Finally set-up a couple of mics to record my Custom Audio 1x12 w/ Emimence Governor... sounds great! Mic #1: Sennheiser MD 421 to a PreSonus Eureka Mic #2: Sennheiser e609 to a Joe Meek VC3 The 421 covers most of the low and high end frequencies. The e609 has a more mid-range tone that's probably created using the VC3... I expected it to be more brighter than the 421. Blended together creates a very full and rich tone from my Naylor!! I'll try to get some sound clips together... but I have to re-record some guitar tracks I already laid down first!
Interesting, the e609 sounds more scooped to my ears, when compared to a SM57 at least. Of course, a lot will depend on mic position, etc. And the Meek stuff has a lot of coloration, so I hear. Where were you positioning the 609 and 421?
The e609 'dangles' from the top of the speaker cabinet. Off center about 1" directly facing the speaker. The Joe Meek Pre definitely has a lot to do with the more mid-rangy tone. The MD 421 is also off center about 1" at about a 35-40 degree angle, but it sits further back from the speaker at about 1" from the speaker grill. The speaker grill is removed. Eventually, it would be great to have a pair of Eureka's, but for right now, this is the best tone I've gotten to date.
Your positioning of the 421 is a good one in my experience. By angling you attenuate the harsher high end emanating from the speaker center. Are you using the older Meek model, or the new one manfactured by the new owner? I've always wanted an old version british channel for electric guitar tracking. When I finally decided to buy one new from GC, the company changed ownership and all Meek gear was removed from inventory. Now I'm interested in whether the new models live up to the Meek reputation.
I got the VC3 (half rack) when the Joe Meek products first came out, so you can say it 1st generation. I recorded mostly vocals with it at first, and IMO it handle those duties well. The vocalist has such a killer voice that I could have gone through any preamp and it would have sounded good. Using the VC3 with the Eureka seems like a nice match. The pair compliment each other and produce a nice fat sound. If you can find a good one on ebaY, the VC3s are very moderately priced... about $150 on the high side. I tried some of the higher end Joe Meek preamps, but believe it or not... I didn't like their sound as good as the VC3.
I definitely hear more midrange in the 421. But if positioning changes that for you then that's cool. I generally never got a sound out of a 421 on a guitar cab that I could totally rely on with my current rig.But it is a very good mic that does a great job on tom toms and bass guitar cabinets. For anyone looking for some beef out of a dynamic mic, I'd like to mention that I get phenominal results from the audio technica atm 29he. It is somewhat similar to a Sennheiser E609 but the ATM29 is fantastic on tom toms and really really balanced on guitar cabinets. I have combined an ATM29 with the Senn 421 to get some good combined sounds.
Paul- Very interesting... might have to try that combination out! Right now I'm really digging the 421 and e609!
