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The Sennheiser MD 421 is a front-address, dynamic voice-coil microphone. Featuring a cardioid polar pickup pattern, the transducer design used in the MD 421 is essentially unchanged since the microphone was first introduced in 1960.

Design:

In a dynamic microphone, sound is produced by the movement of a drum-like diaphragm capsule through a magnetic field. Since the sensitivity of the microphone is directly related to how easily the diaphragm can move in response to pressure from a sound wave, most dynamic microphone feature a relatively small, lighter-weight diaphragm. However, with a membrane diameter of 27 mm, the MD 421 is considered part of a rare breed of large-diaphragm dynamic microphones.

With a frequency response of 40-17,000 Hz, +/- 3 dB, the MD 421 surpassed what was previously considered the standard for high fidelity microphones at the time it was first produced in 1960. Its small size and excellent frequency response quickly made it a favorite for applications requiring a dynamic directional microphone. In this respect, the MD 421 is more like the capabilities one would expect from the capacitive transducer found in a condenser microphone. What was new was the squat design of the transducer system, in which the usual sound entry openings in the wall of the handle ("variable D system") could be omitted; Microphones of this type could be held only conditionally in the hand, without the directional effect waning and tonal discoloration occurred. The closed plastic handle and the stepped metal basket that protected the transducer system made the MD 421 ideally suited for reportage purposes.

Another technical peculiarity of the MD 421 was the humbucking coil: it is connected in anti-phase to the coil of the transducer system. Low-frequency interference fields (eg of magnetically unshielded mains transformers) are suppressed.

Also effective against low-frequency interference is the built-in "music / speech" filter, which will be discussed further below.

Equipment:

In addition to a table stand, wind protection devices made of nylon (Rycote) and later foam belong (s) to the accessories a tripod mount and temporarily a quick-change clamp.

Due to its unusual shape, the MD 421 can not be fixed with a standard stand clamp. The MD 421 includes a plug-in tripod mount. This is pushed into a groove on the bottom of the microphone and mechanically locked. For the use of the MD 421 as a vocal microphone, there was at times a so-called. Quick-change clamp with groove for the tripod mount.

Story:

MD 421 in the rehearsal room Like the model Sennheiser MD 21 with spherical directional characteristics, which was first produced in 1954, the MD 421 was advertised by the manufacturer as a studio microphone (catalog "Sennheiser-Revue 1968" ff.) Both microphones are still in the manufacturer's program. The temporarily produced successor types MD 22-U and 422-U could not prevail on the market.

Since its introduction in 1960, the MD 421 has been established in almost all areas of professional audio engineering, in particular the transmission technology of radio and television as well as the public address technology (PA).

To his success helped the microphone in addition to its sonic advantages also the above-mentioned "music / language filter". This high-pass proved itself both in use as a vocal microphone (suppression of the proximity effect) and in external transmissions and recordings with Uher-Report and Nagra III tape recorders, which did not have any impact sound filters. Handling noise and low-frequency road noise have been effectively reduced.

The charekteristische shaping of the MD 421 belonged until into the 90's into the appearance of countless television reports.

Due to its good transmission characteristics, the microphone was and is also popular in amateur bands and home recording.

Professionally, it is still used by journalists and in the production of all genres of underground music. The application areas of the MD 421 are mainly drums, guitar amplifiers, brass and percussion instruments. It represents a real "all-rounder" on stage like Studio, which, due to its lower sensitivity compared to the condenser microphone and the poorer pulse management, only one area of ​​use remains closed, namely as the main microphone for transmission and recording of serious music.

Trivia:

In 1966 Udo Jürgens won the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson (today European Song Contest) with the title "Merci Chérie". He sang in an MD 421. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11f7p_jIbF8

In 1971, almost the entire concert for Bangladesh by George Harrison was recorded with MD 421 microphones. In addition, it is to be seen in a live concert of the Beachboys (UNICEF concert) of 1967 as a vocal microphone.

Versions [ edit | Edit ] The microphone was manufactured in different variants:

- MD 421-2 with light gray / silver-colored housing and symmetrically wired, 3-pin screw-type connector to DIN 41624 (large-sized tissue)

- MD 421de Luxe with black housing, gold-colored objection and symmetrically connected, 3-pole screw-type plug to DIN 41524 (Kleintuchel)

- MD 421-N with light gray / silver-colored housing and symmetrically wired 3-pole screw-type plug to DIN 41524 (Kleintuchel)

- MD 421-HL with light gray / silver-colored housing and balanced / unbalanced switched plug according to DIN 41524 (Kleintuchel) and transformer for either high-impedance connection to amateur tape players and the like.

- MD 421-U, MD 521 "Blackfire" and the currently produced MD 421 II are virtually identical: black housing and symm. wired XLR connector. The versions 421 U4 and U5 differed by the thread on the (removable) tripod connection. Version U4 has an interchangeable thread, while U5 has a thread with a fixed 3/8 "dimension.

Music / Speech Filter

All MD 421 with Kleintuchel or XLR connector and between handle and connector have a knurled plastic ring, with which an adjustable inductive high pass (roll-off filter) can be operated, in position "S" (voice) the transmission of low frequencies dampens and in position "M" (music) is ineffective. The intermediate positions of this filter have been provided with a detent mechanism and markings since the 1970s.