Sennheiser 421's & tom skins....

[Glenn Fricker]

Hey gang,

I posted this over on Gearslutz as well, but I'm hoping to get some feedback from the headbangers too.

Today, I upgraded my tom mics from e604's to the MD-421 II mic. After a battery of A/B tests, well, it wasn't even close. To say the 421's slaughtered the e604's is akin to saying the battle of Thermopylae had a 'few' casualties.
Here's the real question though: The 421's transient response is far more pronounced than the 604's. I've spent years trying to get some cool transients out of my toms (DW Collector's maple) and currently have Remo Clear Emperors on them. Now they seem perhaps a little too 'edgy' due to the 421's superior response.
I do a lot of thash/death/speed metal, so I'm curious if anyone has some suggestions for tom beater skins for a nice set of DW's?

 

[unsilpauly]

one of the nicest tom sounds ive ever recorded were dw maple drums with md421 II's and evans g2s on top and the dw heads on the bottom. i know tons of people swear by remo heads, but i always struggle with them. g2s always seem to work for me so much easier and faster. if you havent tried them, i would give them a serious try. g2s with a moongel sound great. zuess turned me on to evans g2s and i havent been disappointed with them yet.

 

[KeithRT99]

i love coated remo's on toms.

 

[greyskull]

coated evans

 

[Pman]

atm i use coated remo pinstripes on all 5 toms
they give a nice meaty sound, and so would assume they work well with a good response tracking mic

i would prefer to get clear or coated emperors in the future, and use my O rings, for a more precise attack sound (as i currently mix my toms via the overheads) but for the moment, i am happy with the pinstripe coated

also these tom heads will sustain wear and tear very well

 

[AudioPhile777]

atm i use coated remo pinstripes on all 5 toms...

Ass To Mouth?

Is that a new drumming technique?

 

[2012]

421s rule!

Very few new products that come out on the market surpass the useability of the studio staples that have been used throughout the years, i.e. SM57, MD421, SM7, etc.

I like e604s, and if that's all I had, I wouldn't feel slighted at all. They sound great on toms, and their clip-on design is quick and handy. But when it comes to 421s on toms, I haven't heard a mic yet that I'd choose over them.

You might try one of those 604s on snare and like it.

 

[Pman]

Ass To Mouth?

Is that a new drumming technique?

at the moment

 

[Glenn Fricker]

You might try one of those 604s on snare and like it.

Been there, done that. NEXT!


Anyway, thanks to everyone for the feedback....


-0z-

 

[~BURNY~]

Hey glenn,
since you love that old school vibe ala british steel , I thought this could be interesting:
Kit pieces listing
Rec notes
Clips Programming sucks though... Demos 3 to 9 are uke:
Pictures
This is a new BFD library but the point is you can check the piece listing and recording notes and listen to the corresponding clips.
Toms are recorded with 421's with various skins. Andy Johns is a legend and those drums -sampled or not- sound amazing (especially Kit 1).
Hope it helps.

 

[MR NINE]

Evans G2 Coated on top, G1 clear bottom!
Fat punchy toms!!!

 

[joeymusicguy]

i just got md421's in my studio and so far i notice a really weird 4khz lift in cymbal bleed, its annoying as hell, and means i'll be dragging in tom samples for this whole cd