Overhead mics ?

Love the idea of the MXL-V67Q stereo mic as a single stand XY pattern device.. if it works well.

Why didn't someone come up with that before.. when I was lugging around 2 mic stands, cables and OH condenser/cardiod mics??

These days I don't bother as most of the places I play either have their own micing system or if I have to mic my own in a smal club; I just use kick and snare and the cymbals and toms either cut through by themselves - with a little help from getting picked up by the vocal mics in front of me..(and monitors feeding back into the system)

Minimal micing with the best sound is the ultimate goal. I've tried 2, 3, 4 mic combinations with decent results.

Larger clubs will usually close mic all drums and hats. OH for cymbals can be problematic if not positioned correctly.. you don't want to pick up extraneous noise and muddy up the sound.
 
Last year I scored two Audio-Technica ATM450 mic's on Amazon for $88 each plus shipping (typically $249 each). They were "like new" condition used only once for an A/B mic shoot out article. See what you can find used.
 
Love the idea of the MXL-V67Q stereo mic as a single stand XY pattern device.. if it works well.

Why didn't someone come up with that before.. when I was lugging around 2 mic stands, cables and OH condenser/cardiod mics??

Well it's hardly the only XY stereo mic in the world (the Røde NT4 is another example), but it is cheap and the lightweight side-adress LDC-style body makes for excellent placement freedom at the end of a fully extended mic boom. I used to use a pair of Oktava MK-012s and have employed various stereo array setups, but I always came back to XY for the freedom it provides when mixing and editing (mine's a recording perspective, I rarely do live sound anymore).

So I figured since I was just keeping the Okavas on the short stereo bar anyway, a stereo mic like the V67Q would be very convenient for me, and it's been working great! The mic (which is identical to two MXL 603s) sounds less colored than than the Oktavas, but far less spiky in the highs compared to my CAD e70s. I'd say the sound is pretty similar to the Røde NT5s.

Sven
 
I've been using a pair of AKG C214 LDC as overheads and love the way they capture the cymbals. I set them up as an A/B pair.

Recently I picked up a pair of Shure KSM137 SDC and just started using them. They seem to grab my toms a little better but the ride cymbal isn't quite as nice. Tried an X/Y pair but the A/B sounds better (imaging/sound stage). I think the 137 pick up the HH better as well (and the HH sounds better than when I use a dedicated SM81 SDC on them).

Here is a recent tune I did which just uses a C214 A/B pair for overheads and an old AKG D202 on the kick, nothing else for the drums. The vibes use a single SM81 centered, about a foot or so over my head.

http://jimfiore.org/music/OnceUponATime.mp3

http://jimfiore.org/music/OnceUponATime.mp3
 
For this reason, I prefer SDC's as a "jobbing" overhead pair, & my go to are Rode NT5's. They're old school bomb proof in every regard - never let me down, & economical to buy for the quality too. However, I do use two because I like that stereo landscape live, & I use them spaced as I like the effect to be obvious without being grossly exaggerated. In higher dynamic music, for me, if it isn't obvious, it's not worth doing.

Here's a clip from a sound check last weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDdObUWSwBA&feature=youtu.be

I drive abut 80% of the sound from the overheads, leaving the close mic's to add a little tonal "weight" only. The image here is heavily weighted to the left due to camera placement (Zoom Q3 - built in mic's). I'll see if I have a distance capture of the same sound check, as I had a second camera at the desk.


Oh, my gosh, Andy! The sound of that drum set simply sets the bar, in my opinion. Did the sound continue to offer that kind of presence and clarity once the loud stuff started?

GeeDeeEmm
 
I've been using an Audix i5 for single overhead when it is necessary. Cost is approx. $100 new and it seems to work very well. Our sound guy likes it even though he has higher end mic's like some described by others in this thread.
 
I've been using a pair of AKG C214 LDC as overheads and love the way they capture the cymbals. I set them up as an A/B pair.

Recently I picked up a pair of Shure KSM137 SDC and just started using them. They seem to grab my toms a little better but the ride cymbal isn't quite as nice. Tried an X/Y pair but the A/B sounds better (imaging/sound stage). I think the 137 pick up the HH better as well (and the HH sounds better than when I use a dedicated SM81 SDC on them).

Here is a recent tune I did which just uses a C214 A/B pair for overheads and an old AKG D202 on the kick, nothing else for the drums. The vibes use a single SM81 centered, about a foot or so over my head.

http://jimfiore.org/music/OnceUponATime.mp3

http://jimfiore.org/music/OnceUponATime.mp3

I have ONE C214, and I couldn't afford a second one. But I did get two AKG P120's for a little over $100 and those are great for overheads. Cheaper than the MXL stereo mic too. And I don't need two stands because I have a mic stand adapter that allows me to mount two mics to it, so both the AKGs on it.
 
As Andy has suggested, NT5s are a very solid budget choice for live overhead mics. Solid, reliable and unobtrusive. I've used them quite a lot in the past and they're more than good enough. I'm a big fan of the AKG C214s as well, as Jim is. I used a few of those to record a variety of sources in XY, AB and ORTF configurations and they've performed well. They're more expensive than the NT5s and live I'd go with something smaller than a C214 but they're good mics.

My favourite ever was a pair of C414s in an M-S configuration but that'll have to be a memory for now!
 
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