MD421 Mic Clip issues

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KilledByAlbany
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MD421 Mic Clip issues

Post by KilledByAlbany » Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:36 pm

So I have an MD421 that has seen it's share of errant stickhits and the like....we'll just call it "well loved"... Anyhow, lately the mic clip has started to loosen up, to the point where I don't feel comfortable using it to support the weight of the mic on it's own anymore. I'm not terribly shocked, as it is probably the worst clip design in the history of human engineering. So I'm considering just giving in to frustration, and krazy gluing the whole thing solid, but before I do anything irreparable, I wanted to get some opinions and suggestions on less drastic methods of rectifying this headache. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Thanks.

nestle
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Post by nestle » Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:42 pm

yeah, I've had my share of the thing slipping out often too...glue, yeah good idea

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rhythm ranch
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Post by rhythm ranch » Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:56 pm

Scodiddly posted a solution a while ago:
Scodiddly wrote:...do you guys know about the special trick for keeping the mic on the clip? You can thread a safety pin through from front to back, right up where it fits into the mic. That locks it in place, so that you can't remove the mic at all.
See the whole thread on good mics with shitty clips here.

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Seamonster
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Post by Seamonster » Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:47 pm

I've got a pair of MD421 U5 without clips. Is my mind playing tricks on me, or do I recall an article in TapeOp, from maybe 5 years ago, that was about how to make your own cheap clip/mount for a 421?

It seems silly of Sennheiser that one has to pay like $25 for a clip that's well known to break so easily (or $45 for the shock mount). In contrast, I just bought a used Rode NTK -- cheap, since it didn't have the 7-pin cable -- and when I emailed Rode about where to find that cable they just sent me one free of charge (list price $60). And when the bands in my AT4047 mount died, AT actually FedEx'd new bands for free. So is Sennheiser's clip their secret cash cow, or what?

Anyway, was there an article on a home-rolled 421 clip or mount?

-- Hoagie

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Z MINOR SOUND
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Post by Z MINOR SOUND » Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:19 pm

I recently used black plastic resin to secure a clip in place. Of course part of the body had cracked around the spot where the clip slides in so the safety pin trick did no good. But then again I got it used for 145. Can't beat it.
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Mane1234
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Post by Mane1234 » Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:48 pm

I've always used those universal shock mounts for my 421s. They're going for 25 bucks a piece now too but at least you can use them for other things.
Of course I've had it in the ear before.....

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Seamonster
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Post by Seamonster » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:21 pm

Mane1234 -- which "universal mounts" are you referring to? The one for which I maybe recall seeing an ad in TapeOp -- or was that the DIY piece in T-Op that I seem to recall? (I thought what I saw was specifically for 421's.)

Meanwhile...
Andrew Nack wrote:...But then again I got it used for 145. Can't beat it.
Well, since you laid down the gauntlet, yes I can beat that! I just bought my two (without clips) through eBay for $166 *the pair*. A bit of a gamble, but it paid off.

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Z MINOR SOUND
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Post by Z MINOR SOUND » Fri Aug 31, 2007 12:01 am

Congratulations, that's a steal. The clips are faulty anyway.
I'm still stoked on what I paid, I have come close to spending 200 in the past.
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Mane1234
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Post by Mane1234 » Fri Aug 31, 2007 12:15 am

The one's I use come from www.shockmount.com
They could be a DIY project and I think they have been discussed here before.
Of course I've had it in the ear before.....

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Post by ledogboy » Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:08 am

I think I have 6 421's now, and it is rare to find one on a stand without gaff tape wrapped around it. Why bother tempting fate? Who knows, maybe the extra reinforcement makes the silly things last longer too! :lol:

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Seamonster
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Post by Seamonster » Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:36 am

Mane1234 -- thanks for the shockmount tip. The one on that site might be what I was thinking of as having been written up in TO awhile back. Didn't see any DIY aspect on the site though. It's coming back to me... the one in TO I'm thinking of involved using PVC. Hmm, don't know if that was specifically for 421's though.

Andrew -- If I sounded snarky, I didn't mean to. I mean, I just got a great deal and your "can't beat it" comment rang the bell. ;-)

-- Hoag

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Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Fri Aug 31, 2007 6:13 am

Image
I use these. It the no name rubber mic clip carried by almost every major music chain. They stretch enough to fit a 421 and hold it pretty snug. You just have to be careful when positioning so that the mic doesn't pop out.
It also works on my Oktava LDC's and my MXL 2001.

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Post by joel hamilton » Fri Aug 31, 2007 6:38 am

421's are the classic case of a good mic with a shitty clip. probably the ONE that every single engineer on earth would agree on that...

I just dont use 421's... ;)

Scodiddly's solution seemed to be the most elegant, not destroying the mic, but keeping it from nosediving for the 300th time when you touch it at all...

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Post by locosoundman » Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:00 am

The old road-dog fix is simply to use a 1/2 strip of gaffers tape to hold the clip in place. Keeps the clip on and keeps the mic from "nose diving" at the same time.

Works like a charm.
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Post by helmuth » Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:12 am

Recording myself I love having it on a goose neck, let's you set the position using only one hand. It's the big threaded tuchel connector though, not sure I'd do it with a xlr-version. The clip on mine is extremely firm though, never slips. So whenever I need I feel I can rely on it.

Image

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