THE DRUM MICROPHONE / MICROPHONES THREAD

Re: mics

Thank you for the input guys.

Any other example brands/models for mics? I just need a rough idea before going shopping..
Bear in mind this is micing from medium large hall live playing, not recording (I think there's a difference right?)

Also, I know most mic-ed up drums are tuned with less resonance etc etc, but what if the drum were to maintain it's more ringy tuning, is there a different set of mics to use?

Does the Hi Hat need to have it's own mic or can it do without?

For bass drum micing, how different is the position of mic(outside resonant head/inside bass drum) and bass drum hole size in the resonant head going to affect the sound? Or the choice of equipment for that matter
 
Re: mics

k3ng said:
Thank you for the input guys.

Any other example brands/models for mics? I just need a rough idea before going shopping..
Bear in mind this is micing from medium large hall live playing, not recording (I think there's a difference right?)

Also, I know most mic-ed up drums are tuned with less resonance etc etc, but what if the drum were to maintain it's more ringy tuning, is there a different set of mics to use?

Does the Hi Hat need to have it's own mic or can it do without?

For bass drum micing, how different is the position of mic(outside resonant head/inside bass drum) and bass drum hole size in the resonant head going to affect the sound? Or the choice of equipment for that matter

Hi again, K3ng.

I use Shure, Rode and Behringer, but there are tons of others.

My drums ring nicely, and I haven't felt the urge to change that for recording... sounds pretty good to my ear.

Your hats are actually quite loud, and if mic'ed properly through the overheads, there won't really be a need IMO to add another mic just for them.

I have a Shure Beta52A inside of my bassdrum roughly in the middle of the drum on a small pillow, facig the beater. It really picks up the 'boom' of the drum. I also have a room mic (Rode large diaphram condensor) that's about 8 feet away and it picks up some of the attack from the beater. My drum has both heads intact (I feed the wire from the mic through the holes where my toms used to be attached-they're now on a rack). Getting the sound that I wanted from my bass drum was the most difficult thing, for me.

-Michael
 
Re: mics

to be honest im audix loyal. I recently had to buy a set of drum mics and i went with audix. They sound phenomenal. I play in a self produce, self managed, self recorded, self mastered band. basically we do everything.

The audix d6 will rip your heart out (if needed to) It can also give you taht fatt bass thump. very versitile. very nice kick mic. i bought the fusuion 6 pack for everything else. when recording i used a sm57 for the snare but other than that i use the fusion kit. The f10/12 mics are great. get nice tone; realistic. Also whats nice is they pickup just the right amount of low end. What caught me off gaurd was the overheads!! usually you buy a package mic kit and your overhead are the first to go. not in this case. These overheads are very nice. penicil compressors. They sound great. It makes ym cymbals sound better than real life. i like them alot. also good for instrument micing.

All these mics can be inter used with instrument micing. We have used the f12 for bass cab micing, and the f10 for guitar can micing, Of course when recording everything is done separately with several compressors and blah blah. thats another thread. these mics are also heavy duty. very tough. trust audix. you wont regret it
 
Re: mics

to be honest im audix loyal. I recently had to buy a set of drum mics and i went with audix. They sound phenomenal. I play in a self produce, self managed, self recorded, self mastered band. basically we do everything.

The audix d6 will rip your heart out (if needed to) It can also give you taht fatt bass thump. very versitile. very nice kick mic. i bought the fusuion 6 pack for everything else. when recording i used a sm57 for the snare but other than that i use the fusion kit. The f10/12 mics are great. get nice tone; realistic. Also whats nice is they pickup just the right amount of low end. What caught me off gaurd was the overheads!! usually you buy a package mic kit and your overhead are the first to go. not in this case. These overheads are very nice. penicil compressors. They sound great. It makes ym cymbals sound better than real life. i like them alot. also good for instrument micing.

All these mics can be used with instrument micing too. We have used the f12 for bass cab micing, and the f10 for guitar cab micing, Of course when recording everything is done separately with several compressors and blah blah. thats another thread. these mics are also heavy duty. very tough. For live applications these mics excel! They sound great live. great attack, great warmth, great sustain, i like them alot. i was very pleased/impressed with these budget mic kit. I would say the best on the market for the money. trust audix. you wont regret it
 
Re: mics

Tuner, how does that D6 compare with say a D112 or a D12? I've never been impressed with the D112 or D12 and I've used both. They both seem very 'flat' sounding with almost no life to the sound. Although I have heard of the 'secret trick' with the D112, I'd much rather just go for a better microphone to start with.
 
Re: mics

I use the AKG D112 on kick. I have two MXL 604s that can go in either cardiod or omni mode. I really like using one of those in omni for my overhead. Today I think I'm gonna try the other in cardiod on the snare. Previously I've used a trash mic (Optimus) on the snare with nice results. I even liked it better than the SM58- hah! I have a MXL 2001 which I use for a room mic when I have an extra input open. I prefer the room mic to a plugged reverb. So many mics to choose from... I can't wait until I can afford some more. Don't forget about your preamps! I have two ART Pro Channels that are very nice and a Presonus Tube Pre which was a freebie and gets the job done.
 
Re: mics

two overhead behringer b-1 condensers work great for me. and i put a sennheiser e609 on the batter side of my bass drum. also a Blue Kickball if i want to bring out the snare a little more.

the end.
 
Re: mics

Another vote for Audix, especially the D6 on the bass drum.
 
Re: mics

Do you intend on only micing your kit in a large hall? You might wanna go into a small environment one day. Or, even a studio someday. You need to take those factors into consideration before jumping into buying mic's.
 
Re: mics

In my own experience, mics for PA use and mics for studio use aren't hugely different. A good microphone is a good microphone. My own personal favourites that I've used are:

Overheads: AKG C-1000
Snare: Shure SM58/57
Bass: AKG D12 (D112) (I would like to use an Audix D6, but no experience with sadly)

Those are a good 'industry standard' set to work from. Obviously the prices might be a little high (especially for the overheads) but that set works and has been shown to work even in inexperienced hands like my own with sub-par (even for an amateur) skills and almost no experience.
 
Re: mics

Sorry for the 'hijack' as such...........Don't want to make another thread just for this.

Has anybody had experience with "Nady" mic's? I just want some cheap (a BD mic, 4 x Sn, Tom, 2 cymbal mics for 330AU) mics to record my ideas and track my progress. I have access to an iBook with GarageBand.... I'm a real 'noob' when it comes to recording. Dunno about the mixer though.

Will 2 cymbal mics cover hats, 2 crashes and a ride?

It's not for any serious recording, just to record ideas, track progress, maybe record a few songs with the band. I can go elsewhere for serious recording.
 
Drum Mics

I'm finaly going to cut a demo with my home recording software, but i dont have mics... I will probably oly use 2 overheads and a bass (possibly a snare) I already own a sure m57. what mics should i buy
 
Re: Drum Mics

i bought the Audix Fusion 6 pack. It was @ $350 i think and well worth the money. I recorded with em and they sounded good. If you are looking to mic everything, this is a good place to start. The only problem is that the kick mic is not "ideal" -- the audix D6 will be my next mic upgrade.

If you are looking to do just the 2 overheads and a kick mic (minimal set-up), go with the Audix D6 for the kick mic and stick with the sm57's for overheads.
 
Re: Drum Mics

Look into "Nady". They are 180US(? I think, I don't know the conversion rate that well) for the DMK-7 pack. 4 x snare/tom mics, 2 x cymbal mics, 1 bass mic. I read a lot of reviews by a lot of surprised people, e.g. (this is along the ines, not an actual quote)

I was expecting bad quality mics for the money, but these actually recorded better than some more expensive mics! Can't beat a Shure SM58(7?) for the snare though. They took about an hour to set up good, keep them close to the heads. The bass mic sounds great with some EQ'ing!

They were the responses that seemed to be the most common. They are available on Musiciansfriend.com.

Hope there was some help there!
 
Re: Drum Mics

Fat Elvis said:
If you are looking to do just the 2 overheads and a kick mic (minimal set-up), go with the Audix D6 for the kick mic and stick with the sm57's for overheads.

Will SM57s work as overheads? I don't want to spend $350 x 2 on SM81s, and I could easily pick up 3 SM57s for about $150 (one for the snare while I'm at it).

Stu
 
Re: Drum Mics

not 100% sure, stu -- i heard they could but are not necessarily ideal. the last time i recorded i used samson condensor mics as overheads. i always look at the sm57 as an all-around mic. defenately look into it further before taking my advise, thats for sure :)
 
Re: Drum Mics

Stu_Strib said:
Will SM57s work as overheads? I don't want to spend $350 x 2 on SM81s, and I could easily pick up 3 SM57s for about $150 (one for the snare while I'm at it).

Stu

Hey Stu.

As I understand it, the 57s will be fine, but a pair of condensors would be better as overheads. The reason being that the condensors are better at picking up transients so you'll get a much better cymbal sound from them than you will from the 57s. i.e. the condensors will do a better job with those beautiful high freqs. from your cymbals. This is so, apparently, due to the fact that condensors are more sensitive than dynamic mics, like the Shure 57, and they are put into motion more quickly, etc... Definitely go for the 57 for your snare, though.

-Michael
 
Re: mics

Chip said:
8< snip snip snip >8

Will 2 cymbal mics cover hats, 2 crashes and a ride?

It's not for any serious recording, just to record ideas, track progress, maybe record a few songs with the band. I can go elsewhere for serious recording.

Two mics will cover your setup pretty well. I use a pair of condensors in an x-y position placed about the middle of the kit and about 3-feet above. This setup gets all of my cymbals and does a pretty good job on the snare and toms, too. It's a little weak on the bass, though.

Actually, I also get pretty good sound just from my "room" mic, a large condensor (Rode). It does as good a job with the cymbals and the toms/snare as the two overheads, but it does a better job with the bass drum. I usually mix that in with the overheads and the close mics, but it has a pretty kickass sound all on its own. I have that mic placed about 8 feet away and about 4 feet of the floor.

Rock on!
-Michael
NP: 30 Seconds to Mars - 30 Seconds to Mars
 
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