U47-ish Overhead Suggestions Please

Huntlabs · Post by **Huntlabs** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:46 pm

I've got a friend who is looking for some overheads. He really likes my Hamptone U47 mics but they are not available now. He has found some Lawson's, Neumans 147 etc and is considering them. He is mainly going to use the mics for drum overheads and he really wants something that is beatle'ish, he plays in a Beatles cover band / retro band. The Beatles cover band is what got him jonesing for some better OH mics. He wants two really good mics.

He is considering the following:
Wagner U-47
Lawson L47MP
Pearlman TM1
Peluso 22 47

I told him he needs to buy a good pre too.....

fossiltooth · Post by **fossiltooth** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:52 pm

I'm surprised. I've never used U47's as overheads, and I'd never think to.

Rooms? Yes. Overheads? Just doesn't make sense to my ears. Maybe I'm crazy. Does anyone else here like U47s in overheads, and if so, in what context?

rpmsongs · Post by **rpmsongs** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:41 pm

I do! i lovem. but, not in stereo(which would be cool, but sooo expensive). I'll put one above the kit over the kick drum pointed at the snare. not very high. about eye level. just where the drums sound good and balanced.

ctmsound · Post by **ctmsound** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:47 pm

I can vouch for the Lawson, what an amazing microphone. Never used it on overheads, but it makes a fantastic mic for just about everything else i've tried it on.

linus · Post by **linus** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:20 am

A couple things strike me about this question.

Your friend doesn't have a good pre but is willing to drop 2.5-10K on a pair of mics? There is a huge price spread between a pair of Wagners and a pair of Pelusos.

There are so many factors involved in getting the drums to sound like the Beatles: Ringo, the room, the heads, the kit, the mics, the pres, compressors, mic placement, the engineer, the tape machine, the tape, the mixing console, the mastering... I think you get the point.

U47s weren't the only mics used on Beatles sessions for overheads. AKG D19s were used as overheads a lot in Beatles sessions and I believe that Coles 4038s were used at times too. Those mics are also available for way less than U47s.

Is this for live Beatles coverband gigs or studio work? Because I don't think U47s (or clones) would be particularly practical live drum overhead mics.

If it's studio work, a more cost effective route (and probably more successful) would be to book time in a great sounding studio with good gear and a great engineer and attack it that way. Have your friend make sure that when he plays the drums he sounds like Ringo. Then a good engineer in a great room will be able to capture a Beatles-y sound.

Too much emphasis is put on a particular piece of gear for getting a particular sound.

Sean Sullivan · Post by **Sean Sullivan** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:21 am

Of all the Peluso microphones, the 22 47 seems to be regarded as their best microphone. Soundelux used to make the IFET7, but it's pretty pricey.

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:08 am

A single U47 would work well through a fairchild 660.
I use a pair of M49's instead of U47's. I have enough 47's that I could put a pair above the kit , an one in the room, but I dont.

The 47 is just a microphone. It is a great microphone, but it does not make the drums in to something they are not. Make the drums sound "like the beatles" to you, ten record it. You could do it with a pair of 57's as OH, with something like an E602 in front of the kick, and mabe one other mic as a close-ish ambient... again, anything would do it.

You would be surprised how much simple dynamic mics sound "old" in the overall tone of the drums. Like the overall spectral balance. just make it sound great to you. Save the 20k for something else. like a mic pre, or maybe a compressor.

idealfreedistribution · Post by **idealfreedistribution** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:02 am

I'm not sure if I've ever heard of U47's used to mic the Beatles drums. I've always read the overhead with N. Smith engineering was most often a Coles ribbon, and with G. Emerick, an AKG D19.

Like many have alluded to, there was a lot of attention paid to the sound of the drums themselves to get the sound the Beatles and their engineers were after. Because of the Beatles connection, D19 are selling for outrageous prices. Any good dynamic mic would be a good substitute here.

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:40 pm

idealfreedistribution wrote:I'm not sure if I've ever heard of U47's used to mic the Beatles drums. I've always read the overhead with N. Smith engineering was most often a Coles ribbon, and with G. Emerick, an AKG D19.

Like many have alluded to, there was a lot of attention paid to the sound of the drums themselves to get the sound the Beatles and their engineers were after. Because of the Beatles connection, D19 are selling for outrageous prices. Any good dynamic mic would be a good substitute here.

+1

The Beatles did not use U47s for the drums. They did use them for vocals, and some perussions. But not the drums.

So asking for a Beatles sound, is asking for either a ribbon mic, or a dynamic mic.

Dan Phelps · Post by **Dan Phelps** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:02 pm

I don't think of the U47 as the Beatles drum sound, BUT, it can be very very cool as a mono overhead kind of looking over the drummer's shoulder. That, a kick mic, and a little compression will get the job done in a lot of situations.

rpmsongs · Post by **rpmsongs** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:20 pm

I felt the neumann cmv563 sounded much like a u47. I believe it has the same capsule, not positive though.

kayagum · Post by **kayagum** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:23 pm

joel hamilton wrote:Save the 20k for something else. like a mic pre, or maybe a compressor.

Or a car. Or a down payment on a house.

Huntlabs · Post by **Huntlabs** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:41 pm

Well, I offered to track drums at my place but he wants his own set up... Not that my room is any better than his but I at least have a load of good gear / mics / pres / Converters... My room totally sucks but at least it is dead where it needs to be.

He's been hanging out at BeatGear.com a Beattles talk page. Gotta be registered to even read it... I just got registered and finally was able to read some of the stuff people were posting. Some seem knowledgeable but some, not so much. Some recomending MXL mics and the CAD E-200 as "an affordable U-47 Copy". LMA

I had the preamp discussion with him last night. I suggested the Hamptone JFET, API, Amek or an old Great River. He called me later and we talked about a cheap condenser through a Rolls Tube Pre. He's learning and he will find his way to some good gear. He's got a Tascam digital recording board and he wants his own mics, even though he already has billions and billions of descent dynamics and some crappy condensers. (anyone else miss Carl?)

He is a really good drummer and he has many vintage drum kits. Many really really cool and really expensive drum kits. All from the early 60's. I'm not an expert buy I think he has the vintage drums to get that vintage sound. I'll send him this link and he can decide how much he wants to spend and weather the Beattles even ever used U47's on drums. AKG D19s + Coles 4038 are a good suggestion too.

I do use a U-47 ish mic as Over Heads.... from Hamptone:
http://hamptone.com/htm12a.htm
I like my Hamptone K-47 capped Toobular mics as drum OH's. They sound really good. I run them through a Great River Pre. I also use them as a stereo pair for classical music recording. Great mics. Really sweet sounding.

I'm simple with my drum set up. Only 2 OH's the 47's, 1 snare mic a 4047 - Amek pre, and two Kick mics, one D112 and one Yamaha Sub kick through a Hamptone TUUUB pre.

Viva La Toobe!

Thanks.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:33 pm

joel hamilton wrote: Make the drums sound "like the beatles" to you, ten record it.

Exactly what I was thinking.

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:43 pm

joel hamilton wrote:. Save the 20k for something else. like a mic pre, or maybe a compressor.

Or rent. For a year.

Message Board

U47-ish Overhead Suggestions Please

U47-ish Overhead Suggestions Please

Who is online