Audix Fusion vs Custom mics

Hello!!

First of all , happy new year , may 2011 be a great year for all fellow drummers and the whole world of course!!!

For a price range 700e - 800 (Maximum)

What would you choose :

A) [The new] AUDIX FUSION FP7 SET contains:
1) F6 (Bass) (40hz - 16kHz) (140 db SPL)
2) F2 (Toms) (52Hz - 15kHz) (139 db SPL) (3x pieces)
3) F5 (Snare) (55Hz - 15kHz)
4) F9 (Overhead) (40Hz - 20kHz) (2x Pieces)
Cost : 600 Euro

B) CUSTOM
1) [BASS] Shure BETA52 (20Hz - 10kHz)
2) [SNARE] Audix I-5 (50Hz - 15kHz)
3) [RACK TOMS] Sennheiser E604 (40Hz - 18kHz) (1x Piece between 2 toms)
4) [FLOOR TOM 16''] Shure PG52 (30Hz - 13kHz)
5) [OVERHEAD] Rode NT5 (20Hz - 20kHz) (2x Pieces)
Cost : 800 Euro (approximately)

What would you choose , or what would you change in 'custom' set , without going over 800.

For both home and live use.

Boom Boom Tsk Boom Taka Taka Tsk Boom

if you can save the money, i'd go the custom

and change the bass drum to either an audix D6 or an akg D112.

i personally don't like beta52's.

1Rhythmic said:

Hello!!

First of all , happy new year , may 2011 be a great year for all fellow drummers and the whole world of course!!!

For a price range 700e - 800 (Maximum)

What would you choose :

A) [The new] AUDIX FUSION FP7 SET contains:
1) F6 (Bass) (40hz - 16kHz) (140 db SPL)
2) F2 (Toms) (52Hz - 15kHz) (139 db SPL) (3x pieces)
3) F5 (Snare) (55Hz - 15kHz)
4) F9 (Overhead) (40Hz - 20kHz) (2x Pieces)
Cost : 600 Euro

B) CUSTOM
1) [BASS] Shure BETA52 (20Hz - 10kHz)
2) [SNARE] Audix I-5 (50Hz - 15kHz)
3) [RACK TOMS] Sennheiser E604 (40Hz - 18kHz) (1x Piece between 2 toms)
4) [FLOOR TOM 16''] Shure PG52 (30Hz - 13kHz)
5) [OVERHEAD] Rode NT5 (20Hz - 20kHz) (2x Pieces)
Cost : 800 Euro (approximately)

What would you choose , or what would you change in 'custom' set , without going over 800.

For both home and live use.

Boom Boom Tsk Boom Taka Taka Tsk Boom

Click to expand...

Well, you're putting the Fusion package, which is built purely from a budget line mikes up against a mix of pro/prosumer mikes. So, there is no question here, IMO. I'd go with the latter package. Even if only to get the i5, it would be worth not doing the Fusion package. Moreover, I think every mic in the custom kit is an improvement over it's counterpart and all of those mikes are mikes worth owning from a collection standpoint. I quote my audio engineer friend: "You can never have too many mikes." Well, he means "good mikes."

What I personally would change about the custom setup are the floor, bass choices for sure and maybe the overheads. I prefer the D6 over the Beta - i find it punchier. D4s on the floor for me or just sticking with the Sennheisers all around. But then, that really is just a matter of personal taste.

The Rodes seem like a good choice for overheads and there so many to pick from that it is almost silly to go by anyone's opinion but your own here. You just have to try stuff on and see what works, and these are as good a place as any to start (and certainly better than the Fs). Audix makes some really fine condensers in their M line, which aren't terribly expensive. And I've heard lots of solid comments on AT2020s, which are literally dirt cheap. I don't think you could go wrong with any of those.

Good luck and post some results when you get everything working!

I agree, go with the higher quality mikes. Audix makes a box kit of D series drum mikes that's great, I'd investigate those as well. Buying used will always save you some bucks too.

Is this Custom better than the B one?

C) CUSTOM
1) [Bass] - AKG D112
2) [Snare] - Audix I-5
3) [Toms] - Sennheiser E604
4 [Floor Tom] - AKG D112
5) [Overheads] - Oktava MK-02

AKG D112 is pretty tough to beat on a bass drum

Shure SM57 is the golden standard on your snare (and you can pick up a used one for $60-70...don't worry if it looks beat up, they're almost impossible to kill).

Sennheiser e604 is real nice on toms (all toms); e606 and 609 are options as well, albeit a little more expensive. You could mic up your toms with SM57s and get a great sound.

Personally, I like to add a couple of large diaphragm condensers as room mics as well as my close mics. I can get either the controlled 'studio' sound or a more vintage sound...depends on how the overall feel of the entire song sounds, I'll turn off/on mics to get the right sound...I love owning a small studio...makes drums that much more fun.

Well, let's see.............will you make more money per gig because the club/agent/private engagement booking person KNOWS you have an AKG D112 etc? I love the 112. I would go with the custom. Because you are asking......you will NOT be happy with less.

I'm about to pick up a Sennheiser e602 (bass drum mic)...mostly because I want to have something different than the Beta 52 or AKG D112.

I'll probably kick my self in the ass later and pick up another D112, but might as well give it a try, esp since not many people are using the e602.

Just dropped some dough on a three pack of Sennheiser e604 mics at Guitar Center.

I had a $75 off coupon from them, so this was pretty much a no-brainer!

BTW, if you haven't signed up for their mailing list, you're missing out on some real good coupons that are good for in-store as well as online purchases!