Sennheiser Pro Audio Sennheiser Professional MK 4 Cardioid Condenser Studio Microphone

I am a drummer and currently a student at the Berklee College of Music. I do a lot of self production for myself and my band, and I have to say that this is probably the most convenient microphone I've used so far within my budget. I mostly record rock, but have also worked with more acoustic genres like solo piano and jazz as well.The MK4 really shines (no pun intended) when tracking vocals and acoustic piano - it required no additional EQ'ing, and only a slight compression for them to really blend well in a mix. The mic seems to be pre-EQ'd to have a slight boost in the high frequencies which gives it a pleasant "shimmer," and has a very warm and round sounding low end.Using a pair of these as overhead mics were a bit tricky though. The mic and the Sennheiser MKS 4 Shockmount for MK 4 Microphone (which is an excellent suspension mount by the way) together was a bit heavy for the stands, and tipped over once while I was tracking drums and slammed into one of the rims of my drums. I had to place a sandbag on the boom stand legs to counterbalance it for it to reach over my kit. There was only a cosmetic scratch where it landed, and the mic's sound quality was not affected at all - a huge plus to Sennheiser for making this mic so rugged.As for how these sound as overhead drum mics, I found that because of that slight boost in the high frequencies, the capsule didn't react very well to certain crash cymbals and chinas, but rolling off at 10KHz and compression in Pro Tools EQ fixed that and gave me a pleasing contemporary rock sound. However, if you're looking for a very natural/unprocessed sound for drums, I would either use these as room mics instead of overheads, or cover the mics themselves with a thin fabric or foam cover to filter out the brittleness it picks up from louder cymbals, and you would be good to go!In conclusion, while it is certainly not THE perfect large diaphragm mic, the sound is very comparable to mics of this design that run upwards of $3000... but for only a tenth of the price. With a little tweaking in your DAW, these mics can handle almost anything. I would recommend this to any musician looking to record projects on a budget - the price is manageable, the sound is clean and bright, and the mic can stand up to abuse of a working musician's life fairly well.

The build is mostly metal (I believe the base is a black plastic of some sort). No switches (which I prefer), no multiple pickup patterns, the mesh grille is quite rigid, essentially just a plain looking condenser mic with beautiful sound qualities. I like the champagne colored finish, but more importantly, the sound is smooth, bright, and has low self noise. Using my MOTU M2 audio interface, it picks up my spoken word very well when the gain is set to about 11 AM. If I want it to be more sensitive (if I am further away) I can set it to 1 PM and it still is well composed. Use a pop filter or foam windscreen to reduce the plosives, although it isn't bad at all especially if you speak into the mic at a slight angle. The quality of the build + sound is truly remarkable at this price point. I got the Sennheiser branded shock mount and a third party foam windscreen to complete the setup.

I like this microphone. It isn't really any better than any other mic in the price range of around $300. I have many microphones in my home studio. I can't say that this one really stands out in any way. It has a nice clear sound, that is a little on the treble-ish end in my opinion. They say to find the right mic for your voice, and I don't really think this one is the one for me.Like I said, I am definitely not saying that this mic is bad or not worth $300. It just isn't anything incredible as far as microphones go. However, it is very well made and I like that it feels like a quality made microphone. It is something that is worth checking out if you have a little extra cash. Maybe it will be the microphone for your vocal tone and pitch and all that.

The Mk4's are my third pair of "economical" overhead microphones for recording drums in a non-professional studio setting. These are replacing a pair of Audix ADX51s which are still outstanding for recording or live application, but the MK4s just seem to capture a more balanced spectrum of the plethora of sounds produced by a larger drum set with many toms, cymbals, bells and chimes. I started with a single MK4 to use as a mono room mic but during test recording I was so impressed with the balanced sound I decided to get a second one and use these for overheads.The MK4 does not have a db pad or bass roll off filter but Sennheiser's specs say it will tolerate 140 db and I can EQ at the board or in the DAW.If you are still reading/interested, my first pair of overheads were a set of Audio Technica Pro-37Rs which got plenty of live and studio use. The improvement from the Pro-37R to the Audix is how I perceive going from the Audix to the MK4 for overhead use. I have not used this mic for any other instruments but I would feel comfortable putting it in the same league as an AT-4033 or 4050 but my impression is that it is a bit warmer with maybe less sizzle than the ATs - but I always found the AT-40 series a bit too crisp.

The MK4 microphone I purchased has a UBS interface and can be directly connected to a mobile phone and laptops. However, after receiving it, I found that it is different from the pictures in the promotion. Please explain and refund.