Drum Mics

[chris Hendrich]

I think mic selection depends on a few things.
What room do you record in? What sound do you want? etc.

It also depends on your playing and balance of your playing. I know Russ Kunkel for example records with 2 or 3 mics on his drums, but his playing is very balanced, so he gets away with just overheads and a kick mic.

I would love to buy some Ribbon mics. I use the subkick for Hiphop but don't really need it Rock.

I would definitely spend a lot of money good condenser mics.
Mic is the first thing in the recording chain, so if you use cheap mics you will be stuck with that sound no matter if you use great pre amps or just an m-box.

[mikebxb]

I much prefer the sound guys miking up my kit & using what THEY are comfortable with.
But I carry around a AKG D112 for kick, 57 for snare, 3 CAD condensors (cheap) for hats & overhead..
I used to use the Beta 98's on the toms. They were real nice. But I went to Sennheiser e 609's for my toms (yes the guitar amp mike) they dont need phantom power & have similer characteristics of 57's PLUS they have a low profile over the toms with their horizontal mounting. The D112 is egg shaped & bulky for a slim case but durable. the e609s pack easy but ya gotta use a bit of care with the 57 when handling & packing..regarding the cheap overheads..I also sing backup thru a 58 & it does pickup up ambient overhead so the cheap cads suffice... If $$$ was no object I'd use 414s or Nuemans overhead but let the sound people spend that money.. I rather use it for drums & cymbals

[chris perra]

If you can afford it, get a couple Neumann km 184's as overheads
If you have those in a good room with good drums,. you can pretty much use any low budget mics you want on the other drums..
You will however need to be an even player,.. With the recorderman technique plus a kick mic you can get a killer,detailed drum sound.

[Rhythmatist]

Of course a good mid priced OH/HH mic is the old standby Shure SM81. A great budget priced condenser is the AKG Perception 170. I have 2 of them and used them in both live and studio applications and they do an admirable job. I'm also a fan of the Beta 52 and you can never go wrong with 57's.

[Cheggs]

Thanks heaps for all the feedback & knowledge guys. I really appreciate it.
Those Neumann overheads sound pretty promising. Looks like I've got a bit more research ahead of me!
Cheers again everyone.

[patdrums]

I HIGHLY recommend anyone looking for drum mics check out the new mics made by Heil Sound www.heilsound.com

I have them all around my kit and the difference in sound, richness, depth and clarity is IMMEDIATELY evident. We had a Shure endorsement for 30 years and the first time we tried the Heil stuff, there was no doubt that we had to make a change. Bob Heil is a great guy, a good friend and an icon in the live sound and audio business. He designed the mics and together with feedback from us as well as many other artists, refined them into what they are now. There are no condensers on our stage anymore. We don't have any phantom power issues any longer......no buzzes, hums, crackles....none of the problems that have plagued bands on live stages over the years.
All the diaphragms are 25-30% larger than the norm and the sound is rich and deep as soon as you plug them in.

The cost is comparable (and usually even cheaper!) than what you'd pay for a comparable set of Audix or Shure or whatever. They sound great, they're rugged and they don't cost an arm and a leg. What more can you ask for? Our FOH engineer is constantly getting comments and questions about the live sound and how he's getting such a richness out of the drums as well as the guitars, vocals, bass....everything. He's all about showing guys that he uses next to NO EQ on anything on my kit. I give him a good sounding drum and he puts the mic on it and runs up the fader. Simple as that. Everywhere we go guys are raving and buying them for their production businesses. If you're looking for drum mics, don't buy anything until you at least give them a shot.


Pat

[Julián Fernández]

Pat, which models are you using? (including the OHs)
Thanks!

[Rhythmatist]

Does anyone have any experience using the Earthworks drum micing system? I've heard a few engineers rave about them but have never heard anyone mention them in this forum. The system is quite pricey at about $2K (at Sweetwater).

[chris perra]

I haven't used to drum mics system from them, but I've heard the mics,.. and while pricey they are awesome..
If you have the money definitely worth checking out...

[patdrums]

Pat, which models are you using? (including the OHs)
Thanks!

We're using PR40's on the kicks and the new (soon to be available) PR31BW's on everything else. Our FOH guy took one of the old PR30's and cut the case down to make the whole mic smaller to fit in tight spots. Same capsule and guts---just a smaller case. Bob loved the idea and decided to release them as "PR31BW"---the "BW" designation is the initials of our FOH engineer, Bob Workman. He's using the 31's on the snare, all 4 toms as well as on the hi hat and overheads. The frequency response is wide enough to give a nice warm thickness to the toms AND a clean, silky top-end to the hat and cymbals. They sound killer on everything.

All this discussion about mics has made me think to toss another factor into the mix. A good mic is definitely imperative but one thing nobody is discussing is the role of good quality mic pre's in the whole mix. A $1000 set of Neumann 184's sound good but if you plug them straight into a Mackie board you aren't gonna get NEAR what you could from them. And an SM57 is the industry standard---a great sounding mic. If you plug one into a $5000 Universal Audio mic pre, it's gonna sound FAR and away better. The preamps are SUPER important in getting a great sound. But super high-end ones command super high-end prices. I've been in sessions where the engineer used a set of KM's or Earthworks for overheads and the cymbals sounded incredible but he had the luxury of a high quality preamp for them. And I've done sessions in project studios where they had the same mics but no really good pre's and they just sounded like any other mic. If you're setting up a home studio, it's well worth exploring spending money on good pre's. If you're just gonna use them live or on club gigs, it's not as big of an issue. Just a thought......