Sennheiser e 604

There are great things about these microphones if used and placed properly. They are proximity microphones and I ran a comparison at my studio, www.chrilieckstudios.com, and Remember I grew up as a professional engineer using 420 mics on toms only. The Sennheiser 420s are the best tom mic ever produced, however I must say that this microphone is the closest I have tested and at the price there is not a microphone for toms that is better.

They don't have the attack at 3.5K to 4.5K that I need, but that is a quick fix with a simple one band EQ boost. However if the drummer hits the toms hard (like you should have them do at all times) the mic will provide enough attack to cut through the mix. We test mics and gear all the time as my engineers work at The Guitar Center so we have gear at the studio all the time. They provide a good bump at about 200hz so if you like that bump (I don't I remove all the low mids on my toms) these mics will provide you a deep low mid tone.

OVERALL OPINION

I would not use this mic for snare except for in a live environment. They don't have the attack at 3.5K to 4.5K that I need, but that is a quick fix with a simple one band EQ boost. We test mics and gear all the time as my engineers work at The Guitar Center so we have gear at the studio all the time. I have been doing this for 30 years so I am aware of what microphones sound good. I say if you have a studio and you are looking for a Tom Tom Microphone, this is the only professional line of tom tom mics I would buy. I have a set of them on the toms now and have done 40 records with these mics. You will have limited uses of these microphones. They are not good for much else besides the tom toms. They do not do well in other application modes but if you want exclusive microphones for your tom toms, and you are on a limited budget.

Back in December we ordered the e604 3 Pack for drum recording. The e604 is a smaller microphone that is very portable and reliable. Its small and flexible enough that you can move it around pretty quickly and easily from drum to drum. The e604 sound its best when used on a snare and the larger toms. It comes with a clip so you can get it pretty close to the source (drum head). The e604 is better than most of the Shure SM line of drum microphones because of the sound quality and the price. I was able to get the 3 pack of the e604’s for 350 dollars last year. We have been using them a lot since then and never had any issues with them. There is no feedback and the amount of noise is very low. I have never used the e604 in a live setting, mainly just in a recording studio or home setting.


OVERALL OPINION

The sound quality of the e604 is very good when used in certain situations. I don’t think it’s a very good microphone for some of the smaller toms, but for the larger floor toms it is great, and the snare. I am happy that I spent the money to get three of these. We can move them around very quick, and it’s a huge plus that it comes with the clip. I have tried many other similar microphones and some of them where pretty good, but they cost a lot more than the Sennheiser e604. If you are looking for a great drum microphone then look no further. The e604 is a must have if you are a drummer looking to record simultaneously. I don’t recommend getting just one of these, you mine was well get the 3 pack and save money rather than just buying one separate. You will be able to mic your whole set up quickly.

The Sennheiser e604 is a small diaphragm dynamic mic made for clipping onto drums and other percussive instruments. I am a student, musician, writer, and pretty good line dancer residing in beautiful Nashville, TN. I've been a drummer and guitar player on and off for the past 10 years of my life and have began engineering and producing in the past 4. I currently play drums for the band Brookline and you can see me rockin' an Orange County Drum and Percussion or Mapex kit decked out with Zildjian K Hybrids.

Our studio bought this three pack for right around $350.00 about 3 years ago from Sweetwater. We were looking to build our mic catalog in a new studio at a Recording Arts College in Nashville, TN.

<a href="https://www.sweetwater.com">https://www.sweetwater.com</a>

These mics are very convenient and clip right onto toms, snare, congas, ect. They have a pretty good response and ton on toms smaller than right around 14'. These are great in live situations, especially for venues that will change drum kits 4 times a night - easy to take down and set up - no mic stands, just small clips compatible with all types of rims.

These mics lack low end definition making them not so good for studio application. They also tend to pick up a long of vibration from the rims and have a rather high self-noise. Great live, though!

These little mics are tough and the clips included are thick plastic and can stand the test of time. They are definitely made to take hits from drums sticks and only suffer a few minor bruises. We all know how crazy drummers can get!

Bottom Line? Great for live applications and very convenient for quick set ups and a reliable sound. Not so hot in the studio because of its inability to really grab that thick low-end sound you look for in your toms, especially the floors. Great deal for the price and perfect for the start-up studio on a budget.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Sennheiser E 604 is a dynamic microphone that you can place on the inside of a piano or even on the floor. Its design is unique and allows it to pick up a great deal of specific sound. I have only used this microphone in the studio, as I believe that is the intended use for the microphone, but one could definitely use it in a live setting if they wanted to.


OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Sennheiser E 604 for about two years and I have found them to be quite useful in a number of different situations. The main use I have for the PZM 30D is to place it inside or on the top of a grand or upright piano. This picks up a lot of detail from the piano and will also isolate it really well if you have other instruments in the room that you do not want to bleed into it. I have also found this useful when recording noise or talking in a room if you place it on the floor as it will pick up everything in the room. The price of these is really reasonable for such a useful microphone. Having a pair of these is great and I use them all the time when recording piano and even sometimes for recording a Leslie speaker cabinet with a Hammond B3 organ. While these aren't the most versatile mics out there, as they can only be used for a few different applications, having them around is more than useful and they can really come in handy for the things it is good at. I can't think of any other type of PZM microphone that I could compare this to, as this mic is pretty unique. Overall I highly recommend these microphones for professional and home studios alike as they are great sounding and incredibly useful.