spot mic for ride cymbal?

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joninc
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spot mic for ride cymbal?

Post by joninc » Tue Jan 16, 2007 4:21 pm

lately i have mixed ome stuff where i tracked spaced pair overheads and found myself wishing i had a closer - "more present" - ride cymbal sound. i want to try adding in a spot mic and just wondered what people have liked for that application. the only example i have seen was a shoeps small diaphragm and sadly i don't own one (actually i didn't really like the sound anyways).

btw - i usually use a pair of AKG 451's for overheads.

options avail are: tlm 103, 57s, nt2, L47, coles 4038, apex ribbon, stapes omni, akg 535, 441 ...

thanks!

j
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auralman
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Post by auralman » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:17 pm

utterly serious, a 57. It's a mic that excels at transients. I'm pretty much assuming you're doing rock type stuff? If it's something that requires a more subtle touch, I'd tend to agree with you that a condenser is better for you, but I really really love dynamics on transient spot mics (is it really so different than a drum? Really?). The attenuated high end response is just fine -you can dial it back in if you really miss it, but I find the shelf inherent to the mic is a nice thing on cymbals.
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Post by cgarges » Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:35 pm

I do think that a clear, bright mic that handles transients well is in order, especially if you're using it to enhance a pair of more traditional overheads. The 451s work great for this and I've also used AT 4051s, which are probably my favorites in the rare instances where I've done this sort of thing. Other AT mics like the 4031 work well, also. I imagine that the Neumann KM184 might be a good choice, too. I've seen Jospehson C42s in this application at Electrical Audio and I bet they'd be another good candidate.

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heylow
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Post by heylow » Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:38 pm

I see you have a 441 handy.....I have really liked the 441 on hi-hat in the past. Slip the roll off down to like the half way mark (or where ever). It's clean and clear without being brash or too up front.

I realize you are asking about ride but.....yeah.....might be the same deal.



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Post by cgarges » Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:41 pm

The 441's probably a good call. I'll bet the Stapes would work well, too. I've used those things really close to cymbals and I'm amazed at how even they sound.

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joninc
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Post by joninc » Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:45 pm

cool - thanks guys. i'll try the dynamics and see how it goes.
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Post by klangtone » Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:49 pm

i've used the Coles and liked it.

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Post by Professor » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:02 pm

See I've kind of arrived at place where I tend to prefer condensers all around on drums, because the thinner, lighter diaphragms respond faster to the attacks and recover fast afterwards too, so they tend to give me cleaner, clearer drums. And for the high tinkly bits I always prefer condensers.
But this is a game of taste, and everyone's taste is different.
What I can say for certain is that on most of the rare times I've wanted a dedicated ride cymbal mic, I have wanted it so the ride could stand out in the mix more, both in brightness and attack, and so I've reached for the TLM-103 and had fantastic results.
Of course, if you have the channels, cables and stands to spare, just put three or four of your best guess on there and learn the sound of them all. Then next time you'll know which one to grab for a particular sound.

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Post by Fletcher » Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:43 am

There is one drummer I work with that has great touch on the cymbals [not a "basher"... for him I use a Microtech Gefell M-295 about 2 feet over the cymbal aimed away from the snare at the back side of the crown of the cymbal and have had great results.

When setting it up I have him play the ride in context with the kit then I monitor the overheads and the ride "spot mic" in mono... find a position where the spot mic sounds like part of the overheads... EQ and balance to taste.

Best of luck with all you do.

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Post by Blade » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:11 am

I usually spot mic all cymbals, unless there are 20 of them....LOL!

I love using 57's for this purpose. I use a stereo matched pair of
Josephson C42's for overheads. This is the main tone, and then I use the spot mics
for balancing.

Blended in as well is a room mic......generally a ribbon.

Rock on!

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