Mics for toms

S8-N

S8-N

..|.. Part-time Antichrist ..|..
Can anyone suggest a cheap alternative to the SM57??? I was told that a condenser would gimme a better sound... Any condensers in the $100 price range??? A guy promised me a deal on a pair of AKG c418's but they haven't shown up and I haven't actually heard anything good about 'em...
I'm talking for toms and snare... I like a thin, dry, crispy sound...
 
I don't think I've ever seen a condenser in the $100 range. The only "cheaper" condenser worth-while I've seen is an AKG C1000s for around $200 (I own two of them; and bought them when they were C1000 for around $3xx). Of course, there's the Oktava MC012 (only from The Sound Room of course) with 3 exchangable caps. for around $270 (beautiful for OHs, but never tried them on a snare). They both are small diaphragmed so they'd be perfect for your "thin, dry, crispy sound"; (I use a C1000 on a picalo snare when I mike it with a condenser).
 
Thanks R.E,
I have a C1000 that I got for overheads... Tonight I tried it for vocals and it was clipping nasty all over the place... I processed the hell out of the tracks and I think they are gonna be saveable, but I won't try vox with 'em again...
All I know is that I went into a local music store with decent repute and asked for a quote on 3 SM57's... The guy asked what I was gonna be mic-ing and I told him "toms and snare" and he told me that if I wanted a good mic for toms, I needed a condenser and he had a deal on good condenser mics coming up... H said that AKG was shipping a D-112 with two 418's in a package for a low price and he was gonna split up the package and sell the D-112 seperate and gimme the 418's for $140 for the pair... This sounded like a good deal to me since they sell for around $150 a piece on the net...
Am I about to get hosed??? I am suspicious of these mics that no one seems to have used...
Any advice will be rewarded in the afterlife... with no money down... and zero% financing!!! Today only!!! At Satan Plymoth/Dodge!!! BE THERE!!!!!!!
 
That package is the same thing as what ThoughoBread and American Musical Supply has been selling for probably 8-10 months now for around $400. The AKG 418s are clip-on condensers which I've seen sell for $200 each. This package is like getting the D112 for free since it runs for about $200-$220. Clip-on mics are generally used for live performance. But some have been known to sound rather good enough for recording (but the 418 is not one of them since it doesn't seem to be very stable as the others, and you cannot adjust the positioning of the mic from the drum because the arms are so short. For live miking my drums (I'm a drummer too), I was considering getting what AKG calls "the Big Drums Set Package" which contains 4 418s, 1 D112, and 2 C1000s' (although I already have two older C1000 and a D112) all in a suitcase for just under $1000 US, but they are not available in the U.S.; only Europe.

Just last week, I started to look into tom mics for my studio myself. I decided I was looking for condensers because I want the attack (transiets) of condensers. I want large diaphragms so I get the low frequencies of any tom. I want them front-addressed because I don't want them to be bulky and get inthe way. And I want it to reasonable be able to handle a drum stick. Well, the only one I found meeting all those requirements was the Beyerdynamic MCE 93 ($500 each plus shipping). I'm going to buy 4 in a month or two.
 
Hey Reconding Engineer,
You might want to hold off on buying the AKG clip on's... I just got turned onto a deal where I'm getting 3 Sennheiser E-604's for right at $250. (Thanks Fishmed...) These are supposed to be better mics than the AKG's. In a couple of weeks I'll let you know how they sound...

S8-N
 
Thanx S8-N, but I decided not to buy clip-ons at all now. I figure that the amount of times I'll really need to mic my entire set for live gigs, I can just mic them with 57s (because my budget needs to go to other equipment). Although, if you end up having good experiences with them, I guess I'll have to make room in my budget! Please do let me know in a couple of weeks.

Thank You so much for the help!

Weston
 
Just finished my first session with the Sennheiser E604's and to my ears they sound great... 3 mic's for $250 with clip-on hardware... can't beat it...
I'll post some dry drum only tracks so the experts can decide.

S8-N
 
Personally, I can tell very little difference in how the Shure dynamics like the SM57, SM58, etc. sound, versus cheaper versions of these sold by several other manufacturers. For example, I bought a couple of $40 Audio-technica mics sold at Best Buy, and I think they sound about the same as the Shure SM58. I've used these cheap AT mics on snare and toms (for recording) and I think they work fine. I can't comment on long-term durability, but for the sound, I don't believe there's much point in buying a small-diaphram dynamic for more than $50.
 
I would NEVER recomend using SM58 on toms, or drums in general... too much bleed over. That may be why they don't sound that great. SM57s are the best mics for under $100. But there is more to recording great drums than the mic itself. One needs to take in consideration of the isolation of the drums, to in of iteself and other noise sources. Also the accoustics of where the drums are located and how the mic's are positioned. Then there are other electronics to think about: mic-pre's, monitors, etc. If the only thing you focus on is the mic, then one mic might not sound better or worse than the next.
 
What you say doesn't make any sense --- The SM58 doesn't have a wider pick-up pattern than the SM57 (?). I admit they sound a little different, and I respect your personal judgement as to what you think sounds best on toms. But I don't understand your comment about "bleed".

I may not be a professional engineer, but I reiterate my opinion that the SM57 is over-rated. I think you can use less expensive mics and do just fine recording snare, toms, or electric guitar.
 
I'm with Fishmed,
From past experience the SM58 definatly has a wider pickup then the 57.
Also for good overheads i think you can't get much better than two NT2's close to the toms. Then you only need to mic the snare and the kick drum.

HAWLK
 
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