I've been thinking that it's time to upgrade my drum mics. I've been using a set of AKG D-220s on toms for many years. They were cheap but I couldn't remember how much I paid for them. In Searching the internet for the original price, I came across an old thread that referred to the D-220s as "good for door stops but little else". That seemed odd to me so I did a small mic comparison with a set of SM57s. I think that the assessment of that old thread is way off base. i thought that the D-220s had more punch and a pleasing natural rounded tone that the SM57s lacked. It's a sound that I think works well on standard rock applications. Maybe I've been using them so long that I just know how to get the best out of them. The SM57s (which I also use on a regular basis, as the job demands) had a more open top end and had slightly less body. I'll concede that the SM57s sound superior in more traditional jazz or ambient drum formats(you can always make a 57 work!).
I've always used an AKG D-112 or sometimes an SM7 on kick. An AKG D-110 (kik mic) came with the set of D-220s when I bought them but I couldn't remember ever using it. I tested it out today, and wow, I've been missing out on a really decent mic! Loaded with punch but with that slightly rounded tone that the D-220s have. I'm going to keep using it for a few weeks and see if the sound holds up.
I was going to switch to Audix D2s and D4s and probably still will. I used the Sennheiser e series 904 & 905 mics for awhile but found them to be brittle sounding. Even though the D-220 & D-110 were discontinued long ago, for the record, you could do worse.....
I've always used an AKG D-112 or sometimes an SM7 on kick. An AKG D-110 (kik mic) came with the set of D-220s when I bought them but I couldn't remember ever using it. I tested it out today, and wow, I've been missing out on a really decent mic! Loaded with punch but with that slightly rounded tone that the D-220s have. I'm going to keep using it for a few weeks and see if the sound holds up.
I was going to switch to Audix D2s and D4s and probably still will. I used the Sennheiser e series 904 & 905 mics for awhile but found them to be brittle sounding. Even though the D-220 & D-110 were discontinued long ago, for the record, you could do worse.....