Just bought some 421s and need some real stupid help...

[chonchball]

I know those of you who know the answer to this are gonna smack your head and be like "holy dumbass" but I've researched as much as I can to no avail, and even tried A/Bing the MD421 on toms and guitar and couldn't tell what I was hearing in the difference that was right or wrong (due to it's rather unique rejection pattern)

On to my question...
Now my assistant who graduated from Full Sail says that it captures sound from the "front" as in its front is the FACE of the mic, so it would be pointing at a cab or a tom or a person's face with the fat side towards the source...

Other people I've talked to say that the mic pics up from the "front" as in the front is the TOP side of the mic and that you'd aim it long ways like it's a 57 or something (even though there's an OBVIOUS strip of casing plastic over the top)

When I put it on toms with either of the fat sides it sound pretty good and like it's rejecticing the cymbals, when i face it the way that's supposed to be "right" (like a 57) it sounds like it loses the attack, but still rejects nicely...

The manual seems to completely skip over it's physical shape and just shows it's polar patterns.

In google photos I see it pointing both ways on things like drums, saxophones, cabs, etc...

I'd just like for someone who owns a mic and knows where the "face" of it is to give me a straight answer on it, cuz I'm n00bly confused.

 

[Melodeath]

I'm pretty sure the 421 is front address, not side address. In other words, the "top"

Here's a pic

 

[chonchball]

Thank you, that's what i thought, but I didn't take it apart (duhhh...) I would have asked pretty simply if it was front or side, but due to my confusion and the way the mic is mounted, I wasn't even sure which was the "front" or "the side"

As a side note, does it not seem strange to you that the grill's enclosure basically covers the capsule of the mic?

 

[KeithRT99]

a general rule is that whatever part of a mic that has the brand emblem is the buisness end. the 421 says sennheiser on that part of the grill.

 

[Melodeath]

Thank you, that's what i thought, but I didn't take it apart (duhhh...) I would have asked pretty simply if it was front or side, but due to my confusion and the way the mic is mounted, I wasn't even sure which was the "front" or "the side"

As a side note, does it not seem strange to you that the grill's enclosure basically covers the capsule of the mic?

Yes, the 421 design has always seemed a bit odd to me. But, they designed the mic with that sort of plastic piece/grille in mind, obviously, so that's just the way it's supposed to be, weird looks aside.

 

[chonchball]

a general rule is that whatever part of a mic that has the brand emblem is the buisness end. the 421 says sennheiser on that part of the grill.

I definitely follow that rule. I always have to check my at4040 to make sure it didn't spin around in its shock mount... there's just no logo anywhere on my 421s to reference. i was really thrown for a loop on these things!

 

[grywolf627]

Just pretend the 421 is a funky retro looking ray gun/phaser from Star Trek...and aim it at what you're recording...you can't go wrong.

 

[chonchball]

that was trial and error #6!

 

[JeffTD]

Wait so your Full Sail certified n00b-ineer suggested using this thing like a condy? Wow, that school sucks dick!

 

[chonchball]

exactly why i never went to school... he has defintely shown me a lot of cool protools stuff that they make you learn though. and he's getting hands on with real projects. definitely a sharp dude, but they hardly teach you anything practical there. i'm jealous of the consoles he got to play around with though, that's for damn sure.

 

[Melodeath]

I thought it was pretty prevalently believed that Full Sail was a joke, tbh.

 

[chonchball]

Honestly, the biggest reason it's a joke is moreso because the students that go there think that they are instantly going to be top producers or work on Halo 4 or something. They don't realize that the biggest part of this stupid business is building a clientele and gaining real world experience, not just getting a diploma

I had a nightmare session that was supposed to last 3 weeks , comprised of a band of 4 guys who all MET at Full Sail. They reallllllllly thought they knew it all, and started basically telling me that everything I was doing was wrong. It ended up being a 7 week session, and I'm still waiting to get paid for it, and we wrapped up in friggin February. They think they shouldn't have to pay cuz they are more competent than I. I don't know how to measure that notion, but they for damn sure used my facility for 7 weeks.

Topic deviance +1!