Buying drum mic's for recording.

For me...
Beta 52 & SM91 in the tub, Beta 57 on snare.
Sack the tom mics off & invest in a pair of AKG 414's for overheads.

That 'll do the job and wont be that far outside your budget.

Enjoy!!


Here in the states a pair of AKG C414B-XLS's would cost between $1900 to $2000 USD. I use the 414 ULS's in the studio for overheads. For sound reinforcement I tend to use Shure SM81's. Shure also has the KSM line of short condenser mics. I haven't tried them, but the model KSM137 is a stereo pair for about $600 USD. Published response of 20-20,000 with an SPL of 170.

Dennis
 
Here in the states a pair of AKG C414B-XLS's would cost between $1900 to $2000 USD. I use the 414 ULS's in the studio for overheads. For sound reinforcement I tend to use Shure SM81's. Shure also has the KSM line of short condenser mics. I haven't tried them, but the model KSM137 is a stereo pair for about $600 USD. Published response of 20-20,000 with an SPL of 170.

Dennis

Hmm maybe I forgot how cheap i buy kit in...
Haven't heard much of the KSM stuff except the KSM9 that one of my artists uses on his vocal, but i guess if they're anything like that they'll be good. Will have to demo.
Cheers
 
US$239 for an SM57? My goodness! In that case, consider the classic 4-mic drum setup:

1) One dynamic mic for the snare
2) One dynamic mic for the bass drum
3) Two condenser mics for overheads.

The two dynamics should be SM57's. Again, don't get anything less. Its the cheapest Shure SM series mic, and the cheapest dynamic mic worth considering for serious work. It will work for bass drums, punchy although a bit lacking in low end. But it's nothing that mic placement and a little EQ can't help.

If you can't afford the nt5's or c1000's, the cheapest condenser mic with a generally good reputation is an Audio-Technica AT2020. It should be about the same price as an SM57. It's better known as a vocal/announcer mic because of its warm sound. Technically, it is a compromise between a classic large and small diaphragm condenser mic. While it lacks the sheen of a true small diaphragm condenser and doesn't have a -20db pad, it is nevertheless transparent and smooth in its frequency range. I have used it as an ambient mic for drums and guitar amps with great results, so I imagine it would do equally well for drum overheads. Your band's vocalist will love it too.

I'm guessing these four mics will fill up your US$1k budget in Norway prices.

I will caution you however that this 4-mic setup might force you to modify your playing. Only the bass drum and snare (and the leakage of the hi-hat into your snare mic) can be controlled in mixing. Everything else will be going into your overheads. You will have to find a way of balancing your toms and cymbals in actual playing because it will be difficult to do so in mixing. So do at least a couple of days of test recording to get your playing right, and to find the sweet spot for the overheads so that they get a balance of ambience and detail. Back in the mid-80s, I did a TV theme music project at home with a three-mic setup (bass, snare, and one overhead). Once I balanced my playing and found the sweet spot for the overheads, I didn't have to use too much EQ or reverb. I didn't even need that much of the snare mic in the mix, since all it needed was a little detail to add to the overheads.
 
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