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moosers
Published on 04/12/10 at 17:25
The Sennheiser MD 441 is a dynamic microphone that I have experience with in the recording studio. It is in the same vein as the classic MD 421, although it doesn't share the same sound and the 441 seems to be a bit more versatile. I don't know if this would sound good for live shows, but I stray away from using it on the stage since it isn't very cheap and isn't exactly designed for this sort of use. The mic has a super cardioid polar pick up pattern, so it is great for aiming it directly at something without picking up too much sound around it. Like the MD 421, the MD 441 also has a five point bass roll off switch, with the letters "S" and "M" on each of the sides, standing for "music" or "speech." It also has a treble boost on it as well. While the mic feels pretty light, it is quite sturdily built.
OVERALL OPINION
I've only had the chance to use the Sennheiser MD 441 in a few different scenarios, but many engineers that I have talked to speak very highly about this microphone in terms of it's versatility. The applications that I have used it for are for both the top and the bottom of a snare drum. Mostly, I used it on the bottom with a Shure SM57 on the top, but also experimented with using the 441 on the top as well. I found that it worked quite well for both applications, but in the end I did like the sound of the SM57 on the top of the snare best and found that the MD 441 was best suited for the bottom. I haven't yet had a chance to try the MD 441 on other drums like tom toms, but would think it would be good for them as well, as is the case with the MD 421s. If you own or have access to a Sennheiser MD 441, I definitely recommend trying it on all sorts of applications to see what will work best for it, which is something I plan on doing as soon as I am able as I believe it will sound great for most applications. The MD 441 is definitley not as readily available as the MD 421, but you can find them around. They will however cost a good amount more. All in all the Sennheiser MD 441 is a very high quality dynamic microphone that should be treated as so.
OVERALL OPINION
I've only had the chance to use the Sennheiser MD 441 in a few different scenarios, but many engineers that I have talked to speak very highly about this microphone in terms of it's versatility. The applications that I have used it for are for both the top and the bottom of a snare drum. Mostly, I used it on the bottom with a Shure SM57 on the top, but also experimented with using the 441 on the top as well. I found that it worked quite well for both applications, but in the end I did like the sound of the SM57 on the top of the snare best and found that the MD 441 was best suited for the bottom. I haven't yet had a chance to try the MD 441 on other drums like tom toms, but would think it would be good for them as well, as is the case with the MD 421s. If you own or have access to a Sennheiser MD 441, I definitely recommend trying it on all sorts of applications to see what will work best for it, which is something I plan on doing as soon as I am able as I believe it will sound great for most applications. The MD 441 is definitley not as readily available as the MD 421, but you can find them around. They will however cost a good amount more. All in all the Sennheiser MD 441 is a very high quality dynamic microphone that should be treated as so.