Calipso
Family Friend
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 155
Location: N.Ireland |
| Drum mics.. |
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I'm on a bit of a tight budget at the moment, and I need to expand my microphone collection to be able to record drums professionaly. Now i have been looking at some drum kits, but they prices seem so cheap, I worry!
I really need to get a pair of mics for overheads. That is my main concern, and a good mic for the kick. i have 58s and 57s that I can use on the snare and tom and gota few condensers I can use on the hi-hit (se3 rode nt1-a). So should I invest in one of these kits, or buy the mics seperatley? I really would love to get the AKG 414s, but they are waay out of my price range at the moment. I got around 300-400 to spend. I have a Rode NT-1A and i gota say, its a fantastic mic for the price. Its great for vocals and acousti c guitar sounds good too with it. Perhaps one of the Rode mics would be good for a pair? Anyone have any experience with them?
I was thinking of the AKG D112 for the kick, and perhaps using my Rode, far back to get a big bassy sound of it.
If you have any other suggestions, please say! I should say, that the kind of drums I am recording firstly, is the kind of sound on "In my place" by Coldplay.
Cheers |
Thu Jul 26, 2007 6:51 pm |
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ben m
Joined: 15 Sep 2002
Posts: 337
Location: UK |
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Hey Calipso,
Personally I would buy separate mics rather than the inexpensive drum kit mic sets. However this is not to say that there aren't good sets out there, but the cheap ones will probably not provide professional results.
I used to own a Rode NT1a but I never personally got on with the sound of it - it was too brittle and bright for my personal taste and got a little bit harsh and grainy in the high freqs. However it may be suitable for use as a room mic or a 'trash mic' when recording drums in a nice sounding room.
For budget overhead mics check out the Audio Technica ATM-450 at about £110 each - a pair of them would leave you almost £200 for a kick mic. The ATM450s are considered by many as a good 'specialist' overhead mic - they might not sound great on other sources but for overheads they shine.
On the other hand you could look at a similiar stereo pair of SDC - I personally like the Oktava MK-012 (make sure you buy from an authorised dealer) in the £200 per pair range. They are more versatile than the ATM450 but do not do the drum kit overhead job as well.
Alternatively you could look at LDC mics instead. 414s are expensive but there are cheaper alternatives.
The CAD M179 is a multi-pattern mic a la the C414 and AT4050 and if you shop around you may pick them up for about £300 per pair. They are very neutral sounding (again like the C414) and are great value for money all round mics.
You could also investigate the AT4040 which again you may get for £300 per pair if you shop around - the M179 is probably better value as you get the multi-pattern. AT build quality is superior in my opinion though.
There are lots of options in the sub £200 price bracket for kick mics.
The D112 is the obvious choice - the D112 has a more modern kick sound with a slightly scooped mid and an accentuated 'click' sound. I've seen this for as little as £105 new.
The AKG D12, now discontinued but available second hand, provides a 'classic' old school kick sound - expect to pay around £190 off EBay.
The Shure Beta 52 is one of the main contenders and is preferred by many to the AKG in both studio and live situations. I think these are about £130 from memory
Recently the Audix D6, about £150, has got a lot of positive press for its performance in kick drums and in front of bass cabs. You may also want to check out the Audix i5 as an alternative snare drum mic in the future - they are about £60 and could be used on top of the snare with the SM57 moved below the snare. From what I've heard (I haven't used one personally) they have a bit more top end than the SM57 and also seem to avoid the typical SM57 problem of excessive hat pickup - i guess their polar pattern is tighter at the rear (so to speak)
Further down the line you may want to add another mic to place outside the kick drum. A mic such as the CAD M179 (mentioned earlier) would do a good job on a budget. The CAD can also double up as tom mics, vocal mics, guitar mics etc due to the variable patterns. They are useful mics and are often considered the nearest thing to a budget C414/AT4050.
I hope this gives you a few ideas! 
I think in your position with your budget i'd probably go for a pair of ATM450s, one of the kick mics mentioned earlier (possibly second hand), sell the rode  and pick up a couple of CAD M179s further down the line and maybe an i5.
Have fun.  |
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Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:28 am |
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Calipso
Family Friend
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 155
Location: N.Ireland |
Hey Ben. Really appreciate that long and detailed reply! Thanks!
So i have been reading up on them mics you have recommended, and its a hard decision! With the AT4040's, the reviews I have found, point to mics that are great for alot of things, including overheads, where as the CAD M179s are meant to be great for vocals and not as many people have said much about using them as overheads. So right now I am more leaning towards the AT4040s. But then the CADs have multi polariod patterns which is always a good thing for experimentation! Ahh, I want them both now lol 
As terms of the kick it will be between the d112 and the 52. Though I have used the d112 in college before, and it never did sound too fantastic. perhaps it was down to the kit and placement, so I might just for the for the shure 52 and check that out!
Just one thing, your mention at the very end an "i5" ? Looks like a vocal mic. Is there something special about this? |
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Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:13 am |
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