Hey guys, I need two mics for recording toms and my guitar cab; given it some thought and I think I would like either the beyerdynamics or the sennheisers. Anyone have experience with em? Which one do you favor more for these applications? I know EVERYONE uses the 421 for toms but I'm maybe a little bit more concerned about guitar and have heard great things about the M88 on cabs. Soo what do all of you think? THANKSheh

M88s sound freaking great on guitar amps. I've almost never sat in the control room thinking "the M88 doesn't sound right" on electric guitar. 421s (for me) are hit or miss, sometimes I sit there and think, yeah cool, other times "that's not even in the ballpark."



*disclaimer the M88 is my favorite microphone made.

You can´t go wrong with either of those mikes. Both are classics.

I'll put in another vote for the M88 - it's one of my all time favourite mics; possibly my very favourite dynamic.

the M88 is a great, EXTREMELY versatile mic .... floor tom, bass drum, bass cabs, guitar cabs, sax (yes I prefer it to the EV RE-20 for baritone and tenor sax), and not to forget: lead vocals - some of the BEST rejection I ever heard on any mic .. my secret weapon when recording singer / songwriters playing grand piano or acoustic guitar simultaneously while singing (which is what I often want to do for intimate ballads etc): literally no bleed! and very close to a condenser in sound, great high end for a dynamic ...

in my opinion the 421 is great on toms, good on guitar cabs (though not anywhere near the magic of a Sennheiser MD 409) ... but nothing for bass drum, and pale on bass cabs and vocals .. just my thoughts / opinions ..

I love my M88 too, but I have the old M88N version with a din conector. I use it on bass, guitars, toms in the studio and for my own lead vocals live. I've never tried one of the new ones - how do they compare?

I have both, between those 2 i like better the M88N for e guitar, nice low end and body, and with a sennheiser e906 the guitar sound is just so good.

Only you will know what YOU will like better but... a 421 (used old and new ones) will give you what you want most of the time - sometimes it's a bit 'screechy' on guitar cabs.
The M88 is rarely wrong on anything. You could track a whole album with them, overheads, hihat, vocals, bass, kickdrum... it's flat, in a good way.

M88.

This is almost exactly what I was going to post, except to add that the M88 is also great on guitars and floor tom.

M88.

Try it on Glockenspiel, AK47 rifle, the sound of crushing plastic bottles for percussion or micing a plate full of french cheese. One of those mics who love you.

Don't care for the 421. The M88 lives on the bass cab, but I would use it just about in any application.

+1. I wouldn't want to live in a world without M88s!

I own both. M88 on kick is beautiful. I describe the m88 to me is very very smooth and soft in the top, But rather dark. It's been somewhat boxy on vocals for me.

The 421. I love more than grandma's fresh baked homemade pies. On pretty much everything. Juicy and natural. Set and forget.

I realize I'm in the minority here but, that's the way I feel.

I love the Sennheiser 421 on live vocals. I find it warmer in the high mids than a 58 or 57, which are brighter. Would the M88 be warmer or brighter than the 421 in the high mids?

I like ribbons as they are flatter in the highs... But need a dynamic live... Which mic is flatter in the 2-5k range? M88 or 421?

Thanks for your reports!

M88 and 421 sound totally different .. Put both in a kick drum and you will see for your self - use 421 on toms but there are many other choices - the 421 tom debate reminds me of the NS10 debate

I know this thread is a bit of an old bump...but figured I would mention we have these two fairly shot out on the same session on the same sources in our Clipalator.

I know which one I would choose...

War

Thanks a lot, warhead! Appreciate the resource -- really useful.

I think I got a vibe of the Beyerdynamic m88 from your Clipalator. Sounds like it is very, very mid-rangy and bright (maybe that's the singer too?), but also has lows.

The Sennheiser 421 clip you have though... it captures the character of the mids and highs of the mic, but you guys must have recorded those with all the bass rolled off? The 421 can sound really big and warm when it is set closer to (or on) "M" and further from "S" speech. I use it without the high pass filter engaged... in your clip, the shure sm57 sounds warmer and bigger than the 421... and the 421 is much warmer than a 57 without all the bass cut off.

I am again reviving this thread because I've narrowed my mic choice for a versatile dynamic mic for low end sources between these two mics, like bass cab, but also work well on guitar, toms, kick, etc. TBH, I was leaning towards the m88, it seems to be unanimous on here that the m88 is the way to go, but in the clipalator, to my ears at least, ESPECIALLY on guitar cab, the 421 II sounded way better. Smooth, warm, present. Idk. Now idk what the hell to do. Warren, I know you suggested the Heil pr 40, but based on your clipalator it seems like that would excel more one the low end but maybe not be as versatile? It's hard to tell because they all sound relatively similar.

Warren, what WOULD you choose between the 421 mk II and the m88?

The M88 consistently works on more sources, especially guitar amps. 421s are great, but I find them hit or miss on guitar amps.