your top 10 mics for drums

terryb · Post by **terryb** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:38 am

If price were no option, what 10 mics would you buy for drums?

JohnDavisNYC · Post by **JohnDavisNYC** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:02 am

really good ones.

JASIII · Post by **JASIII** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:39 am

10 sm57's

A-Barr · Post by **A-Barr** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:44 am

A new 4038 on each drum for each session.

Sean Sullivan · Post by **Sean Sullivan** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:45 am

I would probably buy the Earthworks drum mic kit and Josephson 606/609/e22 because I would like to hear how they sound and I can't afford them.

I like the way two large diaphragms sound as overheads in a great sounding room, so a pair of KSM32s or C414s would be nice.

EricBenjaminBach · Post by **EricBenjaminBach** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:33 pm

I often borrow Josephson C-42s for overheads, and they sound awesome.

roscoenyc · Post by **roscoenyc** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:56 pm

ten?

thats a lot of mics!

3 silver ones and 4 black ones

chetatkinsdiet · Post by **chetatkinsdiet** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:22 pm

Funny thread, but I'm bored....Here's my sky's the limit list:

OH Pair #1 = Coles 4038 pair
OH Pair #2 = AKG 451 w/ CK1 caps and CK2 omni caps
toms = 2 SM57
kick#1 = RE20
Kick #2 = M88
Kick #3 = MD421
FT or Kick#4 = MD421

Ok, with the above, I've got three choices for overheads...coles, or one of the two versions of the 451. If I use the coles, i'd then use the CK2 equipped 451's for room mics. If I used the ck1 equipped 451's oh, then I'd use the coles for room mics.

I've also got a few options on tom mics as I can use sm57's on toms, or i can use the two 421's on toms and the m88 on the larger floor tom if needed. Or I can use a combination of the 57s on small toms and 421 on larger. I can also use any of the above on the kick...whatever sounds best for the drum/room.

Not really the "dream mic" scene you were looking for but, whatever works. Would I love to have a few C12's to throw on top..sure, but this is realistically the best setu for me as I know these mics and they're all so versatile.

m

terryb · Post by **terryb** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:45 pm

that is excatly what I was hoping for.
I just want people's favorite mics for the whole kit.
I'm hoping to discover some new mic brands that aren't mentioned a whole lot so I can research a bit.
thanks for replying with substance

chetatkinsdiet · Post by **chetatkinsdiet** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:58 pm

OK...so just say that having 3-4 SM57s is a given. I'd make sure I had 2-3 (at least) 421's as well. They work on so many things...not just drums. Also, the RE20 is a great one to add as well. Everything you read about the SM7, applies to the RE20, but the RE20 is much better at drum micing and horns. It equally as good on vocals and VO work.

I know they seem to be low on the sizzle factor, but having a lot of great dynamic mics is really essential. They're so versatile. A good M88 is pretty high on my list as well.

There are a lot of choices for sdc's to use as overheads, it just depends on how you typically record drums. Do you want your OH mics to capture the entire kit or just cymbals? If I were going to add another pair of sdc mics to the 451's a pair of SM81's would be right there too as they're different, but still cool. They also seem to work a little better for stuff like acoustic guitar. Although, the coles are pretty nice too on some guitars on the Gibson side of the fence. Martin type guitars seem to sound best to me with KM184's....if I can generalize. I know we're talking about drums here primarily, but it's nice to know that the mics are good on other things as well.

m

Glory_Morris · Post by **Glory_Morris** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:31 pm

JASIII wrote:10 sm57's

Fucking A.

(2) EV Re20
(2) AKG C414
(2) EV 635

(4) Whatever.

I went from 2 mics on drums to 4, to 7, to 6, and finally settled with just 3.
Oktava mk319 works nice on OH in mono
Shure B52 is the kick mic everyone LOVES to hate. I like it.

digitaldrummer · Post by **digitaldrummer** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:34 pm

Drumagog...

ok, just kidding.

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:05 pm

My favorite drum mics are -
sm57 or Shure 535 for snare top.
635a or Tape Op omni or Behringer EMC8000 on shell.
421 or EV RE15 under snare.
Anything on hats. It doesn't matter.
AKG D19, M88 or 421 on toms. Ibanez also made some mics that I love on toms. I don't know the name but they look like shrunken RE20's and sound killer.
Apex 405, m88, or 421 for front side of kick, PZM under the stool or 57 on beater side. Every now and then I like a D112 but not often,
EV 635a through Ross distortion pedal as a heart/crotch mic.
Coles or RCA BK-5 or Apex 405 for overheads or a mid/side array with a ribbon as side mic and a nice LDC as the mid (C12, U87 etc, etc)
For room mic I like anything from a SM58 to RCA ribbon to a LDC stereo pair. It depends on the drums, room, player and song.

Of all those mics my most constant go to's are the AKG D19, SM57, M88, 421, 635a and Apex 405.

vsr600 · Post by **vsr600** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:12 pm

well I only know what I have so:
2 AKG C414Buls (overheads usually)
4 Oktava MK012's (for toms, under snare sometimes and sometimes snare batter with two pads screwed on)
2 Avenson Audio STO-2 (room and kick batter / under snare)
1 Audix i5 (snare batter)
1 Shure Beta 52a (kick resonant side)

stereopathetic_banjo · Post by **stereopathetic_banjo** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:53 pm

I just got an Audio Technica ATM 450, so i'm pretty excited to see how it fares on my kit. Haven't really had time this week yet, tho.

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your top 10 mics for drums

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