THE DRUM MICROPHONE / MICROPHONES THREAD

I'm hoping to get some opinions on a few mics;

Firstly, I should say that I don't own any recording equipment or mics; I'm just looking and getting ideas for the future at the moment. Most of what I know is based on gathering info from various forums and websites on the subject.

1. I've read that the Sennheiser MD421 is better at picking up the low end and so is a good mic for the floor tom(s), but the price of it puts it way above the SM57s (my choice for rack toms). Is the price worth it or will the SM57 be good enough?

2. I notice that a lot of people agree on the SM57 for the snare and the D112 or the Beta 52 for the kic, but overheads are not so narrow in terms of the choices that people make. I managed to narrow my choices down to three, based primarily on them having similar price ranges: AKG C451B, Oktava MK-012 and Rode NT55. Anyone have experience with (preferably all of) them? I'd be interested in knowing how they compare.

If it makes a difference, I'd be using the overheads to capture some of the overall sound of the kit, not just for the cymbals. On the scale of "drums" to "cymbals" it would be more towards the cymbal side of things, but I do want to capture some of the drums, too.

3. How important is it to have a matched pair of overheads? I'm sure I'll end up buying a matched pair anyway, but I'm curious to know if it's really vital. What possible effects would there be in buying two separate mics of the same make and model without them being "matched"?

Thanks in advance for any information on any of the above!
 
Hi my part ...
Live
BD: Shure Beta 91
SN: AUDIX D1
TT: Shure Beta 98amp
HH: AKG 451-CK1
OH: OKTAVA MK-012

Studio:
I add the YAMAHA Subkick to the BD
add an Shure SM57 to the bottom SN
depends on the studio for the TT
OH: Neumann KM184
 
Does anyone have any experience/comments about the Apex 326 dynamic snare/tom? It is similar in size and appearance to the Sennheiser E604. There really aren't any reviews to be found. I believe these have replaced the Apex 126.

http://www.frontendaudio.com/Apex-326-Microphone-p/9999-09341.htm

I was going to save up for the 604's but at generally 3x the price, these might be a decent alternative for recording/sound re-enforcement.
 
falcifer,

I use ONLY two Earthworks TC30 mics (w/jecklin disk - homemade) on my large set-up, with two sennheiser e614 on bass drums. The overall sound field is so realistic it is literally like listening back from behind the drums. I cannot say enough good things about the Earthworks. We began recording with two Rode NT55 for overheads on a smaller kit. They sounded really authentic, but didn't perform as well up higher over the big set. After a lot of reading and research I went for the Earthworks. Couldn't be happier. We also use an Audient preamp with them.

Note: The guy I record with decided to try a couple TC20's on the bass drums. Unreal quality sound. I cannot say enough good things about Earthworks.
 
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falcifer,

I use ONLY two Earthworks T30 mics (w/jecklin disk - homemade) on my large set-up, with two sennheiser e614 on bass drums. The overall sound field is so realistic it is literally like listening back from behind the drums. I cannot say enough good things about the Earthworks. We began recording with two Rode NT55 for overheads on a smaller kit. They sounded really authentic, but didn't perform as well up higher over the big set. After a lot of reading and research I went for the Earthworks. Couldn't be happier. We also use an Audient preamp with them.

I'm not familiar with the Earthworks T30 microphones, but I have used the M30, which are omni direction microphones. I'm also very familiar with the Earthwork QTC40 microphones, also an omni microphone. If you have an exceptional room they can work as overheads to pick up the entire room, which omni microphones will do. The bass drum is usually the exception with a configuration such as this.

Dennis
 
I need some overhead mics for around $150 each. I plan on using Shure SM57s for my snare, rack, and floor tom, And an Audix D6 or Shure Beta 52 for my kick. What is a decent overhead for my budget. $400 for the pair tops. The room is a 1 car garage with some bass traps in the corners and some foam for the flutter echo.
 
Hi, this is my first official post! But I wanted to chime in on the whole mic thing. I noticed in an earlier post that someone had mentioned the Apex 326's. I own a whole set of them! I had a chance to audition them and AB them against the senheiser 604's or whatever model # is their small tom and snare mic's. Both the sound guy and myself actually prefered the Apex mic's! I bought a kit which consisted of 3 tom/snare mic's and a bass drum mic. The price was so low I thought it was a type O! They work great! Now I use them to mic my whole 7pc. Yamaha maple custom kit. He has auditioned some of their other mic's ( I.E.. pencil condenser and lg diphram condenser) and found them to be great also! If your still not sure buy one off ebay or an ebay seller and audition one for yourself and I think you will be satisified as I was. I bought 2 GAP pencial condensers for overheads ( for a great price) and those work fine for me as well. Have fun and Keep on Jammin! good luck!
 
So I just saw this thread and I wanted to mention my setup and talk about a super cheap set up for recording drums at home.

My normal set up changes depending on the kit and the player but I usually use:
Bass Drum inside: Senn e602
Bass Drum Outside: Blue Mouse
Snare top: sm57 or Beyerdynamic M201 or Oktava MC-012
Snare bottom: sm57
Toms: Oktava MK-012
OHs: Oktava MK-012 or a pair of Fathead Ribbons
Room: AEAR84 Ribbon or AT4047 or the two of them combined in a M/S configuration.
Stairwell: Any condensor or high output mic

However, you can get great results with just three or four mics. As you can see from above the Oktava MC (or newer MK) -012 pencil condensers are a favorite of mine. They can be had for around $100 - $125 each used and have an amazingly flat frequency response. They sound closer to the original Neumann KM84 than any of the inexpensive mics I have tried and they don't have that typical sizzly/overly bright top end most of the cheaper condenser mics have. They make great overheads on a budget and amazing tom mics too. You do have to be mindful that you don't get any that are beat up too bad as the Russian QC in the past wasn't the best. New ones are great and well made but quite a bit more expensive.

If you do a Glyn Johns:
http://www.danalexanderaudio.com/glynjohns.htm

or Recorderman:
http://www.hometracked.com/2007/05/12/recorderman-overhead-drum-mic-technique/

You can use two Oktava MK-012s and a Senn e602 (or whatever bass durm mic you prefer) and get a really outstanding drum sound for around $300. Add an sm57 or any cheap dynamic mis to the snare to focus the center image and you have a nice set up for $350. Since the condensers are picking up the whole kit you do have to have a good balance behind the kit to pull this off. But regardless of the size of kit, number of toms you can get a really nice sounding image of the kit with only a modest amount of money and a decent amount of time experimenting with mic positions. Both of those techniques can be used with whatever mics you have obviously and they are both easy to get right.

Also, if you have an extra mic put it somewhere crazy and experiment. Put it outside the door or down the hall. In my space I have a hallway outside the drum room and stairs going down at the end of the hallway. I always put a mic at the top of the steps pointing down and it give and amazingly huge (not even close to Bonham but as a point of reference) Levee Breaks type of sound when mixed in with the direct mics.
 
Hey guys I'm looking for a good and affordable mic kit for my drum. I would use it for recording and for live shows. I have a 6 piece kit (2 toms and 2 floor toms) so I'm thinking one mic for the toms and one for the floor toms, one for the snare and one for the bass drum, plus maybe one or two overheads for the cymbals and one for the hi-hat. I can spend around 500$ and to be honest, I don't have that much experience with micing a drum except for the shows I've done and I was obviously not the tech guy.

While we're at it do you know of any program I could use to record and mix with? I'm ready to spare a lot of time learning how to use it and how get a decent sound with trial and error. It can be free or not I'll see if I want to spend on that later...
 
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Has anyone had any experience with any of these particular entry level kits? I know they will need to be augmented with some additional higher end mics, so all I am asking if any has used these kits and what their thoughts are about them. Home recording only, not for stage use. I also know bout their 'big brothers' ;-)

Shure PGDMK6
AKG Groove Pack
Audio Technica MB/Dk7


Thanks!
 
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I have used the PG kit live for about 8 years (I think). I picked it up from a guitarist for $100. Mine didn't come with overheads though. They are built solid and have been gigged several times a week for the past 8 years. I usually use the PG52 on my floor tom, and the PG56s on my rack toms. I use a D6 on the kick, Adx 81 overheads, an i5 on my main snare, and a beta57a on my side snare.

I have gotten great live and recorded sounds with the kit used as it is intended, but I prefer to use it the way I have listed (augmented with Audix mics).
It is a good kit but I wouldn't pay the new price for it. Try and find a used one if you can.

I have a brand new, still wrapped in plastic Audix DP-Quad kit for sale for $450. If you are interested shoot me a PM.
 
Hello, i'm new to the forums, but I have been drumming for about 8 years. I have just decided to start recording my drums. I have three dynamic microphones and i am going to buy a condenser later in the summer, but for now I was wondering how I should set the three mics up to get the best sound. Thanks fellow Drummers!
 
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