Sennheiser MD 441 U ... Thoughts?

[JohnWaynesTeeth]

I don't like my V67 on acoustic guitar, at least not on strumming. It gets real muddy, I would like something brighter and clearer. I realize it's not entirely the V67's fault, I've got the usual computer noise and so-so acoustics of recording in basically an office to blame as well.

I'm always browsing through the local music store at lunch, today I noticed an MD 441 U for $250. I looked online and the cheapest it goes for new is $617, so it looks like a good deal. The supercardiod pattern should help w/ room noise and the 5 way bass roll-off switch will give me more flexibility as well.

I have recorded on a friends MD 421 which I liked on my guitar. I know the standard response will be get a pair of 603's or other sd condensors, but the Sennheiser is a pretty high quality mic and I think it may fit my purposes. Anybody have experience with it? How does it compare/contrast to the MD 421? Does it look like a good price?

Thanks,
Pete

 

[Tom Cram]

YES! and NO!

I use that mic all the time for acoustic guitars. I would not describe it as brighter or clearer than the V67 at all. Just the opposite in fact, darker/rounder. It has a really nice upper-midrange quality that pokes out in mixes well. At $250 I would buy it anyway, it is one of the most versatile mics I own. I have used it on pretty much everything with great success. I most certainly paid a lot more than $250 for mine.

Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.
-Noam Chomsky-

 

[h kuhn]

Re: YES! and NO!

At $250 I would buy it anyway, it is one of the most versatile mics I own. I have used it on pretty much everything with great success. I most certainly paid a lot more than $250 for mine.

hm, so the 150$ I paid for mine were OK? It has a small tuchel, but looks like new...

 

[JohnWaynesTeeth]

Tom, thanks for the advice, I got it for $230. I was very happy with myself, and then I read H Kuhn's post. Thanks for raining on my parade you bastard .

It took me a little time, but I got a really nice guitar sound out of the mic. I'm very happy with it, of course I had to explain to the wife why I came home with a new mic when I've been explaining to her how important monitors are and how much they cost.

Tom, the only question I have is that the output of the MD 441 U is a good bit lower than my V67. I really have to crank my trim and level on my pre-amp to get a strong signal. Is this to be expected? I can't remember from reading on condensor vs dynamic mics.

 

[Tom Cram]

Yeah...

The output is a bit lower than a condenser. What you lose in volume you make up for in robustness. You can really hit that mic hard and it won't crap out. That is the beauty of mics like this (incl. the Shure SM7). They work really well for very dynamic vocalists cause they can take a hit and come back for more. Same goes for acoustic guitar, when you really start spankin', the mic doesn't care. I love this mic in case you haven't already noticed.

Don't worry about turning up your gains unless you are hearing way too much noise. People sometimes get hung up on where things SHOULD be instead of where they sound good. If it sounds good, don't sweat it.

Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.
-Noam Chomsky-