you truly like the i5 on toms the D2 will blow you away. But I would tend to think the i5 is the Audix that is a bit more like a 421 than anything else. At least on the 'music' setting on the 421 its similar.
 
I'd try a C451 for HH if you're in the market for a HH mic. That's what ends up on hat almost always for me.

As for toms, yeah, the 421's are great, but recently I switched to LDC condensers - the CAD 177's. I use the 177's cause I got a killer deal on them, but the 179's are really the ticket because they have a hypercard pattern. The 177's are card only. They have a little more attack, and much deeper extention in the lows then the 421's, and what I like about them the most is the musicality of the off axis sound. MUCH niceer than 421's. I never feel the need to duck or gate the tom mics nearly as much anymore. I still will use the 421's at times though.
 
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