Sennheiser e602

i bought this mic second hand of ebay, and at first i thourght it was stuffed because it had a realy loud low hum, but i took it to a friend who's an aduio engineer and she said it was a realy good mic and she had no problems with it... so then i cheaked the mic again and it was fine...and i never changed anything with my mixer or speakers so... yeah....wierd....., this mic is prety good for what we play(an aray of metal, grindy ,thrashy slow and malotic), it has a nice bottom end and it quite load, i would like to up grade to a e902 because i have heared it is worth getting but i always want to get the better one......its an expensive way to live i no..

Been playing on and off for 35 years, recording for 10 with a little live sound experience. Overall, I have the basic home recording set up--Mackie 8 buss with Mackie HD recorder, Protools, ADATS, DR8 etc--but with much more pro level mics and processing gear for going to other studios. Recorded everything from rock garage bands to high level jazz.

I gave it a 9 because of its quality but don't really know how useful it is. I did a listening comparison with the D-112, putting each of them 16cm from my monitor speakers exactly between the tweeter and woofer. I played the same well recorded and mastered Keb' Mo song that I always use for such tests.

In direct A/B comparison to the D-112, the e602 sounded like a condenser mic while the D-112 sounded like the dynamic it is. My gut impression was that someone was holding their hand over the D-112. Of course both mics are scooped but in very different ways. The D-112 has prominant low mids and high mids--just what you need for a smacking bass drum sound that won't interfere with the bass. The e602 has a much wider scoop (forget the charts!) with very deep clear, tight bass and clear, VERY present highs. The play back through the e602 was clear enough to make music listenable while the D-112 sounded boomy and muffled. I was very impressed with the amount of smooth clear bass coming through the e602. It was gorgeous!

However, these are primarily BD mics and I bought my D-112 a few years ago because it was the first mic I found to make the BD sound the way I think it should. Its splashier and less controled but it does its job. I haven't used the e602 for that yet but I doubt that I will ever use it for live BD. In many clubs the Bass Drum can act as a resonant chamber for low end feedback and I often use the low cut filter on the BD. This also keeps the BD and bass from cluttering up. The e602's responce is further down and would be lost in this case while the D-112 would still smack. The e602 is a much better sounding mic but the D-112 is the sound I want on the BD.

I agree with AKG's other suggested uses, epecially for upright bass and bass amps. There is anther way it will be useful--recording honky sounding guitar cabinets in the studio. With most dynamics like the SM57 and even the MD421, a guitar cabinet can often need a bit of help on the extreme upper and lower ends. I often add a C414 for this. This mic will definitely add more of the smooth bottom end than even a condenser that is not hyped to do so.

If your live rig can handle such thunderous lows, then go for it. I sense trouble for most local live applications that don't have a pile of processing gear. But this mic is beautiful sounding on the low end and I will keep it for anything that needs help downstairs. It even made my nasal sounding voice sound sexy!

I've been doing live sound for 6 years, primarily FOH on medium sized shows. I'm used to decent consoles (A&H, Soundcraft) and processing.

I also use this mic in recording my own band. Goes into a Firepod into Sonar 4.0, everything done "in the box."

I bought this mic because I was looking for a grea kick drum mic for both live and recording, and I don't like the AKG D112 or the Audix D6 becuase they're both so "scooped," while I like something a little bit more transparent so I can dial it in exactly how I want it.

My previous favorite kick mic was the Beta 52, and I really just wanted to try this in favor of the Beta 52, just to see if there was better out there.

Used it the night I bought it in a live setting (A&H GL3300, DBX gate) and I couldn't be more impressed. This isn't "clicky" like the D112, very similar in character to the Beta 52, with a little bt more output.

playing for 24 years and recording for 10.
We record in analouge cuz that's the only way.
You can hear this mic in action at:
http://www.unsignedbandweb.com/music/bands/2670/index.php

Bass drum in front of the bass port.I chose this mic cuz of it's rep.
It has a nice full low end which is great for bass of course.
A well rounded mic. I would reccommend this mic.

I'm making music for 5 years now and recording for 2 years. Most of the time I work with live band but sometimes I record.

I bought this mike almost for free on a fancy fair. Normally I wouldn't have bought it but for 10 Euros I couldn't leave it there.

The mike realy sucks at what it's meant for, the kickdrum. It makes your lows sound muddy and you can't get it sound compact. It's even worse than the D112. I sometimes use it at the bass cabinet, but when the mike really shows its worth is when it's placed on a tuba. You wouldn't expect it but is sounds great on a tuba. Try it when you have the change...

My hobby of doing recordings started about 7 years ago, and turned into doing semi-pro recordings 4 years ago. Currently I am studying the subject in a local music school.

Current equipment: Fostex D2424LV, Behringer DDX3216, DUX (Phillips) Motional Feedback 3-way active monitors from late 70's, rack compressors, and a good bunch of microphones. I have started to mix with Cubase SX 2.

I gathered several bass drum microphones for making a decision on a new bass drum mic. Included was AKG D12 (my own), D112, D550, Sennheiser e602 and Shure Beta 52a. The bassdrum was an old one, kind that I am afraid I am going to be recording a lot with young bands.

The differences were a lot clearer than I ever hoped for. I only compare the sounds. I did not yet buy a mic, I am waiting for a similiar test where I can try other mics also.

-The D12 was very midrangy, and it could have been the one for old jazz where the bass drum is supposed to have a pitch and a tone.
-The e602 was completely the opposite, the midrange was very heavily scooped, leaving no space for articulation. (More on this in the end.)
-The B52a was very neutral, the sound seemed like a perfect starting point to make any kind of sound, and a good sound as is. My favourite, definately.
-The D112 was boomier in the upper bass register, somewhere between B52 and e602.
-The D550 didn't seemt to suite in miking a bass drum. At all.

Conclusion:
The Sennheiser would be usable as a live microphone, where the sound is supposed to have a huge low end, a snap in the upper register, and nothing else. Other than that, the e602 would be way too colouring for me. As a live mic I think I would rather use the D112, since it had some of the same scooped nature, but it also has a lot more detail in the midrange.

The Shure Beta 52a was so transparent and neutral that it really impressed me. From the ones tested, this would clearly be the best choice for my studio work, where different bassdrums are used, and different sounds are to be achieved.

Sennheiser e602 is good for live work or heavy/metal bands, where midrange would be cut off anyway. Other than that, too colouring.

I have been a recording musician for about 15 years. Have a demo studio for the last 4 years and have recorded mostly rock and singer songwriter music. I record to adats and have been collecting gear forever. use alot of alesis equipment i.e. monitors, recorder, masterlink, etc..

A dynamic mic used primarily on kick drums and bass cabs. It came as a project pack with a stand, cable and mic. I chose this one because of the sennheiser reputation initally, plus everyone was using the akg d112 at the time. I wanted something different. What I like about this is there is little need for eq at the board. it sounds great right out of the box. It has good shape for positioning, and balances well. I get plenty of thump! and good clarity as well. I usually mic a couple of inches inside of the hole of the head. great mic for a great price. I would get this one again if it got stolen, but I would have to review the audix d6, I've heard that one kicks as well.