Drum mic advice

Budget? What are you plugging them into? There's all kinds of nice drum mic packages out there ranging from $199 to the sky. Although I could make a recommendation for any of the high-end kits, I won't do that. Some of the low-end kits are surprisingly good too, but the system you plug them into is probably more important.
 
Budget? What are you plugging them into? There's all kinds of nice drum mic packages out there ranging from $199 to the sky. Although I could make a recommendation for any of the high-end kits, I won't do that. Some of the low-end kits are surprisingly good too, but the system you plug them into is probably more important.

As cheap as possible without sacrificing too much quality. maybe 300. In the process of getting a new pa system...

I use CAD mics, personally. They're not the greatest I ever used, but for basic YouTube or live sound, they're perfectly fine. If you're wanting to record high quality, you're looking at $500 for a package, minimum.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-CAD-STAGE7-LIST

Get yourself an additional tom mic, and you're at around $240.

I will look at that
 
I know they're somewhat expensive, but the Sennheiser e604s are very decent tom mics (not bad on snare either), and rugged as hell. The best part about them is how they attach to the hoop: very easy to put on, take off, and position. Of all the tom mics I've ever used, they are the least annoying to work with, and if you're micing 4 toms, well, all the more reason to consider. Maybe you can find a used set?

But you'll need a very capable mixer to deal with all those mics. IMHO, what you really want are noise gates on each close mic channel (you'll hear lots of ringing between hits otherwise, and are likely to get feedback). If you go for all those tom mics, then consider a multi-channel gate/comp rack unit, to connect to the inserts on your kick, snare, and tom channels.

Miking a drum set (and mixing it well) is neither cheap nor easy, and not worth going halfway. I don't think it's necessary to have the best mics, but you'll want to handle each channel properly at the very least. Of course I'm thinking of a fairly typical rock context, and not a 3-mic minimalist approach.
 
Here's what I use to mic up and record my kit:

HP dv7 ($800) - Computer
TASCAM US-1641 ($300) - Interface
Sennheiser e604 (3 for $270) - Toms
Sennheiser e602 ($200) - Bass
Shure SM57 ($90) - Snare
Shure PG81 (2x @ $120 each) - Overheads
MXL 990 (2x @ $50 each) - Room mics
Sonar Producer 8.3 ($300) - DAW/software

$2300 for a semi-professional set-up.
 
But you'll need a very capable mixer to deal with all those mics. IMHO, what you really want are noise gates on each close mic channel (you'll hear lots of ringing between hits otherwise, and are likely to get feedback). If you go for all those tom mics, then consider a multi-channel gate/comp rack unit, to connect to the inserts on your kick, snare, and tom channels.

With a good DAW, it'll have built in gates, compression, eq, etc.
 
With a good DAW, it'll have built in gates, compression, eq, etc.

My concern with this would be the computer you're using. You can have all that stuff built-in to the software, but if you're processor is not up to the task, it'll end up being a very frustrating experience (been there, done that). So you must be running a big Mac Pro tower with 16GB of RAM?
 
My concern with this would be the computer you're using. You can have all that stuff built-in to the software, but if you're processor is not up to the task, it'll end up being a very frustrating experience (been there, done that). So you must be running a big Mac Pro tower with 16GB of RAM?

Mac?! What, no! I'm not a hippy.

You need more processor, rather than a ton of RAM (though RAM helps) to run a DAW with a bunch of plug ins.

HP dv7 with a quad-core AMD @ 2.8 ghz per core. 4 GB DDR3 RAM. More than enough power. One of these days a Mac will have that much processor.
 
One of these days a Mac will have that much processor.

The mac pro's come with xeon processors which can have 6 cores also with the option of hyper threading and expanding to another xeon processor which would beat the pants of your amd.

+1 for the 604 im running them on my dw rack toms at the moment and are quite reliable and rugged
 
You can often find Shure SM57 mics pretty cheap second hand. They are very commonly used on snares. On toms I like Shure Beta 98's (D/S model for drums) but they are a bit pricey new but you can probably get some second hand if you like small condensors. Again SM57's work really well on toms, but they are kind big to have all round your kit, so I'd second the Sennheiser suggestion.

I use Josephson C42's for overheads but I've had them years and can't remember how much they cost. They are similar to Neumann KM184's (though some people prefer the C42's and say they sound more like the older smoother KM84's). I think they are cheaper too.

Some prefer large condensors for overheads - I probably would if I could afford some more mics ;-) I have the small ones left over from when I used to do a lot of sound engineering locally for bands/acoustic acts before I sold most of my gear.

So many choices - once you get into good mics it becomes more of a personal decision.
 
What I've been using recently is the Red 5 Audio drum mic set (£149), plus my AKG C414-LTD (that I won in a raffle...).

Sounds like this.

To be honest though, the C414 (which would cost about four times as much as all the other mics combined if I'd bought it) isn't that big a part of the sound. You could use a much cheaper condenser in the same position and still get a decent result.

For live micing...same considerations really, though you wouldn't need the large-diaphragm condenser. So much depends on the PA you're going through, the mics are of almost secondary importance. Red 5's quality control is good, the mics are great if not the warmest I've heard, but that mostly manifests as slightly more clarity.
 
The mac pro's come with xeon processors which can have 6 cores also with the option of hyper threading and expanding to another xeon processor which would beat the pants of your amd.

+1 for the 604 im running them on my dw rack toms at the moment and are quite reliable and rugged

604s are great mics...I got a 3-pack at GC for $270 (I had a killer coupon that if you're on their mailing list, they will e-mail to you every couple of months...was like $50 or $75 off $299 or more).

If I get another one of those coupons, I'm buying another 3-pack of 604s as well as a few more SM57s...can never have too many mics around! (they're addictive like cymbals and snares).

That Mac with a 6-core Xeon will run you about $10k...or my quad core AMD HP for $800 that does the job.
 
Mac?! What, no! I'm not a hippy.

You need more processor, rather than a ton of RAM (though RAM helps) to run a DAW with a bunch of plug ins.

HP dv7 with a quad-core AMD @ 2.8 ghz per core. 4 GB DDR3 RAM. More than enough power. One of these days a Mac will have that much processor.

I argue with no one on the particular platform. I agree - you need as much power as you can afford. I played with Logic Studio on a MacPro tower one day and I was amazed how "real time" everything was: gleefully tweaking EQ, effects and compression while tracks were playing. I can kinda' do that with my new MacMini now using the lesser Logic Express, which is good enough for me. But if you can, get as much processor as you can afford, Windows or Mac.
 
604s are great mics...I got a 3-pack at GC for $270 (I had a killer coupon that if you're on their mailing list, they will e-mail to you every couple of months...was like $50 or $75 off $299 or more).

If I get another one of those coupons, I'm buying another 3-pack of 604s as well as a few more SM57s...can never have too many mics around! (they're addictive like cymbals and snares).

That Mac with a 6-core Xeon will run you about $10k...or my quad core AMD HP for $800 that does the job.

No it won't. The new iMac will run the pants off your AMD every day of the week - quad core (Sandy Bridge) i7 at 3.2GHz on the top model. AMD's haven't been competitive for years. I'm not going to start an Engadget-style flamewar, but if you price up the actual components being used, they're going to cost more - assembled by Apple or otherwise.
 
Back
Top