mic for aux percussion?

sad iron · Post by **sad iron** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:22 pm

Anyone have any favorites? Dynamics? condensers? well-liked pres? I have some aux perc to record and am looking for thoughts.

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:46 pm

i often use a crappy old Webcor mic to round off things.

sometimes a Nady Starpower 3 if it needs more piercing top but no sheen.

i'm totally serious.

if i need something better, i borrow a random SDC (often something by Audio Technica, Sony or Peluso) from a nearby friend.

i would pass on an AKG C-1000 unless you were miking something like fairly dark wooden temple blocks or a rotten log being beaten with a rubber mallet (i have miked that), too much harshness to my ears.

JohnDavisNYC · Post by **JohnDavisNYC** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:50 pm

i usually just use whatever is still on the stand closest... that means it is usually a soundelux u95, Neumann UM57, or U87, if i have been doing vocals or acoustic guitar... sometimes a KM84 is the jam for percussion, but often I can't be bothered setting up a mic just for tambourine... just lower the stand on the vocal mic, maybe change the preamp and signal chain, and hit record...

john

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:13 pm

What sort of stuff do you have to record? High-transient stuff like cowbells or glass bottles or softer-toned stuff like egg shakers? Hand drums like congas or hand drums like dumbeks? Timpani or Mark Tree? Loud instruments (like tambourine) or quiet instruments like brushes on a table top? Big, loud Brazilian caxxixxi or small ones like you'd buy at a head shop?

I'll put up different mics for any of that stuff.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

DrummerMan · Post by **DrummerMan** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:00 pm

I usually either use my oktava 319 that lives in the upper corner of the drum room, facing the wall and squashed to shit, for things like tamborines. Otherwise, it's a 414, running through the la610 for relatively close up stuff.

Granted, I don't have a hundred different mics and pre's to choose from, but this is what I use and it works well for me.

sad iron · Post by **sad iron** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:50 pm

So I'm getting the sense that for general purpose (I'm only rocking the shaker and such, no djembe, etc.) it's whatever's up, which fit well with my overall approach and my past experience. I guess I was second guessing myself. Thanks...

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:04 pm

yah, use whatever's handy.

of course, if it sounds bad then try something else.

sad iron · Post by **sad iron** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:22 pm

RefD wrote:of course, if it sounds bad then try something else.

wait...you guys listen to what you record before you record it? isn't that cheating?

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:32 pm

sad iron wrote:
RefD wrote:of course, if it sounds bad then try something else.
wait...you guys listen to what you record before you record it? isn't that cheating?

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 5:01 am

I'm starting my day with percussion overdubs. I get the impression it's going to be mostly shaker, tambourine, and some cowbell (YES!), but I'll be prepared for other stuff as well. I don't really have any mics laying around the studio right now, so I'm starting with a clean slate.

I know it's utterly ridiculous to have a favorite tambourine microphone, but there's always something incredibly satisfying to me when I record tambourine with an MXL V67. That's about the only thing I get excited about using that mic for, but something about it really helps a tambourine sit nicely in a mix. I'll probably also have nice, clear small diaphragm condensers up (probably AT 4051s or Neumann KM184s) for getting shakers and stuff. I'll probably put something with good distance sensitivity near the floor on the other side of the room as an ambient mic (probably an Oktava MC012 with an omni capsule) and I'll probably have a Lawson with the L47FET setup and a Neumann U87 handy for recording hand drums in mono for this particular session. I'll also have a ribbon mic out for the cowbell stuff. My BK5A is due for a new ribbon, so I'll probably use a Beyer M500 or a Royer 121. Or maybe for fun, a Reslo or Shure 330 today.

I'll probably use some faster preamps with good clarity and detail, like the Buzz Audio Elixirs or the Syteks. Maybe APIs if we wind up doing any hand drum stuff. I'll probably listen to some compression on the tambourine or hand drums (GML 8900 or Distressors), but probably not much other stuff in-line unless something else is required.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 9:25 am

For shakeen stuff it seems like I always go back to a SDC. I'll try dynamics, and my very limited ribbon 'collection' and they can all work, but it's the SDCs that usually make me happiest. I've had great success with the MC012 in omni for tambourine lately, includinig setting it up in the control room near the console, into a bit slower pre (Aurora GTQ2) and standing about 8 feet from it. Some reverb in the mix (or maybe lots of reverb in the mix) and I've been really happy.

Of course I have 2 new tambourines that I'm hardcore loving!

LeedyGuy · Post by **LeedyGuy** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:43 pm

drumsound wrote:I've had great success with the MC012 in omni for tambourine lately, includinig setting it up in the control room near the console, into a bit slower pre (Aurora GTQ2) and standing about 8 feet from it. Some reverb in the mix (or maybe lots of reverb in the mix) and I've been really happy.

I'm totally jealous that you have omni caps. I need to get those for this kind of thing especially

drumsound wrote: Of course I have 2 new tambourines that I'm hardcore loving!

I don't want to go too OT, but what are they?

I use my Russian 012s through my Sytek generally for percussion, but sometimes thats just too much high end, but I just roll it off, cowbell especially.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:57 pm

kentothink wrote:
drumsound wrote:I've had great success with the MC012 in omni for tambourine lately, includinig setting it up in the control room near the console, into a bit slower pre (Aurora GTQ2) and standing about 8 feet from it. Some reverb in the mix (or maybe lots of reverb in the mix) and I've been really happy.
I'm totally jealous that you have omni caps. I need to get those for this kind of thing especially
drumsound wrote: Of course I have 2 new tambourines that I'm hardcore loving!
I don't want to go too OT, but what are they?

I use my Russian 012s through my Sytek generally for percussion, but sometimes thats just too much high end, but I just roll it off, cowbell especially.

The omni caps are super cool. I have the full three cap and pad set on a pair of mics.

The new tambourines are slightly frankenstein'd. I found a great older tamb with wonderful sounding jingles at a pawn shop. It's a big headless double row. Double row tambs are heavy and often hard to deal with. So I bought a cheap LP single row with a decent real skin. I pulled one row of jingles from the used tamb and replaced the completely tone less pieces of shit that come on cheap tambourines. The double row is nw much lighter with less 'hardware' and sounds great as a headless and the LP now sounds good the the toneful jingles. It was the best $20 bucks I've spend in a long time!

k Holmes · Post by **k Holmes** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:21 pm

Blue Mouse dude. Ruling.

GooberNumber9 · Post by **GooberNumber9** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:28 am

For some reason I gravitate towards omni for aux percussion. Maybe I just don't want it to sound right in my face ever. Congas and bongos are different, though. Those I treat more like toms - maybe a 57, MD421, that kind of stuff.

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mic for aux percussion?

mic for aux percussion?

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