Upgrading mics (a couple of questions)

organworthyplayer337

Active Member
I started micing my kit a few months ago. Because I didn't really know what I was doing, I got a cheap mic kit just in case I changed my mind. Now, I am looking at a more expensive option.

Right now, I am using a PGA 81 and Roswell Mini K47 as overheads in a Recorder-Man config.

I am currently looking at purchasing a SE V-Pack, specifically the Venue pack which comes with a bass drum mic (VKick), 2 close mics (VBeats) for toms and a snare mic (V7X); no overheads in this bundle.

I have a couple questions here:

1. Does it makes sense to upgrade close mics before overheads?

2. I know it's a hard question to answer, but in your experience/opinion, do you think that there will be any noticeable difference in quality between these two microphone sets?

Thanks!
 
I started micing my kit a few months ago. Because I didn't really know what I was doing, I got a cheap mic kit just in case I changed my mind. Now, I am looking at a more expensive option.

We also have no idea what you are doing, so here's a couple questions to improve the suggestions.

Are you mic'ing for recording, or are you mic'ing for amplification?

If recording: Alone or with other instruments? How much space do you have?
 
We also have no idea what you are doing, so here's a couple questions to improve the suggestions.

Are you mic'ing for recording, or are you mic'ing for amplification?

If recording: Alone or with other instruments? How much space do you have?
1. Mic’ing for recording and live monitoring for practice along with music

2. I’m recording alone; just the drums.

3. I don’t have ANY SPACE haha. Maybe “any” is an overstatement, but I have very limited space. That’s part of the reason why I’m using the recorder man configuration; saves me space.
 
1. Mic’ing for recording and live monitoring for practice along with music

2. I’m recording alone; just the drums.

3. I don’t have ANY SPACE haha. Maybe “any” is an overstatement, but I have very limited space. That’s part of the reason why I’m using the recorder man configuration; saves me space.
I use a matched pair of sE8s for overheads. I have a pair of VKicks for my bass drums.
They are outstanding microphones, period!
 
I use a matched pair of sE8s for overheads. I have a pair of VKicks for my bass drums.
They are outstanding microphones, period!
I was using a pair of Rode NT5s for overheads and I noticed an increase of clarity with the sE8s. Not harshness. Finer, nuanced sound quality. They capture my toms and many cymbals beautifully!
I was using SM57s before I upgraded to a REAL bass drum microphone. I think you'll be very happy with the VKick on your set.
 
I'm going to assume that the Ross K47 is a APAC diaphragm Neumann K47 clone. These are absolutely fine.

You will need a good BD mic, and the type of mic you use for this is going to depend on you genre. IE: LDC for acoustic and Dynamic for electrified.

You will need a good snare mic (or pair). You can save yourself time and energy and take the SM57 path.

You can use your inexpensive PGA/dynamic mics for the toms. The toms get their definition from the overheads, and are supplemented by the proximity isolated dynamics.
 
I'm going to assume that the Ross K47 is a APAC diaphragm Neumann K47 clone. These are absolutely fine.

You will need a good BD mic, and the type of mic you use for this is going to depend on you genre. IE: LDC for acoustic and Dynamic for electrified.

You will need a good snare mic (or pair). You can save yourself time and energy and take the SM57 path.

You can use your inexpensive PGA/dynamic mics for the toms. The toms get their definition from the overheads, and are supplemented by the proximity isolated dynamics.
I would also recommend the good old 57 on snare. You can't go wrong with it.
 
I'm going to assume that the Ross K47 is a APAC diaphragm Neumann K47 clone. These are absolutely fine.

You will need a good BD mic, and the type of mic you use for this is going to depend on you genre. IE: LDC for acoustic and Dynamic for electrified.

You will need a good snare mic (or pair). You can save yourself time and energy and take the SM57 path.

You can use your inexpensive PGA/dynamic mics for the toms. The toms get their definition from the overheads, and are supplemented by the proximity isolated dynamics.
Good info here, thanks!
 
I use a matched pair of sE8s for overheads. I have a pair of VKicks for my bass drums.
They are outstanding microphones, period!
The vKick sounds like a very good move considering the variable eq voicing switch it has. I think I would be taking advantage of something like that. Getting very close to just picking up the "Arena" vPack they off and calling it a day.
 
I use the Sennheiser e604's on my two toms and snare, and have a Shure Beta 52 in the bass drum. The hi hat gets a AKG SE300 and my overhead is a AKG C214. I can get a pretty nice mix with just the Beta 52 and the one overhead. Why not try those? That would only cost you $700.
 
I use the Sennheiser e604's on my two toms and snare, and have a Shure Beta 52 in the bass drum. The hi hat gets a AKG SE300 and my overhead is a AKG C214. I can get a pretty nice mix with just the Beta 52 and the one overhead. Why not try those? That would only cost you $700.
Thanks for the suggestions! I'm leaning towards the SE mics because I really like the openness and clarity of the overheads (from demos) and the extra tonal options of the bass drum microphone. And I like to get a wide stereo mix with two overhead mics. But I will keep my eye on a C214 for maybe a room mic
 
I'm blown away by my Oktava Mk 012-01 MP overheads. They are not as "brilliant" (others might say harsh) like Rode NT5 but have a much bigger low end while still fetching all of the the PAISTEs air. Set up as ORTF they give a very accurate and fat reproduction of the kit with a huge stereo base. No need to EQ them at all, even the bassdrum has a big bottom end. So all close mics will only be just additions to the Oktavas, playing the main role in my future recordings. Center of my ORTF setup is a virtual line drawn between center of the bass drum shell and center of the snare. The mics are placed crosswise to this line, centered in a way that the distance to the cymbals is quite even, reducing any phasing issues to support this huge low end. SM57 for snare is a very good choice, for the bottom I'd choose a Beyerdynamic M201 or a small diaphragm condenser like the Rode NT5 or a Beta98 hyper cardioid. A bass drum mic supporting your preferences and you're good to go, maybe adding good to high quality mics for the toms (Shure Beta98 AD/C or even Earthworks DM20) later, depending on your budget.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! I'm leaning towards the SE mics because I really like the openness and clarity of the overheads (from demos) and the extra tonal options of the bass drum microphone. And I like to get a wide stereo mix with two overhead mics. But I will keep my eye on a C214 for maybe a room mic
With those descriptions I’d really be interested in what kind of mic preamps you’re using. What you plug the mic’s into also matters. A lot of those video demos don’t show you the gear Or the talented engineer at the other end of the mic cable.
 
I am going to purchase the Arena pack 2x sE8s, 3x Vbeat close mics a V7x and a Vkick; mainly for the sE8s, vkick and v7x.

@Bo Eder As for a preamp, I am looking at options for those as well. But I kinda have my heart (ears) set on a Universal Audio 4-107D. But that's for when I can spend that kind of dough comfortably.

Random questions; should you mic the bottom of a snare with a clip on mount?
 
Random questions; should you mic the bottom of a snare with a clip on mount?

If you're going for fidelity, you want to avoid adding any mass to the drums. No clip-ons.
For stylized or processed pop, it makes little difference, and you can use them for convenience.

The only clips I do not recommend are the all-metal Shure tom clips. They do a great job of holding the rim... So great in fact, that if you trip over a mic cord, you're going to tear your drums down. The inexpensive clip should be the fuse that breaks when catastrophe occurs, not the expensive mic, cable, or instrument.
 
If you're going for fidelity, you want to avoid adding any mass to the drums. No clip-ons.
For stylized or processed pop, it makes little difference, and you can use them for convenience.

The only clips I do not recommend are the all-metal Shure tom clips. They do a great job of holding the rim... So great in fact, that if you trip over a mic cord, you're going to tear your drums down. The inexpensive clip should be the fuse that breaks when catastrophe occurs, not the expensive mic, cable, or instrument.
Good to know. It would definitely be a plastic clip that comes with the mics.
 
I'm blown away by my Oktava Mk 012-01 MP overheads. They are not as "brilliant" (others might say harsh) like Rode NT5 but have a much bigger low end while still fetching all of the the PAISTEs air. Set up as ORTF they give a very accurate and fat reproduction of the kit with a huge stereo base. No need to EQ them at all, even the bassdrum has a big bottom end. So all close mics will only be just additions to the Oktavas, playing the main role in my future recordings. Center of my ORTF setup is a virtual line drawn between center of the bass drum shell and center of the snare. The mics are placed crosswise to this line, centered in a way that the distance to the cymbals is quite even, reducing any phasing issues to support this huge low end. SM57 for snare is a very good choice, for the bottom I'd choose a Beyerdynamic M201 or a small diaphragm condenser like the Rode NT5 or a Beta98 hyper cardioid. A bass drum mic supporting your preferences and you're good to go, maybe adding good to high quality mics for the toms (Shure Beta98 AD/C or even Earthworks DM20) later, depending on your budget.

I heard the best Oktavas to use are the modded ones. I have an Oktavas MK-012 but I don't know if it's modded
 
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